Dog walkers

roxalana

Hi all,

Both myself and my partner work full time - I'm a 9-5er (plus travel) but my partner works variable shifts which means some days he is in all day and others we are both out at the same time.

We want to get a dog and realise we will need a dog walker. We are planning on getting a small dog from rescue (not a puppy) who is happy to be left alone for a period of time - possibly an older dog.

What do I need to consider with getting a dog walker. I am hoping to get someone I can ask on a month by month basis for the days we need them.

I need to know what is the 'going rate' and I am also concerned about picking a good person (what to look out for - how do I know they are adequately insured etc). Also I've never employed anyone before so I don't know what I need to be responsible for and I'm also worried about the possible problems of giving a straner access to our dog and a key to our house!

Help! How do I go about this?

MrsTinks

Firstly make sure your dog is insured - any insurance the dogwalker has is a bonus in my eyes - I just don't trust others to have that in place hence my dog is insured to the tip of her ears
Secondly - check our www.oldies.org.uk there are some lovelies on there!
Thirdly - when I acccepted my current job we were faced with the same problems - I'm away 10 hours a day and OH sometimes work from home, sometimes away a few hours sometimes as long as me. So a dogwalker it was! I ended up advertising in our village postoffice and the lady there recommended our now dogwalker. She is from our village and has lots of experience. I met her dog as well as a semi permanent lodger she has and my dog met her. I think you'll know if it feels right!
Now I think I'm getting a good price at £7.50 for 45 min walk between 12:00 and 14:00... I've seen that charged for 30 mins. It does greatly depend on your area though and if there are loads of people doing it or if the services are in great demand.
Your best bet is really to go on personal recommendation - and postoffices are great for local gossip and contacts!
Wether they would be happy to be THAT flexible would I think depend on how busy they are... would your dog be taking up a "full time" space but only getting them 1/3 of the work and therefor pay? As my OH is very irratic about where he works then we opted for a routine regardless of whether he's home or not. Personally I think this is better for the dog...

garys_missus

I know a woman who pays £10 per hour to have her dog walked, and thinks that is a bargain. She knows her dog will be excercised by the same person on a regular basis. These walkers belong to a francise, sorry dont know the name, and have all the relevant insurances.

Bigun28

Pet Pals (here) do our dog walking service and have people all around the country. They charge us £7.50 per dog and seem to do a very professional service.

In fact, the team in our area are always walking past our house with loads of dogs on leads taking them all for walks up on the fields etc. So they always appear to have a load of people using their services.

alfiedog_2

MY daughter runs a pet care business and charges £10 an hour for dog walking or £8 for 40 minutes. She is fully insured and has been police checked. She always gets details of the dogs vet contact numbers etc in case of accidents or illness and discusses with the owner how the dog reacts to other dogs/children/people whilst out on walks.
Another thing to check before you employ a dog walker is the number of other dogs that may be walked at the same time as yours. My daughter only walks a maximum of 2 dogs at once.
Also ask for references from other dog owners.
Hope this helps and you find someone suitable.

han2505

My dog is walked with Petpals in the north east and she loves it. They charge on £9 for a 40 minute walk with play time as extra. Although to me this is a lot i know people who charge a lot more.

They also do a monthly walk with all the dogs they walk and its a lot of fun!!

MoneySavingStudent_2

Hello!
Our family are doggie walkers! We charge £3 for 20min, £4 for 30min and £5 for 40min (If they are brought to us). If we go to the doggie its an extra £1.50 on top of the walking price to pay for petrol. We also do a 'walkies with a friend' for free which is optional your doggie walking with our doggie.

We usually go round to peoples houses and they leave a key under a plant pot or in a shed or something. The most regular one we do is 3 times a week and they came and met us first and gave us a key so we can go in and make sure the doggie is ok and settled and has enough water before we leave.

All prices are the same no matter what time it is or what weather etc Thats just us though (And yes we are insured )

snipzychick

My dh is a dog walker and pet carer. You can check any potential walkers insurance by asking to see their certificate. We also have a pet sitter for our own dogs when we go on holiday(if they don't come with us) and to be honest you do go a lot from instinct it is usually the best way, also of course ask around friends, relations, and work colleagues for any recommendations. The price will depend on where in the country you live i guess. When it comes to leaving a key, this really has to be a matter of trust also, don't forget to ask for the walkers copy of their criminal records check, to ensure they have never been a danger to animals.

Hth