Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

Dan's mom read my post yesterday and promptly sent me this article from the New York Times, published in 1999. Seems like this dilemma has been around for a long time: After the Breakup, Here Comes the Joint-Custody Pet.

I also had a House and Hound reader leave a very thoughtful comment about yesterday's post. Apparently, there's a company called Flex Petz that provides a unique alternative to full time dog ownership by allowing people to "rent" a dog instead. A monthly membership of $99 dollars a month allows you to take out a "Flex Pet" dog for $45.00 a day. The dogs live with one primary caregiver but go out on daily adventures with Flex Pet members. It's an interesting concept, and I'm not exactly sure how I feel about it. You'll have to give me some time to mull it over.

Actually, I'm not exactly sure how I feel about my Puppy Pool concept either. It's different than Flex Petz, in that a dog is actually adopted and "shared" by only two primary caregivers, who have each agreed to provide a safe, stable, and consistent environment for the animal. The tough part about this arrangement is that how do you get two potential strangers to actually commit to each other and a dog? Maybe a service is needed to match people up with compatible partners? Maybe it would never work?

Check out these really cool Paper Foldable Dogs. Print this template out and assemble your own pink mini dog. Kind of fun!