If you love dogs but fear the commitment of a full time pet, an online service called Part Time Pooch may be the answer for you.
Client Jordan Rogers has been taking Bruce, a Springer Spaniel, on outdoorsy adventures for the past three months, and loves it.
“We like to go trail running in Lynn Canyon. We’ve been up to Whistler a few times," said Rogers.
Rogers met Bruce through Part Time Pooch, an across-Canada dog sharing site that hooks up dog lovers with owners who need help caring for their pets.
"The intent is that they're doing this out of the kindness of their hearts and they're doing this for the pure love of the dog," said company creator Gavin Flett.
Some dog owners CTV News spoke with had concerns about leaving their pets with someone they didn’t know well. But Flett says you have the opportunity to meet the people beforehand and check out their references.
Bruce’s owner, Ray Schachter, says he’s had nothing but good experiences with Bruce's part-time parents.
"They're young people. They seem totally honest and once we're satisfied we let them into Bruce’s life," he said.
Owners pay a monthly subscription fee of $15 for the service. The pet sitters do it for free. Part Time Pooch has over 100 dogs registered, and over 250 people who are interested in offering part time care.
