Even Zhu scoffs at the idea of lending dogs as a business proposition, saying that he has never made a profit from running the Golden Retriever Club and didn’t start raising golden retrievers to rent them. “A lot of those people keep their dogs in cages and spend a limited amount of time with them,” Zhu says, “I am always with my dogs, 24 hours a day. All day.”
But many animal advocates say that being treated like rental DVDs has a negative psychological effect on pets. Amy Zhang (張美), the head of Dog CHD (犬髖關節狗友會), a Taipei-based advocacy group for dogs with genetic disabilities, says that the stress of living with new households all the time hurts dogs in the long term.
“Dogs are loyal animals and they grow attached to their families. Renting them out has a negative effect on their personalities,” says Zhang. She suggests an alternative for canine fans who are unsure of their ability to make a full-time commitment to a pet.
“Instead of renting, we would advise people to volunteer at a shelter or rescue organization and help them take care of their animals or take their dogs out for walks. Those dogs could really benefit from receiving some warmth and affection from people,” says Zhang.
Jiang says that he hopes his family can have a dog of their own again someday, but because of their first experience, he doesn’t feel that they are ready to take on the responsibility again of training a dog again.
“We need to see if our family is ready for another dog. For now, renting a dog from time to time is enough for us,” says Jiang, “I know not everyone agrees with this concept. If we could adopt another dog, we would.”
RSS