Weighing in on Flexpets - again

Flexpets is making headlines again - as they expand into London and tout their services as really taking off. I am somewhat torn over this concept, and here's why.

First - it's really great that these homeless animals are finding homes. Any animal from a shelter that can find a home is great. These dogs look like they get lots of attention, and that is great too. I'm sure this one-on-one attention is better than spending their whole lives in a cage or run.

Having got that out of the way first - all of the dogs that I have seen being promoted for Flexpets do not appear to be any dog that I would think would have any problem getting adopted. Cute, little dogs usually go pretty quick. Big, black dogs, like black labs, almost never get adopted, and I haven't seen too many black labs in any of the promotional stuff. Their latest bit shows a little corgi, who is as cute as a button, but I don't believe that dog would have had any problem getting adopted out.

I don't know about any one else's dogs, but mine like a routine. They get up at exactly the same time every day, they take naps at about the same time every day, they go to bed, at the same time every day. Sure, a trip to the dog park now and then is great, but thats a special treat built on top of a fairly stable routine. These are dogs that live almost every day at a dog bakery too. Too much "different" upsets them, makes them grumpy, irritable, and whiny.

I cannot imagine these dogs have that much "routine" in their lives when different people can come and pick them up at any point in the day, on any day, and inject them into an entirely different world each time. How does a dog build a lasting relationship with any of these people who come and go like this? Where is the pack order here? Dogs need a pack order. Thats how their society fits together. Do these people really get to know the animal well enough to establish this type of relationship?

What happens if the dog is tired or grumpy, but the people paying $100 a day want their money's worth? Is there insurance in case they get bitten? If I am playing with my dogs, whom I see every day, and they don't feel like playing at that moment, then thats ok, I'll see them tomorrow. I just can't fathom how this all fits together on amicable schedules for everyone, including the dogs.

There is a free program that anyone can do - it's called "fostering". Basically, this lets you take home a dog on a temporary basis for the purposes of acclimating the dog to household rules, people, other dogs, society, etc, until they find a permanent home. If the dog becomes too much to handle, you simply take them back to the humane society. If you decide you can handle it and really want to adopt them, then you can. Now, you have to house the dog 24x7 - but there is always doggie day care for those on the go.