Rudi Posted January 3, 2009 Report Share Posted January 3, 2009 I was thinking about phoning/texting her and saying I've had a think about it and I'd rather that Jess was just walked on her own. I know with hindsight I should have said that but tbh I'm rubbish when I'm put on the spot and just tend to panic and agree And I'm also thinking how am I going to know whether or not she'll just take her out with the other dog anyway :/:/ I'm crap caught on the hoof too so to speak If you aren't happy with the sitter - ring up and get your key back. I'm lucky in that I work 10 minutes from home, so I go home at lunchtime, but occasionally I don't and the dogs are fine. Sometimes my brother will let them out for me - but Rudi doesn't even come downstairs those days - he stays curled up on my bed! I would not have someone walk my dogs but it would be good to have someone just go round to let them out if I couldn't make it back one lunch time. How about asking if, for £10/£15 she'd simply go to your house, let the dogs in the garden for a pee, re-fill their Kongs or whatever and settle them down again. I really do think that your dogs will be fine left on their own for three days a week, they still have you there four days a week. Why not try it for two weeks - if you see changes in their behaviour i.e. destructiveness, stress etc., then re-think having a walker. I think you're worrying yourself far more finding a sitter than your dogs will stress about being on their own. Give them a good long walk in the morning, fill up Kongs with nice stuff and leave them to settle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackmagic Posted January 3, 2009 Report Share Posted January 3, 2009 I think you're worrying yourself far more finding a sitter than your dogs will stress about being on their own. Give them a good long walk in the morning, fill up Kongs with nice stuff and leave them to settle I would agree with that. My dogs had always had me at home all day. When I started working I was worried as to how they would cope without their two walks during the day, and constant company. My husband, who started work later than I, walked them before leaving the house. He came home at lunchtime to let them out and I took them out or to training class in the evening. The dogs didn't bat an eyelid. They accepted the new routine with no problems whatsoever. I was the one who was stressing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReikiAnge Posted January 3, 2009 Report Share Posted January 3, 2009 Jules, if you liked this walker and are just concerned about Jess being walked with the other dog, why not arrange to be there when Jess meets the other dog? Maybe see if you and Jess can join the walker on a walk with the Airedale for a couple of days? I think if I were going to use a dog walker I'd want to pay them to walk the dog in my presence a few times, to at least see how they managed with me around. You know what I'm like for worrying about the dogs but I think this would reassure me. Hope it all works out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyMalc Posted January 3, 2009 Report Share Posted January 3, 2009 For the past year I've gone from working full time, with a flatmate who mostly worked from home, to working full time without a flatmate, and another dog added to the mix 6 weeks ago. They get a good half hour to let off steam at the football field in the morning, a neighbour takes them round the block at lunch time, and I walk them again as soon as I get home, for a minimum of half an hour again. Then I take Kiera to agility on Thursdays and me n Sparks will be starting training on Tuesday nights again this week too. The guys come and say hello when I get home, Malcolm usually doesn't bother getting off his sofa, but settle again while I get changed - so they're not that desperate! They all seem to be handling the situation well, and are happy and healthy. If you'd have a neighbour popping in those 3 days to let them have a run in the garden, and maybe give them some fuss and treats, I'm sure they'd be fine! As for the dog walker: if I'd have a good impression of the dog walker I'd expect them to be able to handle a multiple dog situation. I don't think that for a tenner you can expect a professional dog walker, who has to make a living of this business, to travel to your house and then spend a full hour with your dog on their own before travelling on to the next one. Minus petrol and insurance costs that would come down to barely minimum wage, nobody can live off that! On the other hand, if she spends so much time travelling that Jess would only have 20 or so minutes, would it be worth it? I know a few dog walkers, who all walk the dogs they look after in groups. They know exactly who can go together with who, and who needs separate walking. I'm sure they all charge their clients similar prices. Think of it though: if someone walks 2 groups of 5 (you've got to pick em up, drive them to the walk and drop em off home again too), @ £10 a dog would be £100 for the day. Deduct insurance, petrol and other overhead costs and you're not left with a ridiculous amount of money. And, like yourself, you might have people