Money Moral Dilemma: Should we keep paying our dog walker in lockdown?

elscint

If you can't walk the dog yourself then you shouldnt have one. 

Drawingaline

I am a cleaner. Out of my eight clients one paid me. They had a secure job and wanted to carry on paying. I claimed the se grant, will possibly be able to claim the next one as not all of my client want me back, some are saying September, and with all schools and holiday clubs cancelled I will have childcare problems in July and August. 

It has been tough (luckily my oh has worked all the way through as a key worker) and I am very grateful to the client that paid me, but I don't expect it. I do not know people's circumstances, but I would say if you can afford to, maybe offer half pay as a retainer? I offered this to my daughter's dance school, it hasn't been taken up, but I wanted them to know that I was willing to pay it if needed.

iclayt

You probably feel conflicted because you realise you've been a bit daft, planning to pay for walks your dog wasn't having, but then cancelling walks you were never going to send your dog on anyway because the time doesn't suit.
Situation easily solved - call and offer to continue to pay for the dog walks and at some point they might revert to daytime slots and by that time you might feel a bit safer sending him out.
Unless of course you don't want to pay for services not received, which is reasonable, if not 'moral' at present. That's the real question.

Edited to add - we are (obviously) not going on our summer holiday in a couple of weeks, so I won't be putting the cat in the cattery, but I will be paying for the week because I value their services and if they close I dread the thought of having to find another one I trust. So it depends how much you value THIS dog walker as well or if you are happy to send your dog out with another one in the future. 

DPS-2016

Pay for any service you get, and anything else you give treat as a donation (if anything at all).  

G_Cam

I find some of the opinions here to be very thoughtless and narrow minded!

I am a dog walker, I had to close down due to lock down. No dogs walked means NO Income!
I received NOTHING from the Government. I made a significant investment in a new Electric Van for my Dogs as I am wanted to be a more Eco Business and Dogs travel better in an EV. This pushed me into a loss over the last 3 years.. so NO help.

With Loan repayments, Energy bills, Mortgage and food to buy for us an our many rescue animals, The choices were limited. Some customers stopped paying, some gave me a retainer (I am in demand and the company has won awards for service and innovation such as real time tracking so customers can see their pets get a full on hour+ of walking, running, training, stimulation) Some insisted on paying as they were unaffected by the lock-down.
Without the support of my customers I simply would not have survived and I would have had no option but to sell up and close down.

I will be forever grateful to those that have helped us..

So 'Its not a question'! How rude and narrow minded... It might not be a question for you but it is one that is personal to me and many other people in the UK who provide a bespoke Service. People who care and value their dogs health and well-being use our service. Many of us do what we do not for money but for love and compassion toward animals.

So customers must do what they feel is right in the situation. There is no right or wrong answer but there is a good and bad attitude toward service providers and toward loved pets.. and if you don't understand that .. I guess your not a pet owner!

mileslong1950

There is no "White or Black" answer to this question
Having a dog myself and knowing a lot of other dog owners who are also working and need to have a “Dog Walker” during the day have told me that trying to find a good dog walker was very difficult.One that does a good job and is reliable and the dog likes is a bonus. Having found one that meets all the criteria you obviously want to keep them.The best way to resolve the matter is to discuss with the dog walker a compromise payment. i.e. a retainer fee. This will go a long way to help both parties (The dog walker will be more inclined to keep you as a customer) and you keep the person you want.

Gonna-be-debt-free

What is the point in these "Moral Dilemmas"?  They are clearly just made up, so we all waste time giving advice to a person who doesn't exist, for a problem which doesn't exist. 

I saw the point in them originally, when the actually were moral/philosophical dilemmas and made one think, but the last few have just been bonkers.

kathstevens

Yes. I continued to pay my dog walker because she is brilliant with my dogs and has always been reliable and trustworthy. I would not have wanted her business to fail and will need her support when I return to work. 

Thrugelmir

Gonna-be-debt-free said:

What is the point in these "Moral Dilemmas"?  They are clearly just made up, so we all waste time giving advice to a person who doesn't exist, for a problem which doesn't exist. 

I saw the point in them originally, when the actually were moral/philosophical dilemmas and made one think, but the last few have just been bonkers.

Somebody working from home with little to do.............

Smodlet

Why pay a dog walker when you can walk your dog yourself, now one is supposed to leave one's home only once a day for exercise?  Why not combine it with exercising the dog and minimising others' potential contact with you/it?