The dog rental business started off as one of those crazy Japanese trends that Americans couldn't quite believe really existed. In Japan everybody has mind-blowing electronics, wears eyelash wigs, competes on wacky gameshows like live Tetris. And, oh yeah, they rent out dogs for $19 an hour or $100 a day.

An American company FlexPetz has tried to copy the formula here, staring with a small office in Iowa. No, just kidding. Where would someone start the Zipcar of dogs but in Los Angeles and New York? They claim they are for people who don't have the time or pet-friendly apartment for a real dog but the more popular theory is they're for singles who want to pick someone up.

FlexPetz tracks their dogs with GPS and says they use rescue dogs "where possible." The dogs in their pictures all seem to be purebreds, but FlexPetz tells the stories of some that come from shelters or were given up by owners. By all accounts they take great care of their dogs. What these dogs' emotional life is like after work, I'm not sure.

The recession and collapse of the housing market may have one bright spot for animal lovers. As the owners of houses and apartments become more motivated to find renters, more are considering allowing pets.

I talked last week with Mike Torchia, president of Healthy Pet Nation, a Los Angeles-based fitness and training program that advocates people spending more time being active with their pets. Torchia, who is also a celebrity dog trainer, is big on dogs getting allowed into public places. He especially goes to bat for the service dogs of people with disabilities that others can't see, but he wants all well-behaved dogs allowed more places.

Torchia says that he's seen--and encouraged--buildings desperate for tenants switch to allowing pets. That goes for either those who rent apartments or condo or co-op boards, in which owners control the common rules of the building. One new Los Angeles luxury rental building wasn't able to rent all its apartments.

As pets have become part of our family, they've increasingly become part of our travel plans. This summer, as people everywhere scale back their vacation budgets, driving instead of flying, expect to see more dogs and cats coming on vacation. Financially, it often makes sense considering how much it can be to hire a trustworthy dog-sitter.

The good news is that the travel industry is finally catching on -- or trying to. I've been traveling for 12 years with my big shepherd mutt Jolly and have seen lots of improvements in his lifetime, but pet owners still have to put a lot of effort into having a good vacation with our pets.

Decades ago nearly every hotelier would've considered you wildly eccentric for traveling with your dog. Many establishments are still hold-outs to this antiquated philosophy, fearing that people will be traveling with out-of-control beasts who will take a break from chewing furniture only to mess the rug or scare other guests. Some give the excuse of allergies. I have allergies; I'm sympathetic. But I've never seen anyone go into anaphylactic shock because there was a dog in the room last week.

The number of people who travel with their pets depends on who you ask: the Travel Industry Association says 14% of people travel with their pets, mainly dogs, in a 2002 survey. Trip Advisor surveyed travelers in 2007 and found 56% of American animal owners took their pet on vacation.