Responsibility key when buying dog
Marlenea Cervantes, a California behavioral therapist working with autistic children, has what she believes is an answer to people who want to own pets but are uncertain how those pets might fit into their families and lifestyles.
In March, after noticing how well children interacted when her dog was around, 32-year-old Cervantes started FlexPetz.
The eight-month-old company allows people to rent one of her 10 rescued crew of Afghan hounds, Labrador retrievers and Boston terriers.
Dogs can be rented by paying an annual fee of several hundred dollars, a $49.95 monthly payment or a $39.95 daily-use charge.
“Sometimes people get a dog and find out ‘wow, that dog really barks a lot,' or it has some other behavioral problem,” says Cervantes, who has FlexPetz services available throughout California and plans to offer them in New York and internationally by early next year.
Cervantes' fees cover the dogs' training expenses, boarding, global-positioning instruments, vet bills and food.
“There are a lot of people who love dogs, but for whatever reason they cannot make a full-time commitment. We have a huge overpopulation of dogs in shelters because people didn't do their research before buying one,” Cervantes says in a phone interview. “This is more than try it before you buy it. That's why we have a membership fee. We don't want to attract someone with a casual interest. They can try different breeds and find out which dog is correct for them and adopt. This let's you know if you should own or not own a dog. There is a demand out there for this service.”
But some question the necessity of Cervantes' service.
In August, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals issued a statement against Cervantes' company.
The ASPCA said FlexPetz “goes against the very concept of developing the human-animal bond, which we work so hard to promote. Dogs deserve a family and home they can depend on. They are not commodities to be availed of when the whim strikes and to be put away when not.”
Uncle Matty, otherwise known as California dog trainer and author Matthew Margolis, says renting a pet for a weekend isn't like “renting something to love Saturday night. What kind of commitment is that? You don't rent a husband or wife.”
Margolis, who has been in the dog-training business for 40 years, written 19 books and writes a weekly dog-training column, says there's a right way and a wrong way involving pet ownership, and “most people do it the wrong way,” he says in a phone interview. The right way would be taking dog ownership and training classes, he says.
Recently, the Fort Wayne Obedience Training Club held a Responsible Dog Ownership Day. The event demonstrated obedience lessons and taught owners what it took to be a responsible dog owner.
Margolis supports activities like this, unlike renting a pet, which is not what's best for the dog, he says. “What happens if it doesn't work? You get rid of it. That's why our rescue shelters are filled. They are tossed away like discarded popcorn. This is a life. We have to preserve it. It's too important not to.”
But there are other ways a person can have a pet without the responsibilities of pet ownership.
Perfect Petzzz makes “The Original Pet Companion,” which is a life-like “breathing” puppy or kitten “designed to educate, amuse and comfort people who are interested in having a pet, but cannot have one,” vice president of marketing Tim Clarkson says by phone from his Texas office.
Each $39.95 pet - there are 30 breed choices - comes with a collar, battery, brush and adoption certificate.
“It is not a toy,” Clarkson says, “but this is the closest you can get to real pet ownership without the hassles or responsibilities of owning a real pet.”
kjackson@jg.net
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