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Pip Collins shares her horse "Diamond" via Share My Pet.
Pet-owners are going barking mad for Share My Pet, a local pet-sharing site that connects pet-owners with pet-sharers.
The site has been going for about 18 months and now has approximately 650 members nationwide with 50 active members in Nelson and Tasman.
Owners can create a profile for their pets and sharers can connect with pet parents they would like to 'share' animals with.
Share My Pet users Stacey Roux and her daughter Gabriella Roberts were new in town when they discovered Share My Pet.
"Coming from South Africa, we couldn't bring pets with us and we miss them terribly." Roux said.
Roberts rode horses in South Africa and after moving to New Zealand she had not had a chance.
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Gabriella Roberts and Gem, who is owned by Lili Wenzel.
Roux and Roberts met Lili Wenzel whilst volunteering at the SPCA. Alongside owning Share My Pet, Wenzel is also the proud owner of a Shetland pony named Gem.
Roberts took a shine to Gem and following their meeting, became a pet-sharer.
"I really like to be around horses without the stress about the cost of owning one," Roberts said.
Kindergarten teacher Pip Collins has been using Share My Pet for her horse Diamond since November last year following the birth of her daughter Fleur.
For Collins, having someone who not only had experience riding horses but also looking after them was a major help.
"It's good for the animals - so they're not just sitting at home all day." Collins said.
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Lili Wenzel and her partner Dave Johnson who run Share My Pet.
Pet-sharer turned owner Faith Bagnall, has been using the service for 18 months and originally shared Wenzel's dogs Miss Muppet and Snout.
Bagnall and her partner took the pooches paddle-boarding and walking before deciding they wanted a dog of their own.
"We got a border terrier called Pipi, the same breed as Miss Muppet."
Bagnall has been on both sides of sharing and she now shares Pipi too.
The idea behind the initiative came to founders Wenzel and Dave Johnson after frequent comments about their pooches from people who couldn't not own their own pets.
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Collins talks about how Share My Pet has helped her claw back her time now that she's a new mother.
The initiative gave non-pet owners the opportunity to experience the joy of pets without the commitment of owning one, they said.
Share My Pet teamed up with the Nelson Cancer Society earlier this year to offer free membership to any person or family who is undergoing or recovering from cancer treatment.
"We realise it is an immensely stressful time and we want people to know there is a community of animal lovers nearby and willing to step in and help." Wenzel said.
Membership to the site costs $49.99 per year.
