Do you ever wonder what your dog walker does with your dog?

[Flyonthewall]

I’ve been spending a lot of time out and about lately with my dog and I’m pretty amazed at the behavior of some people who call themselves dog walkers. For example, I’ve seen dog walkers who just meander and stroll slowly, texting or talking on their cell phones, and not really paying attention to the dogs they are handling. I see this in the neighborhoods and at the dog park.

And at the dog park, it’s even worse behavior: too many dogs for some of these people to handle, taking the dogs in packs into the trails that are designated “on leash”, smoking around the dogs and putting their butts out on the ground for dogs to step on or chew up. And before anyone asks me how do I know they are dog walkers – I approach them and tell them I may be looking for a new dog walker and ask them, so the folks I’m talking about are not owners.

So it got me thinking – how many people really know what their dog walker does with their pooch during the day? People check up on their babysitters, so why wouldn’t you do it with your pet? I don’t know – if I found out that my dog walker was taking my pet off leash outside the park or not exercising my pet because they’ve got a phone or cigarette glued to their hand, I’d be pretty incensed.

A lot of these folks advertise themselves as professionals, but I really don’t see more than a few who behave that way. Seems like they might be pulling the wool over the owners’ faces just to make a buck without really delivering on the promise. Just my two cents….

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[JanS]

oh, to be a fly on the wall….

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[Carson]

The dog walkers also threaten and harass other dog owners and act like they own the park. Its laughable and if you saw the way they treated others you would never leave your dog with them.

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[LovingWS]

Not all dog walkers are equal! (I’m very good with my four legged friends!)

Now, since I’m also very good. with the two legged, miniature humans… I would second the idea on checking on your sitters.

By the way, you’d pass out if I told you the stories of people handing over their children less than 10 minutes after meeting me. Sure, they lucked out, but BOY, is that a scary idea!

Point being, some wretched indeviduals don’t bother to look into who they’re entrusting their children to. It doesn’t surprise me one bit that they wouldn’t think of it for their dogs, too. Sad but true.

Question your caregivers. I would suggest unannounced visits to childcare facilities(don’t EVER leave your kids where this is not allowed!), so make an unnanounced visit to your walkers, too!

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[dhg]

Thanks for raising the issue, flyonthewall. I’ve noticed this as well: Dog walkers with far too many dogs than can be handled by one person. I’ve seen it as Westcrest Park and I was very unimpressed.

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[JoB]

The saddest thing of all is that many are paying the rate for individualized attention to their dogs and are getting group walks.

it pays to ask whether your dog will be walked alone or with others.

If giving your dog the opportunity to hang out with others is what you were after.. group walks and play dates are a good thing… but you would still want to know that there are enough humans to handle the number of dogs being walked.

If a brisk walk or a brisk walk and some training was your intention.. it’s a good idea to hire a dog walker that comes to you by referral and to ask lots of questions.

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[BBGuest]

Thank you for posting here flyonthewall. Owners should ask themselves a couple of questions.

To begin with, how serious is your pet care giver? Do they hold a business license? Easy to check on line at the secretary of state site. Secondly, do they carry insurance or bonding coverage? The license is not expensive, the insurance is. Third, ask them if they have ever had to pay a fine for having a dog off leash when it should have been on one. Check references, including any pet sitter that you know or have heard about. Make a surprise visit to the dog park when you expect your dog to be there.

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[inactive]

Expanding on #7 –

Good points BBGuest.

But merely asking if they have been FINED for having a dog off-leash is really just asking some if they have ever been caught. Big difference.

Perhaps, go a step further and ask if they EVER let client dogs off-leash outside of legally designated areas, particularly the dog park greenbelt, the parking lots, other city parks and trails or beaches.

Ask them WHERE they are taking your dog? Every day if it is different. You have the right to know. You have the right to know if your dog is EVER off-leash, without your permission.

Also, maybe inquire as to what veterinarian they use, in the event of an emergency, God forbid.

Also, if it were me. I would notice if you had to fill out an application of any kind and how comprehensive the information asked was.

Did the dog walker ask you about whether your dog was licensed and chipped?

Did the dog walker ask if you have recent vaccination records for the dog? Especially kennel cough?

If the dog walker is so casual as to not make these inquiries, you really ought to think about what the heck you are doing with your animal.

About referrals from other people: consider the level of expectation of those who recommend a certain dog walker or pet service. Their standards and inquiry might be lower than what you assume.

Continue this conversation peeps. Hopefully, the right people will read it.

Good call flyonthewall.

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[JoB]

westseattledood…

“consider the level of expectation of those who recommend a certain dog walker or pet service. Their standards and inquiry might be lower than you what you assume.”

good point.. with my two i ask some pretty specific questions… but i may not be so careful if it wasn’t so critical… and my pets could suffer from that.

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[Meegan]

I hope this thread doesn’t scare people off dog walkers, because we have had some very positive experiences. We’ve used David the Dog Walker for vacation dogwalking and home visits or for times here and there when we can’t be around during the day to walk the dogs. They have always been very professional and great with our 2 dogs. They leave a pretty thorough report of the walks, such as pottying and any skills that were worked on with the dogs.

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[inactive]

Meegan –

Rest assured, my intent is not to scare people off dog walkers. It would be my hope that my comment, which is the only one I can speak on behalf of, is to suggest people be DISCRIMINATING in whom they hire as a dog walker or pet service.

Please, do not confuse the suggestions as attacks on specific dog walkers or pet services. There are many, many responsible ones in West Seattle, and beyond.

This is about those who are NOT good dog walkers, who are careless with the dogs and loose with following the law. My contribution is to encourage people to use critical decision-making processes when considering hiring one. That is all.

If a bunch of people start piling on this thread to defend specific dog walkers, it is rather missing the spirit of it, perhaps. Contributions have been made by our neighbors suggesting guidelines, or principles, and perhaps even best practices for dog walkers, based on common sense and experience.

I think to get into specific dog walkers by name, either to defend or trash, isn’t what this thread sets out to do. But there is room to Rave for a dog walker or to make a Recommendation by name under another thread detailing those positives.

But you do make good points about positive traits of your particular walker: he leaves reports and details of training. That’s excellent, and probably many others do similar awesome things.

But I can double-dog guarantee that many, many lesser entrepreneurs are out there who call themselves dog walkers who do NOT have that level of professionalism, ethics or responsiblity. Guarantee it. And they are charging people money for that.

I hope this thread is also about building a list of minimal acceptable standards dog walkers should reasonably provide. In my mind, they need to follow the law and protect the safety of the dogs.

If educating and informing and sharing ideas about the scope of what folks should consider before hiring a pet service is scaring people off, then I give up. Really. I hope you understand the distinctions being made here.

Thanks for reading.

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