here is the link to the dailymail:

A dog is for life, not just for loan
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...n_page_id=1770

it is about dog hiring/sharing!

P.S. radio 2 is great been listening for years & im 24 now! my dad listens to it to!

ooooooo i dont really know now you have said that, but it was on the same sort of lines, it was about 6 months ago in a mag,! but read thr dailymail link it has all about dog hiring in there!

Sadly it is all too true At least it is only in the states(for now)

Thanks for the link Dyane, it says its available in London too...

Now you see, it says all this stuff about how much time and money is spent on the dog, and in fairness, these dogs are all rescued and if they have someone coming to take a certain dog out time and time again, perhaps the dog does get a lot out of it. A bit like those at dogs trust when the kids come to learn how to be responsible for a dog (can't remember what it's called).

I have to admit reading it over, it seems to me there's a lot of good things come out of it...
They do spend a lot of money on these dogs and have proper trainers, so in renting them out rather than allowing them to be taken out for free, these dogs are simply earning back the money they spend on them by going out to see all sorts and get love from all sorts of people who realise they can't have a dog of their own.
Rescue centres can't afford to do a lot of what flexpetz do in bringing animals back to health and they don't have space so by taking on rescue dogs to do this sort of work, they are probably actually helping out rescues.

Put it this way, you can't have a dog full time so you take a dog out from flexpetz regularly, if it doesn't work out, you don't take him out again, you're not getting a dog and putting it in rescue when you realise it won't work and the dog just gets to go out with someone else instead (or, I would hope, is played with and exercised by those working for flexpetz).
Perhaps someone wants a dog so rents one for a week to see if a dog would really suit their lifestyle, if their kids are ok with dogs - saves them buying a dog and it ending up in a rescue.

It sounds as though the dogs are kept stimulated well and get a good deal of care and attention, get fantastic socialisation when taken out 'on rental'... etc.

Perhaps there's more good in this than we realise at first?

Well it was on BBC1 this morning, said its been going for a while in the states & now they are trying to introduce it here. They had Anton who had Ginger on the underdogs on & he was saying its better than having a dog & then realising you can't cope but the trainer who trained Chump was also on & he was very against it. Said if people couldn't have a dog they should go & volunteer at a rescue & that way they could walk the dogs for free, & less harm done to them than with this scheme.

Sorry but I'm still dead against this. I've looked at the website and can't find anywhere where potential members are screened or checked in any way. They simply complete an hours basic training before they can book a dog. I would have a real problem being a dog lover handing over ANY dog to someone I didn't know, or have any information on. This simply smacks of money making to me. And then they tug on the heart strings. Most of their dogs are rescue dogs. Where do they rescue these dogs from. I would be interested in the London base in particular. I take it no rescue would dream of homing their dogs with them just to make money out of.
I agree that being able to live or have a dog for a trial period could be beneficial, but to be honest if you do your serious homework, commit to training and socialising a dog and be honest with yourself about the time you have for a dog, then these problems would rarely arise. If you go to a respectable breeder or to a reputable rescue then the option is always there to bring the dog back if things seriously didn't work out for some reason.
In the meantime, volunteer for a rescue, most after a certain will let you take the dog off for walks, or think about offering yourself as a fosterer. There are plenty of options which are free and beneficial to the breed and general rescues. i would rather do that and donate what these people are charging to a respected rescue.
Sorry but if your life/work means you can't have a dog then that's the life choice you made. I had to wait 20 years before I could find the set up where having a dog would be suitable. Before that I looked after friends dogs, helped at rescue and got other animals which I had the time for.

I agree Megan, but people don't do everything you've said. In an ideal world there would be no rescue dogs... people would do their homework, go to responsible breeders etc. etc. but that doesn't happen.
I think aiming towards an ideal world is unrealistic but improving this one is more sensible.

However - I hadn't looked at becoming a member, so I can't comment on that... if there's no screening I agree with you, that's wrong. I wouldn't be comfortable with that either.

I think if this was run better, perhaps with the idea of it as an extention to rescues so that they take these dogs on sort their health etc., hire them out as they do, screen people properly and have the dogs available for rehoming to the right person - perhaps someone would hire them out just to see how things go owning a dog and then end up taking the dog on.

I must admit, I am concerned that there's not much screening or supervision...

Agree with you. The emphasis in this case is on money. If this was not the case, why don't they just ask for a donation. And not for one second do I believe that all the money goes to the upkeep of the dogs. For that price they would all be living in gold plated kennels and have crystal bowls to drink out of.
I agree we don't live in a perfect world but then Rome wasn't built in a day. Better education with regards to having animals would however be a start. So many people (including people on here) have got dogs with the best of intentions only to have found out it was from a puppy farm. Some haven't done their homework, however some are conned or believe they are doing the right thing by keeping the animal. If people happen to fall onto forums like this then great, they can learn and pick up so much but there should be more out there in the public domain available to them and places such as vets should act in a more responsible way for instance IMO not advertise animals for sale but put people in touch with reputable breed societies or rescues.
Sorry gone slightly off topic there

I have to agree with you Megan,

I should've looked at more of the site as I didn't look at the booking bit really.

See - I'm open minded really

I think that the idea is actually really good, but needs to be run differently - that's democratic enough isn't it

I think your right. There are elements here that good be a good thing regards rescues and education. Not this Flex-petz as there a business, but some things could be looked at regards canine education and giving people a chance to understand the demands of having a dog.