who don't need their dogs walking every day, so you'd be making less on some days, but still the same in insurance and overhead costs. The one guy I know, "his" dogs all recall to him beautifully - possibly better than to their respective owners - and I would not hesitate to leave Kiera and Sparks in his charge, because I know he's clued up and confident. Malcolm cannot go off lead with anyone I don't know, because Mal does live in a world of his own and happily potters off at speed without even being aware what's going on around him! On the other hand, I've seen a woman walking someone else's 2 labs (and apparently she was a dog walker too!), and she had no control over them whatsoever: dogs were miles away, all over the place, and either didn't know or didn't care that this woman was supposed to be in charge. If that had been my dogs I would of been livid with her! Could you possibly find out who the Airedale is and maybe arrange for Jess to meet him (and for you to meet the owner too)? That way you might be put at ease re the two dogs being walked together - they might really like eachother End of novel, hope it all works out for you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted January 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2009 I think part of the difficulty is that I know that I'm going to struggle to get Jess walked before work - I know I'm not great in the mornings and I'll need to leave the house by possibly 7.30 - plus with supply I need to wait for a phonecall each morning to find out where I need to go/look up directions on the internet and get my head round where I'm going/what I'm doing for the day With the amount of time it takes to get her over the fields and then wash her/get the mud off I think I know that its going to be an unrealistic feat for me I'll be fine walking her when I get in but obviously it'll be dark by 4.00 so it'll have to be a street walk and even if I do an hour with her I just don't think that'll be enough and she needs that offlead run If its just a case of someone coming in to let them out/sort them out but not walk them then my mum can probably do that so that's not an issue - its more fitting the walking in that's problematic. Ange - I did suggest that on a day I'm not working I go out with her and the Airedale but I got the impression that she didn't seem to keen on the idea as she backtracked when I suggested it so not sure what to make of that. Billy - you're right about me maybe expecting too much for my tenner. I think its the fact that our original dog walker only charged us £9 and took both Jess and Ollie out seperately and was probably here for about an hour and a half so I think I'd set that as the benchmark. Its just such a shame that we've lost our original walker as she was so fantastic and I just feel like I'm trying to organise an alternative in such a hurry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReikiAnge Posted January 3, 2009 Report Share Posted January 3, 2009 Ange - I did suggest that on a day I'm not working I go out with her and the Airedale but I got the impression that she didn't seem to keen on the idea as she backtracked when I suggested it so not sure what to make of that. That would make me a little concerned I must admit. I can't really think of a good reason why she wouldn't want to do that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackmagic Posted January 3, 2009 Report Share Posted January 3, 2009 That would make me a little concerned I must admit. I can't really think of a good reason why she wouldn't want to do that Me too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickentikka Posted January 3, 2009 Report Share Posted January 3, 2009 I never thought that I would be happy to use a dogwalker until my circumstances made it a necessity and I still wibbled and wibbled . I use a company that employs the walkers, has insurance and CRB checks its employees. When I first went on their books they sent the walker round to meet the dogs and we took them out together, then she popped round the next day and took them out on her own to see how they behaved without me. I've currently got 2 ladies who share the week between them, and if someone is on holiday or off sick the dogs will get a replacement walker. I pay £12 a day and Dex and Fleur get walked together with no other dogs for about 45 mins. I'm now happy for the regulars to let them off lead, but didn't want them to in the beginning (or in Fleur's case you couldn't ). Some days when I've been home sick and they don't know I'm going to be here - Dex and Fleur recognise their car and get off my bed to wait at the door and they always come in being really friendly and fussing the dogs. They also fill in a book each day - just with a few lines of what they've been up to, any abnormal pooing/behaviour etc. I'm absolutely 100% happy and know that Dex and Fleur are too. I don't think you could be seen as being unreasonable if you wanted to go on a trial walk with the airdale and if you're not happy, ring around until you find someone that feel right Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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