It's more the culture of casual pet ownership that is bothering me. I view it that this service is legitimizing the idea that pets can be obtained and then gotten rid of when you tire of them. Someone who subscribes to this service as their first encounter with a pet, or children of people who use it, may mistakenly think they can handle full-time pet ownership and then end up getting a dog that they abandon when they realize what it actually takes.
On the other hand, I'm thinking about comparing this to the Big Brothers/Sisters programs. People who want to work with kids but don't want to have one could sign up as a Big Sib. It seems somewhat similar to that concept. Except that if these people want to spend their time with dogs but not be owners, they could instead volunteer at a shelter, so instead having them rent a pet draws that resource away from shelters.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2008-03-02 08:32 pm (UTC)On the other hand, I'm thinking about comparing this to the Big Brothers/Sisters programs. People who want to work with kids but don't want to have one could sign up as a Big Sib. It seems somewhat similar to that concept. Except that if these people want to spend their time with dogs but not be owners, they could instead volunteer at a shelter, so instead having them rent a pet draws that resource away from shelters.