Is Dog-Sharing A Good Idea?

  Posted on January 7, 2013  by Joy of Living  No comments

I read a Los Angeles Times article this morning about a dog-sharing group that’s gaining momentum in San Francisco and other areas of the Northwest.  The service, called City Dog Share is Facebook-based and gives pet owners, and potential owners, options for pet care.

The founder of the non-profit service, Jim Husk, decided to start City Dog Share when he realized he was spending all of his free time taking care of his friends pets. People considering the service must apply via the City Dog Share Facebook page and be approved prior to using the service.

There are no guarantees regarding care, however.  The community is self-governing, with a steady social media presence to help govern care of caregivers in the program.

The program has over 600 members in the San Francisco Bay area, 155 members in Seattle, and 85 in Portland.

I see some good points to this program, like opening up more homes for fostering of homeless pets, or cutting down the amount of alone time pets have due to their owner’s schedule.  I wonder, though,  about the stress on pets with separation anxiety being put into an unfamiliar environment.  I’ve tried sitting for pets in my home, and it ended up being stressful for me, my pets and the visitor.

There are several pet care co-op options popping up such as dogvacay.com and rover.com so the idea is gaining acceptance among pet owners.

Have you tried a pet care co-op, and if so, what was your experience?