Photo courtesy of dogspired.com
Full disclosure: I’m a dog lover. Although I had not owned a dog since I was a little guy up until last summer, I have always enjoyed volunteering at local animal shelters or caring for the dogs of others while they were out of town. Until I adopted Ravi, I often hiked or spent time outdoors alone. Sure, I could have asked a friend to tag along, but sometimes you just want to escape from everything and have time to yourself to think. Bringing someone along can make that difficult – unless of course that someone has no interest in carrying on a conversation because well, they can’t.
Man’s Best Friend for Rent
One animal shelter in Colorado is hoping to attract dog lovers who are visiting the state but had to leave their pet behind. The Aspen Animal Shelter has launched a Rent-A-Pet program for visitors and residents that, according to EcoSalon, “provides a symbiotic, feel good solution for participants of the two-and four-legged variety.”
For travelers looking for a canine companion to hike, run, or explore with, the progressive, for-profit, no-kill shelter offers a borrowing system that places adoptable dogs in the care of these travelers for a couple of hours or an entire weekend. Matches between “renters” and dogs are made based upon the athletic ability and personality of both parties to ensure that each benefits from the program.
What the heck is skijoring?
In addition, the shelter also offers skijoring – cross-country skiing while being pulled by your dogs – classes for you and your canine. Worried about bringing your new friend back to the hotel? Don’t be. Many of the hotels in Aspen are dog-friendly so go ahead and keep him or her for the entire trip.
This is great. If I can’t take my furry princess Sophie with me, this would be fantastic. Although no dog can take her place 🙂