The Dawn of Dog-sharing

These days, thanks to the much-loved, much-loathed, much-discussed sharing economy, who needs to own stuff?

After all, if you need a car, you can always borrow one from Getaround or RelayRides. Need a place to stay? An apartment is clicks away on Airbnb, HomeAway, or Wimdu. And, thanks to sites like Rent the Runway and Lending Luxury, you can even share a (very large, very fancy) communal closet.

But recently a new website opened up a brave new world in the sharing landscape: dog rental.

Yes, you read that right. As The Bold Italic reports, San Francisco-based Dogo connects dog lovers with shelter dogs for free—and commitment-free—play dates. If you’d like to take a shelter dog out for a stroll or a Frisbee session, you need simply to attend a brief orientation through a shelter that Dogo works with and bam! Soon you’ll be “renting” away.

The pooches get fresh air and an opportunity to socialize with other dogs and people, while you get some high-quality snuggles. It’s a win-win.

Sign me up for dog handler orientation. Yesterday.