Here's a link to the article:
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB12178960449...

Dr. Patty Khuly August 6th, 2008 03:06:00 PM

The situation they described wasn't all that weird. Although it isn't idea pets have changes as kids go to college, family move around, divorce etc. It is title and context they gave it that was bizarre.

emily August 6th, 2008 04:33:00 PM

I read the article yesterday and I thougth the nieghborhood pet-shares were actually kind of interesting. Completly different from the Flex-Pet model where a pet goes from stranger to stranger with no idea what to expect - these were pets who spent part of their time at one home and part at another, on a routine schedule. Not so unusual when you think about it, considering some pets go to day care, get taken out by a dog walker or go over to a neighbor's house for a play date. It seems like it would solve a real problem - people whose schedules make it hard to give their pets all the attention or exercise they need. Why must it be all or nothing, when two families could each do half the work? People have shared horses for years, it's not entirely new.

Sometimes it takes a village!

Anne August 6th, 2008 08:08:00 PM

On those rare times when we travel without our dogs, we usually leave them with trusted friends who are VERY dog-savvy and who know our dogs well (and vice versa). In turn, when those friends travel we keep their dogs. All the dogs get along well, and seem pretty comfortable in the other family's home. We have the dogs visit each other regularly so they stay friends. This isn't a shared ownership situation - but from the dog's point of view, maybe not much different from that. But I've seen how well the dogs adapt to it - I've been doing this for many years, with many, many different dogs. So I don't think the neighborhood pet sharing idea sounds so bad - given the caveats in the article regarding diet, expenses and so forth.
Plus, outdoor cats in neighborhoods have been notorious for generations for having more than one "home"! :-) And that is the cat's choice...

Barb August 7th, 2008 05:18:00 AM

I think it is an interesting idea. But it has the potential to be disastrous for both the pet and the family members. There are huge behavior issues with shuffling an animal around as well as emotional ones. For both the pet and the children within the situation.
I'd like to set up a program where pets could be fostered by elderly in assisted living facilities where they could have a loving pet, but the program checked up, delivered food, vetted the animal...win win for both the elderly and the pet, and with so many dying in our shelters, and rescues constantly over run, and families not wanting responsibility for elderly's pets...I think it has potential....
anyone know tonight's winning lottery number?....the problem of course is what I always have...many great ideas...itty bitty pocketbook.

LorriM August 7th, 2008 07:15:00 AM

LorriM: I feel your pain.

Dr. Patty Khuly August 7th, 2008 08:05:00 AM

I'm so proud of MA for passing the legislation against programs like Flex Petz. So many people worked tirelessly behind the scenes to bring it to the attention of the public and the legislature.

I guess you could say I am not a proponet of passing animals around from home to home.....

Creature of Habit August 7th, 2008 09:18:00 AM

I believe that, sadly, Flexpetz has only been closed down in MA. They're still operating in other areas and even expanding. A friend in Lincoln, NE reports they're opening soon there.

Janeen August 11th, 2008 01:00:00 PM

The point that eludes some posters is that while it's fine for certain dogs to interact with many different people (eg hotel dogs), even to travel to do so (eg therapy dogs), these animals have what rental pets lack and all dogs and cats need: A stable home environment with a consistent, committed, lifetime caregiver.

Rental pets are commodities. What do you think happens to them when they become unprofitable and unadoptable due to chronic illness, serious injury or behavior issues (which, duh, being uprooted frequently and abruptly triggers)? While a loving owner will administer meds four times a day for Fluffy's heart condition or hire a behaviorist to treat Fido's anxiety-aggression, NO business keeps inventory that costs rather than pays. And few people adopt animals with pre-existing medical issues. Fewer still, those who bite.

Nebraskans, you can do what we in Massachusetts did. Pass legislation to ban Pet Pimping. A municipal ordinance to keep Flexpetz et al out of Lincoln is quicker and easier; state legislation is more efficient. Do both. We did. You can, and if you genuinely care about animals, you must.

At the end of the day, pet renting is a gateway attitude: By conditioning us to think of pets as "things" we can enjoy and then return, it will lead to a surge in animal abandonment and all forms of abuse.

People who genuinely love animals protect--not rent--them.

Misty August 22nd, 2008 12:26:00 PM

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