Free Dog Walking

Star the Fell

Star the Fell

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Jun 14, 2015
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My husband is self employed, so basically picks the jobs/days he wants to work. He aims for 2/3 per week.
His other "job" was to walk our dog, he loves to be outside, walking.
Due to the nature of his job, these first couple of months are quiet, and we lost our own dog. I was thinking about him offering a free dog walking service to anyone in our village. Obviously he has no "qualifications" or insurance or anything like that. He wouldn't be able to offer a guaranteed day/time, just a case of "ring and see if he is free"
So basically would you use a service like this if a neighbour who you didn't really "KNOW" but recognised offered such a thing, or would you rather pay for a professional, knowing that if an accident happened your vet fees etc., would be covered by their insurance?
Or is it a totally bad idea?
 
No it is a good idea and one adult and one teenager in my family walk other people's dogs.

There is a site my adult daughter uses called something like share my dog - I have found Borrow my Doggy. I think that is the one.

The thing is she is doing someone a good turn, like if an elderly owner has a knee replacement and cant walk their dog for a bit, a younger fit volunteer can pick up the dog and take it for a walk. And if an owner is housebound, the walker isnt necessarilly tied to a time table. The walker just phones and asks if they can take the dog for a walk.

The teenager found her dog to walk a different way - and it was a regular routine. She got out of school early enough to walk a dog late afternoon for an owner who was working in an office. And I think that was done by local contact via neighbours in an adult Book Group
 
Its a lovely idea but I personally wouldn't do it without insurance, people can say they understand but if something happens turn on you so fast, especially if you don't know them well :( look up the cinnamon trust and see if they operate in your area, they organise volunteers to walk dogs for elderly or disabled people and will sort the insurance side and try to provide another volunteer if you can't make a planned walk for some reason :)
 
Insurance mad? What is the world coming to?
Not to help people with exercising dogs without insurance? Most of us have liability cover in our house insurance. There is another organisation where you actually board a dog - Our neighbours did that for some years.
And I had a friends dog to stay several times, and her children too for that matter, long ago and we all went down to the seaside to their holiday home for a week.
 
I've offered a bit in the past but you have to be doing enough to make it pay if you take our insurance. In this day and age its probably best to be insured.
Someone I know walks there neighbours dog for them morning and night. They take there own for an hour every morning so pick up the neighbours dog and sometimes even there next doors neighbour as well. He does this for free. But they are all neighbours on very good terms with one another.
 
I second Jessey, for the same reasons.

If he's missing the dog walking, get hI'm down a rescue kennel - they'd make use of him :D
 
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Yes it's the insurance bit I'm worried about.
Unfortunately there are no rescue kennels near enough to regularly walk dogs - all over half an hour drive from us, and whereas the walking near us is perfect - moorland and woods, the nearest rescue kennels are in towns so not really an enjoyable walk for husband.
At the moment, he is taking himself for walks and seems to be ok with this. He is waiting for a big operation in the next couple of months, so once that is over and he is recovered we will both be ready to get a new rescue dog, but if we got one sooner, it will make my life a lot harder whilst he is in hospital/recovery, so we are waiting. But the house seems so empty and quiet!

I will have a look into the Cinnamon Trust - I haven't heard of them before, but that sounds like a good idea.
 
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May be borrow my doggy have cover - or info. Anyway my daughter has a demanding medical career and she walks dogs for her own health and relaxation. My reply was to help th|OP find the same solution for her OH. If no one can be bothered to follow it up one wonders why one bothers to post here.
 
I'd ask your neighbours, explain you've lost your own dog and missing the company and if they're struggling for time he'd gladly take the dog out with him. I wouldn't make it too formal or job like, it's just walking a neighbours dog. I wouldn't worry about insurance either I'd see it as a mutual benefit, he gets company of the dog, dog gets a good walk. Unless you're going to start taking payment then you would need it. Bloke down the lane used to take our old dog out to farms working a few days a week, he liked the dog and was good for us, as we didn't need to worry about her being on her own, we never even thought about insurance. He just picked her up in the morning and bought her back at the end of the day, they both loved it.
 
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Skib said:
May be borrow my doggy have cover - or info. Anyway my daughter has a demanding medical career and she walks dogs for her own health and relaxation. My reply was to help th|OP find the same solution for her OH. If no one can be bothered to follow it up one wonders why one bothers to post here.
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Surely people post to get other idea's on a situation? What the OP chooses to do those responses are their own perogative.

I'm assuming the OP then decides which replies to follow up based on what is most suited you them :)

FWIW, BMD is subscription based, from memory when I looked into for a friend which I think the cost does include some limited insurance cover. But handing a dog over to a stranger isn't for everyone (I wouldn't do it ..) so I imagine it may not quite fit in these circumstances.
 
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Well we have told people we consider friends that he is available for dog walking should they need him. We know that fact will spread to the other neighbours who have dogs, so we will see if anyone comes to ask. That will put a slightly different slant on things, as they are asking for him to walk their dog, instead of the other way round.
 
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