Monday, January 17, 2005

Rent-a-dog

Alane set me up for this one! We were talking about entrepreneurship in the hotel bar, and I explained my small business idea: Rent-a-dog.

It all came to me while we lived in Hawaii. I was in Honolulu, working downtown, and my boyfriend-turned-fiancee-now-husband was in Pearl City at Pearl Harbor. Both of us liked dogs but didn't want the responsibility of a dog. I mean, let's face it--dogs are awesome but they are a commitment.

Thus the idea of rent-a-dog was born. It's all the fun of owning a dog, but none of the work. You rent your dog for the day, week or month--and they come fully trained with doggie treats, frisbees and everything. It seemed like a great "girl magnet" for guys, too. Personally, I really wanted a (well-behaved) dog to go to the beach with, so we could play fetch and romp around. Rent-a-dog would have been perfect for me.

Maybe once I become a very wealthy library blogger (ha ha ha), I can finance the venture capital needed to get rent-a-dog off the ground. Any dog-loving capitalists out there, look me up.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

dog picture

Anonymous said...

As soon as I read RentADog, the enormous potential of this idea flabbergasted me. If you rent these super-loveable dogs out, let the renters fall in love, you will have them by the throat. This is because they'll love their doggies, and decide to buy them.
BUT NO!
You keep renting them until they die!!!!!
Like Good wine, and women, the rental price can get better (for you)with age!

sheggs@gmail.com
I want half the profit,
thanks

Anonymous said...

I want to rent an English Bulldog for a day how do I go about doing this

Anonymous said...

You crazy fool, why would you rent a dog, just become a dog walker maybe, or just forget about it. People these days.

Anonymous said...

I thought of this idea first. I am going to sew your ass.

Anonymous said...

Just the other day, I was with a friend of mine and we were talking about making some extra cash on the side and we joked around the idea of renting a dog. Interesting enough, I came across this site and thought I would leave a comment. If a person was serious of doing this, I think there could be a great market and people would actually go for the idea. I suggest that a person would have several dogs on hand, supply the food and be willing to clean up after the dog does his deed. By offering these services, the person who rents the dog would be able to enjoy the animal and not worry about the responsibility. But for each service you provide, charge them for it seperately. How much should a person charge for rent a dog? Who knows, I haven't seen any prices or how much a person would give for such a service. Have a great day.

Anonymous said...

I found a website called dogreader.com. They rent a dog in Japan for $20 US an hour. Hope this helps.

Anonymous said...

I searched for the words " rent a dog" and found you! what a coincidence.

care not profit said...

Are you kidding me. I find your idea both offensive and inhumane. Are you that desperate for money and that short sighted in your creativity that you would even entertain the idea of "renting" a living creature? You have obviously never cared and I mean care in the emotional sense for a dog. Have you thought at all about how shuffling these dogs around would effect the dog? This sounds like a great way to create behavioral problems in a dog (sepration anxiety, lack of consistency, continued environmental changes). A dog needs to bond with a person or family, not spend a few hours in the company of someone who feels the need to "rent and return" them. What you are suggesting is the polar opposite of creating a loving, nuturing environment for the dog. Owning a dog or any animal is not a one way street. If a person feels they "don't have the time" to own a dog and won't give the effort to devote 24 hrs, 7 days a week to a dog then leave the dogs to people who truely care. Why don't you try renting bicycles or something not made of flesh and blood.

Unknown said...

Appalling. Instead of sitting on a beach trying to make money, go visit some of the dog rescue shelters in and around Hawaii (replace country as appropriate) and realise that a dog requires constant care within a secure environment with a stable owner prepared to look after it FOREVER. Not just on a whim or for the weekend. You have no idea. Your idea is disgusting. How would you feel about renting out kids from Third World countries for guys/gals to attract someone as they look so cute wheeling their baby along? Horrible thought isn't it? Same with dogs.

Anonymous said...

Horrible!
What will be next?
Don't want the commitment of a baby?
Rent a baby?
Dogs have a way of bonding with people, that would be very unfair. Do you not care about the wellfare of the dog? All it sounds like is that you are trying to fill your bank account. I will bet you will do this and guess what ASPCA? Humane Society and PETA will have you shut down within 6 months!
Please reconsider this idea!

Unknown said...

I was thinking of the same idea the other day but in a different way. It is not for the money or to make that extra dollar... it is for those people who cannot make the commitment to a dog. I would not put an insecure dog in a situation like that, but a dog who is social and almost like a therapy dog. Are all of you saying that therapy dogs are a bad idea??
Renting a dog for a day/week is more for people to understand how much work a dog can be. I would do it for those families that are thinkig about owning a dog but are not sure how much extra work and time goes into it.
Think about all those abandoned pets who came from homes that realized they did not have the time or energy for a dog.
This way if people do realize a dog is too much for them can simply return the animal to the "renter" and not have to worry about it being put down.
This could be a chance for dogs to find the right home and for people to finally realize most of these pets are not just going to snuggle with you.. they need exercise and time put into them.
That is how I see it.

Anonymous said...

Really it would be a wonderful idea if the world were a better place. The problem is how on earth do you ensure the safety of the animals? What if they rented the dog and never brought them back? killed them just for fun? even submitted them to dog fights. I wouldn't ever want my dog- hell any dog- to come into the hands of the sick people out there. And anyways ake a look at disney's "Rent A Kid" from- well from when i was a kid lol. Mr Magoo totally had that idea first.
But i wish you could rent a dog because i can't have one and I love dogs. If I lived in a neighborhood that had people with good personalities i would totally be a dog walker.

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Unknown said...

I too have had the exact same idea for years now and i thought it was silly and disregared it. But now i am working with my local Humane society to organize such an idea!! good thinking if you every want to know how it went maybe we can start a business together!