Photo: Ben Goldstein, courtesy of Animal Haven

Dog rental services have been around since the ’80s, and are especially popular in cramped cities like Hong Kong and Tokyo. So what makes the New York debut of Flexpetz such a hairy subject?

Founded by Californian Marlena Cervantes, Flexpetz is a members-only ownership program that caters specifically to too-busy New Yorkers. More than 100 locals have already joined the waiting list, looking to bring home a pup—for a day or two at a time.

Cervantes, who worked previously as a behavioral therapist, would sometimes introduce her pet Lab, Jackpot, to autistic clients. “They’d say, ‘Oh, I love him! I wish I could take him home with me!’ And then I thought, Well…maybe you can.”

After a successful trial in March, Cervantes opened the first Flexpetz office in April in San Diego, then a second location in Los Angeles. The Manhattan branch opens this week.

There are about ten dogs per locale. In New York, the most common requests are for small dogs: Chihuahuas, dachshunds and miniature pinschers. The dogs are around two years old, which makes them “young enough to be energetic, but out of puppyhood.”

Photo: Ben Goldstein, courtesy of Animal Haven

The rental isn’t cheap. Members pay a $150 registration fee, an annual $100 account-maintenance fee and a monthly $50 service charge. And that doesn’t include any “doggy time”—that’s an additional $25 to $40 per day. Cervantes says the cost is negligible compared to the financial investment required of a full-time pet owner. It also gives members a way to “borrow” before they buy—and “return” if things don’t work out. (All pets are up for adoption.)

Stephanie Scroggs, director of communications for the SPCA International, has mixed feelings about the program. “We’re glad that people are able to experience the therapeutic qualities of companion animals through services like Flexpetz, but we hope customers will research how these programs treat pets after-hours.”

To that effect, Cervantes says the dogs are housed in a cage-free facility in midtown. Members can even log on to live webcams and watch them play.

Animal rights activists have argued that rent-a-pet services treat animals like a faddish accessory, and that it’s upsetting for a dog to have multiple owners. Cervantes says dogs don’t know the difference. “People drop their dog at the vet overnight, and when they pick him up say, ‘Oh, did the dog miss me?’ The reality is, No, he didn’t.”

She’s also quick to note that three owners are better than no owner—or euthanasia. Curiously, Flexpetz does not accept dogs that are old, of mixed blood or that have health and behavioral issues.

“Look, at the end of the day, we’re a business,” sighs Cervantes. “People aren’t looking for a brown mutt. They want a breed they can feel good about taking to Central Park.”

For more info, go to flexpetz.com.