kennels or dog walker?

vroombroom

Evening all, just after some advice.

I am having a baby mid April:eek::eek:

I have two rescue dogs (one grumpy old terrier and a young hyper collie cross both of whom I have had since youngsters) who currently get three walks a day. Once in the morning, once at lunch time and once in the evening where they tend to get off lead for about 30 mins (obviously it will be longer when the summer is here!)

They are both well socialised, happy dogs and I'm lucky one of my closest friends is a dog trainer who has been giving me tips how how to adjust them to life with a baby and I don't have any worries on that front.

What I am worried about is what shall I do the week I am due? Originally I was going to put them in boarding kennels for a week (Sunday to Sunday) but now I am thinking if I am overdue, it will be a waste of money.

So now I thinking about a dog walker, obviously make them aware and hopefully they will agree to coming to pop in on the dogs whilst we;re at the hospital?

Sorry if this is a long rambling post but I'm worrying I may be in hospital for a few days and I dont want my OH running backwards and forwards and the dogs not getting walked enough. I don't know the neighbours well enough to ask them to pop in and I only have my mam up here who isn't a big fan of dogs (:()

any ideas? x

shirlgirl2004

My gut feeling is that kennels would be a bad idea. From the dogs' point of view they go away for a week and a new upstart joins the pack. I think it's best to keep things as normal as possible with a dog walker if required. Check out what the maternity visiting hours are though as they may not impact on the walks too much anyway.

Raksha

I'd vote for dog walker too - just because you have a date doesn't mean baby is planning on arriving on that date (or even a week either side of it) and kennels do like to know where they are.

vroombroom

thats my point Rashka, I dont want to put them in for a week and then be weeks overdue as my worries wont be solved!

Soooo dogwalker is the way to go - what do I look for in a dogwalker?:D

concerned43

I have had a few dog walkers - good, bad and very bad!
The good ones come with years of experience, references with telephone numbers so you can call them, insurance and an up to date CRB check (they may need access to your house if you and OH are at the hospital, transport and generally ask about to see if someone can recommend.

dirtmother

You could consider having a homebirth. It would still be wise to have a dogwalker set up just in case of transfer and needing to be in hospital for a while (or just so you don't have to think about dog walking) - but even just planning a homebirth reduces the chances of needing to stay in hospital longer even if you end up transferring there.

And it might be an idea to start getting to know those neighbours a bit better

Hope it all goes smoothly!

ali-t

I have only had one dog walker, have had her for the last 8 years and the only word that comes to mind is fantastic! Although there are important practical things the most important for me is - can s/he manage your dogs, do the dogs like him/her, is s/he confident and capable around your dogs and do you feel comfortable with the person handling your dogs.

My dog walker isn't part of a larger business so I get the same person every day with my dogs and I don't give it a second thought when they are with her as I trust her implicitly. I have pet insurance so they are covered through that. My dog walker knows what vet I use and knows that if she is ever concerned about the health of my dogs and can't get hold of me she would take them to the vet.

If I was in the position of needing a new walker I would invite potential candidates to the house to meet the dogs and see how they and s/he react and interact. TBH, although price is always a consideration it would never be a big influence.

gettingready

Another vote for a dog walker - as Ali-T described above, mine was/is exactly the same.

Not working for my at the moment as I am out of work but still meet up for walks, still has my house keys as ocassionaly Zara goes to her for the night or ocassionaly for a walk.

Also, if yu find a good one, you may want to use him/her when the baby is at home - from time to time.

Kennels- no no no, not in this situation. Dogs may feel pushed aside... no good

All the best

soupdragon10

Does your dog trainer friend not know of someone who might be suitable? They might know of someone who has their own dog who could do this for a bit of extra cash at short notice, and might also be able to do a couple of trial walks with you to get to know them.

Beckyy

I would avoid kennels. I would go for a dog walker/pet sitter, and have them start to walk them as early as you can so that they can get used to them, they can also continue their walks when you and baby are home to take the pressure off you for a while. Make sure they are insured for public damages/key losses etc. and try to get references if possible. Good luck!

cjmumto2

Hi, as i dog walker myself i would say get a dog walker, I am not sure what area you are in but I am registered with a company called Narps, if you google them and type in your postcode it should come up with walkers in your area.

We also have a company called pet pals in our area which is a franchise I know the woman who does this area is brilliant so others in the pet pal range may be too. The problem is some walkers are super busy and cannot do last minute so may want to be employed for a fixed 2/3 weeks. Hopefully you can find something suitable, the bonus is you are in when the dogs get collected so you can tell if they are being walked for the allocated time.

Some dog walkers say they walk for an hour but only end up doing 30 mins, so this is a question you need to ask.