In our crazybusy, "no time for a committed relationship" culture, the need to draw time and emotional boundaries has extended into our relationships with even man's best friend.
An article in the December 17 Boston Globe featured a story about a new company "that plans to rent dogs to Bostonians willing to pay steep fees for a canine friend without worry of a commitment.
" Consider this a "canine escort service," where the increasingly self-centered professional pays for a "time share" in some doggie's schedule.
A weekend doggie date, if you will, for long-walks along the beach, and some cuddly companionship on the sofa or in the bedroom.
While FlexPetz, the dog rental service, bills itself as 'an unique alternative to full-time pet ownership," some local animal rights groups and animal behaviorists beg to disagree.
In our disposable society, now even our four-legged companions become disposable.
Dogs, just like people, do far better in a stable, committed environment than a revolving door of narcissistic part-time animal "lovers.
" I remember when people used to say, "skip the boyfriend or girlfriend...
get a dog," when the fear of emotional involvement, time or commitment reared its ugly head.
Now it's, "skip the long-term relationship...
go casual" even on the animal frontier.
FlexPetz's president and CEO reported, "the dogs often come from shelters and are specially selected for temperaments that can withstand the weekly uprooting.
" Is this akin to saying foster children are specially selected from temperaments that allow them to adapt when moved from home to home? Having seen "The Kite Runner," I can surely see the resilience of the human spirit and the remarkable ability to survive and even work with even the most aversive living conditions.
But why contribute to that environment? Why pitch in to the cultural disconnect that makes all things relational commodified, expendable, something to pick up and discard at whim? I would rather see the dog-hungry urban professional visiting Buddy Dog or the MSPCA and taking their charges for a Saturday stroll.
Why make a profit on something that could be done as community service, with just as much emotional reward? And donate the foregone rental fee to pay for dog food? Or better yet, put some time into human relationships, and find a friend or two with whom you can "share" the responsibilities of caring for a canine? or feline? It takes a village for most anything these days.
Can we resurrect a bit of the village in place of the commercial structures that take the village's place? I sit reflecting my thoughts, with Flora, our Birman cat, perched on my left shoulder, Querido, our Siamese kitten stretching on my printer, and Toss, our former feral Buddy Dog rescue cat sacked out on a nearby chair.
Golden our English lab is crying, reminding me that instead of writing about dogs, it is time to take him outside for his turn! Better heed the hound! ©2007 Linda Marks