Less Poop Collecting

Allison was telling me about how she wanted a dog, but didn't have the time and energy to take care of one full time. I feel like I hear that sentiment an awful lot, and I'll confess that even though I am supportive of dog-eaters (I remain firmly behind that statement), I too have wanted to play with a dog, but don't have the necessary time or maybe willpower to really become a dog owner. Allison floated the idea of renting pets, and I think that sounds like a decent business idea. I would do this - get to play with a dog or go for a walk or impress chicas - with less poop collecting or vaccinating or sofa destruction.


There's plenty of holes with the idea, and I guess it has high start-up costs (training to accept rental strangers for quick periods of time, operating a physical store, vaccinating and licensing dogs) but I think if executed well, you could turn this into a profitable business. You could even offer an option to buy after the rental, and I bet some lonely folks would get incredibly attached to their rental dog instantly, and be willing to pay through the roof to have the dog forever. That sense of attachment is what a pet store tries to create instantly - here, we let you take a test drive, and only get more attached. And if you like a certain dog, you can try to keep renting the same dog, but you run the risk of someone else swooping in to buy your dog, so that pressure might force you into making a defensive move and buying the dog before someone else does. I think the rental prices will just barely break even, but I think the permanent sales would be the major upside here. (By the way I don't mean dogs as a timeshare setup - you won't rent out your own dog to strangers - these dogs will belong to the rental company).

Anyways, if you don't have a dog, but sometimes think about getting one, mull this idea over. I know I would be interested in this. But maybe I'm insane.