Dogs for rent brighten the lives of pet-deprived Japanese

TOKYO, (AFP) - The Beatles sang "Money can't buy me love", but people are flocking to the "Puppy the World" rental pet shop at Tokyo's Odaiba waterfront park to rent just that by the hour.

On a recent Sunday dozens of lonely hearts gazed at photos of adorable doggies and then shelled out 1,575 yen (14.58 dollars) to take the chihuahua, toy poodle or miniature dachshund of their choice for an hour's walk.

Upon their return, many give their short-term companions a quick hug and a wave in a misty-eyed farewell.

For Japanese with a fondness for animals but who are unable to raise pets because of their cramped homes or strict apartment rules, shops like these are a godsend.

"Three of us in our family love dogs, but my grandfather hates them," said a 12-year-old girl who lives with her parents and grandparents in a Tokyo condominium and who rents a dog every week.

A 25-year-old woman who called herself Akaike said, "I want to raise a dog in the future, so this is like practising up." She and her boyfriend drove for an hour to reach "Puppy the World".

"Where I live, there's no place that offers this service," she said.

Each person who rents a dog by the hour is given a leash, some tissues and a plastic bag -- in case the pooch has to answer the call of nature. They are also get strict instructions not to let the dogs run free, to keep them in the shade on hot summer days and refrain from giving them snacks.

Many customers head off to the seaside park across the street to trot out their part-time pets among beach-side cafegoers and windsurfers.

For the steeper price of 10,500 yen, renters can take their chosen dog home for an overnight stay and are provided with a day's pet food, a water dish and a cage for the animals to sleep in.

The rental business is no oddity in dog-crazy Japan, a country with 11.1 million pet dogs and where doggie hotsprings and pet aromatherapy abound alongside products like canine perfume and miniature sofas for pets.

In Tokyo alone the number of shops registered to rent out pets grew to 115 as of March, up from 17 just three years earlier.

While the boom in puppy love is raising awareness about animal welfare, concerned veterinarians say the animals who are up for rent live difficult lives.

"For shy animals, getting taken on walks by people they are not familiar with is a major source of anxiety," said Chizuko Yamaguchi, veterinary inspector with the Japan Animal Welfare Society.

Puppies and kittens that are petted by strangers can suffer from diarrhoea because of the stress. "The stress is terrible if they are touched all over. I think there are some that even die of it," she said.

"Puppy the World" manager Hiromi Maeda said her rental crew of 35 dogs -- all adults over one year old -- are checked daily by staff to see whether they are up to going out.

Staff even try to match the personalities of the dogs with those of the customers.

"If there is a child who cries a lot, we make sure to give them a dog with a strong heart," Maeda said. "We ask customers whether they want one that can be cuddled or one that will walk a long way."

The shop's intention is not to profit from the rental business, but to give newcomers some experience at being responsible pet owners, she said. The store's main business is selling puppies, which are hands-off for renters.

Tokyo veterinarian Toshi Motegi said he was wary of having animals treated like objects and used for a moment's pleasure.

He said Japan should adopt a system in which people who could no longer raise their pets found them new owners by "match-making" humans with animals that like them.

And in the case of the rental business, the dogs should be allowed to choose who could have the privilege of taking them out, he said.