rent-a-dog

I have been really busy lately. One of my coworkers went back to the US last week, so we had a big farewell party for him all night long...and from this week I am much much much busier at work because I took over some of his classes/had new classes added so I'm teaching around 5-7 fifty minute classes a day (and don't forget all the prep time/other things I'm responsible for beyond teaching). Boo. It does make the time go by really fast though. Plus this time around I actually like 98% my students-best so far! Besides the work being busy thing, I have been going out a lot with friends and therefore when I am home and have time to do things like update this blog, or write an email I find myself preferring to lie on the couch and pretend I am brain dead for a bit instead--so don't take offense if it takes a while to hear from me. I'm listening to you though. And I will respond in my own due time. =)

So the purpose of this blog and the title...I am teaching a student last night and he starts telling me...

Student: My family and I rented a dog this weekend and took it to my parent's--
Me: Wait, back up. You rented a dog? What?
Student: Yeah, we rented a dog for 2 days.
Me: Like a DVD?
Student: Yeah. Like that.
Me: You can RENT pets???

Apparently he and his family "rent a pet" here and there because they can't actually keep a pet at their apartment. They rent this dog often because his daughter likes it a lot (just like a man may have a favorite escort).

Although I give high fives to the IDEA and CONCEPT...does anyone else have a slight problem with this? I mean...I think we are all aware how attached dogs/other pets can get...so this poor dog is kept in a cage or something at the pet rental shop, and is "checked out" for two days with a family where it plays in parks and gets scratched by the children, and then it is returned to be put back in a cage...until another family checks him out...etc etc. Talk about confusing the poor thing. Those dogs must be so depressed and anxious. I can't imagine how these animals feel with their environments changing every day. I feel really bad for them!!

I wonder if there is a rent a kid shop... PROBABLY...