The little white poodle was curled up under the wheel of a minivan parked next to San Francisco's Sigmund Stern Grove. The street was wet from recent rains, and her leash trailed out from beneath the car.
I'd just come out of the park, where I'd seen a dog walker unload six or seven dogs from that vehicle and bring them into the off-leash dog play area, leashes trailing just like hers. It was clear she was one of his charges, and he hadn't noticed or didn't care that she'd stayed behind.
Obviously he was one of the bad dog walkers. Fortunately, I have one of the best, Courtney Gunter of San Francisco's The Whole Pet. She was voted "Best Pet Sitter in the Bay Area" in Bay Woof Magazine's "Beast of the Bay" competition, and runner up as best dog trainer and best dog walker, too.
I asked her for her tips on finding a good dog walker and avoiding the bad:
"Start by asking how many dogs they walk at a time," Gunter says. "The City of San Francisco guidelines say that each person should walk no more than six dogs. Anyone who doesn't know that, or gives you a higher number, should be avoided."
Good dog walkers will have references and a contract for you to sign. They'll also have clear policies on cancellations for weather, illness or other emergencies. And they tend to get as much information as possible about your dog before signing you up as a client. In fact, they probably will have as many questions for you as you have for them.
"Knowing how to integrate different dogs into a group takes skill and experience," Gunter says. "They need to really get to know the dogs they walk together, so that everyone has a safe and enjoyable experience. If the dog walker doesn't seem to have a handle on that, I'd consider that a pretty big red flag."
Other questions to ask include how they handle first aid, how they deal with behavior problems, and how long they'll keep the dog at the park.
"Just because the dog is out for six hours doesn't mean they're at the park for six hours," Gunter says. "Is your dog just riding around in a van while they pick up 15 other dogs? That's not what you're paying for."
Read the rest of Courtney's tips here!
You mean I could pay someone to take Henry the walkaholic for a walk every day? Although, then I wouldn't get my much needed exercise.
Posted by: Jill | 22 December 2010 at 07:00 PM
I used to do some dogwalking for a few of my neighbors back when I had the time to do it on a consistent schedule, and only one of them ever offered to pay me for it just because I took his dog out so much. I didn't ask for payment because it's not a job, just more of a "Hey, I know your dog's well-behaved, walks nice, can walk 3 miles comfortably and tolerates other dogs well; I have an extra hand that's not holding a leash, so...why not?"
Only ever took one at a time besides my own dog and unless some kind of photo op came up, I wouldn't consider taking the entire group (4 total, including mine). I'm confident they'd all get along, but the Basenji would have to be walked on her own side since she's a little bit more aloof (and SMALLER) than the golden, Lab mix and my little golden mix.
I can see how and why it can become a good job, and I'd LOVE to try it if ever given the chance, but I just don't have that consistent time schedule that would allow me to do it every day. As it is now, I barely even get to take the other dogs out with me now because of the odd times I'm out, plus the owners are all at work. It was actually very fun taking these dogs out, but I did sometimes wonder...my neighbors know me because I live around them and try to be out a lot. I appreciated and respected their trust in me when I was holding their dogs' leashes, and I can't imagine not vetting out someone I didn't know. Sometimes I wonder if having a well-behaved dog played a role too...obviously, if my own dog is disciplined enough to behave nicely, that reflects well on both of us, so hopefully is enough to inspire some confidence in responsible handling of another dog? Who knows. All I can say is that, I know I'm comfortable handling other dogs, but would it be hypocritical of me to say that I'd never let anyone else walk my dog unless under a very particular set of circumstances?
Posted by: Viatecio | 23 December 2010 at 07:00 PM