'Pet-sharing' services in Shenzhen recently made headlines when The Straits Times exposed a shop called Jixiang that allows people to rent out cats for RMB39.9 a day (plus a deposit of RMB2,500) online.
In fact, it's not the only service in Shenzhen that allows people to borrow animals as easily as accessories. We investigated online and found another website, iospet.com, which offers an even wider range of options.
As shown on the site, customers can rent a variety of animals including dogs, cats and reptiles for RMB28-80 a day. Pet owners post the information of the animals they want to rent out on the website. Then, the customer chooses a pet he or she likes and sends a request to the owner after paying a deposit. Once the owner accepts the order, the customer can arrange to pick up the pet.
“The dog is obedient and beautiful,” reads a comment on the 'Customer Sharing' section of the website. “I’m definitely going to rent an Alaskan Malamute next time.”
While the services above may be meant to bring convenience to pet owners and people who want to keep a pet, animal lovers are concerned about the welfare of the animals being rented out.
The Szcat Animal Protection Volunteer Association, which cooperates with over 40 pet hospitals in Shenzhen and Dongguan, has called on people to reject cat-sharing services. The association questions whether the shops running rental services have business licenses and warns the public that pet-sharing may increase the risk of people being infected by unhealthy animals. Moreover, the association believes that pet-sharing is potentially harmful to animals as no one can guarantee the well-being of those pets.
Discussing pet-sharing businesses, Kelly Lu, 20, the owner of an nine-year-old toy poodle, commented, "What a nightmare. It’s definitely disrespectful and harmful to pets.”
Lu said that a pet borrower who is unfamiliar with the animal's habits may forget to take it out for daily exercise or provide it with food it’s not accustomed to. As a result, the pet would either be forced to change its habits or even start to fast, causing physical harm.
READ MORE: 'Shared Cats' Soon to Be a Thing in China?
In addition, sharing may harm animals mentally, according to pet blogger 'Dr. Co' (official WeChat ID 'coboshi'). In his words, a pet will feel confused, nervous and pressured when experiencing frequently shifting environments and living with different owners. Under prolonged unstable living conditions, an animal may suffer from depression. For animals like cats that are born to be sensitive to their environments, being shared again and again may lead to mental disorders and possibly even death.
“I would never rent out my dog just as I would never rent out one of my family members,” said Lu. “I don’t want to hurt it in any way.”
As the sharing economy continues to expand in China, people will need to stop and consider whether every rental service is worth launching.
[Images via iospet.com, szcat.org]
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