Any one used 'borrow my doggy'?

[chelle792]

Just as my title says really. Does anyone have any comments about it?

My boy is well trained yet challenging. If he doesn't think he has to obey he will pull with all his might on the lead and generally take the piss.

For me, OH and dog walker he's as good as gold.

I'd probably need someone with experience.

I'm so untrusting. Would anyone recommend it?

[Wolfiefan]

If you, DH and dog walker walk him then I'm not sure why you'd want to!

[chelle792]

That's a fair point. We have plenty of time for him. The dog walker is in once a week during the day but it awfully unreliable.

OH works days and I work evenings.

I guess I thought some variety would be good for him?

[Wolfiefan]

How about doing a different activity with him?
Would he enjoy Cani x or a session of agility? Walk with friends or somewhere new?

[chelle792]

I did agility with him when he was a pup. He loved it but it's a big commitment as it involved a lot of driving.
He doesn't necessarily need any extra than what he's having. I just thought he'd enjoy it.
Like I said, he's good as gold.for me. He's a sleepy boy who enjoys his walks

[JuneFromBethesda]

Friends of mine use the site and regularly 'borrow' a French Bulldog who lives near them. It seems to work well, my friends have two kids who love it.

Having just got a dog of my own I can't imagine I would ever 'lend' her to someone I didn't know, but I guess it's nice when it works!

[ggirl]

I joined as a dog owner , paid the £40 and then never used them

Nearly met up with someone who had a small child that she wanted to walk dogs with but I cancelled cos my dog was just a pup and I was nervous of how she'd behave with a toddler.

Loads of the people who were interested in pippin were only interested in weekend walks which wasn't why i joined. I wanted someone to walk her when i was working, and to build a relationship with ,to maybe have for weekends etc.
In the end i couldn't seem to bring myself to do it..so hired dog walker instead which has worked out much better for me.

[Hoppinggreen]

I'm a borrower. We look after a dog about once a fortnight while his owner does a late shift.
I contacted quite a few dog owners via the site, a lot didn't reply and some just frankly were taking the piss but we did find a match eventually and it works well for all concerned.

[gessami]

I've asked to borrow loads of doggies and haven't even had any replies!

[TheLoneRanger]

For us it's been a horrendous waste of time and money.

We have an adorable dog, but people come to meet us once and then bugger off into the ether. It's truly shit. Not one fucking "borrower" is serious.

[SarahSavesTheDay]

I borrowed a lovely dog consistently for about 6 months. I found the owners were increasingly taking advantage so I stopped eventually. I also have asked to borrow quite a few and the owners never responded!

[chelle792]

I'm thinking it doesn't sound like a good idea after all the comments on here.
I'd want someone willing to commit to him. I don't need any help but it would be nice for him.
I don't think I can trust anyone enough. Especially paying £40 and not knowing if I will find anyone suitable.
Thank you all

[Toomuch2young]

I personally wouldn't let my dogs go to some random stranger.
Are any checks in place for this people? Or do you just meet them once then hand over access to your dog/ house and off they go?
Sadly in this age of dog thefts it seems a risk. What if they didn't handle your dog kindly? Lost them? Millions of reasons. Also would your insurance be valid if your house was burgled through giving out your key to unregulated strangers? Probably.
I would only use a reputable dog walker or friends/ family if i needed someone not a stranger.

[annandale]

It would be a hugely laborious way of stealing a dog, emwhy would anyone bother?

I met up with a couple of borrowers who were nice people, in fact I knew one of them already, but my dog was just too difficult (which he amply proved on the test walks ).

You sound ideal Op in that you don't need the arrangement so you can be flexible. I thought it had potential as an idea.

[treaclesoda]

too much , you don't just hand over your keys to some random person though, or hand over your dog. It's just an introduction service. You meet the person,, introduce the dog, get to know them etc. You've got their details from the website. I'd imagine its no riskier than employing a stranger as a dog walker.

[chelle792]

treacle agreed. I employed a dog walker that royally messed my boy up. He became aggressive with people and dogs and used to hide from him with his tail between his legs. It's taken two years to build his confidence back up

[chelle792]

anna it's comments like yours that makes me want to give it a go

[Toomuch2young]

Ok. Well the dog walker in my village is fully insured, has a DNS check, qualifications as a behaviourist and 30 years experience grooming and training dogs, an established client base and good reputation so I would say a little better odds of her knowing how to keep the dogs safe ...but yes nothing is 100%.
Fair enough if people want to do the online meeting thing and it works well then that's great as long as people accept the risks which is all I was pointing out. We all have different limits and expectations.

[Toomuch2young]

*dbs check goodness knows what a DNS check is

[treaclesoda]

I think the Borrow My Doggy site does include a level of insurance.

But no, you're right, you're probably not going to get 30 years of animal behaviour expertise though

[SarahSavesTheDay]

The owners of the dog I borrowed gave me their key straight away. I was surprised by this, to say the least. I must have inspired trust.

As for dog theft - borrowers have to pay for the service, which means BMD has your credit card details. They would most likely hand these over to the police if someone reported the theft.

[Queenbean]

A friend of mine did it, turned up at the guys house and took the dog out. While she was out she got a text from him saying that if was obvious the dog was having a great time.... Because he was jogging in the same park and could see them! Then he asked my friend out. And was basically just a creep looking to meet women.

[SarahSavesTheDay]

When I visited the first (and only) dog that I met through BMD, my husband ventured a guess that it would be owned by a man looking for women.

[TheLoneRanger]

They should have a way of filtering the nice, serious dog-lovers from the creeps and wankers.

I'm sure there are some of the former - no way to tell who they are, though. The whole security issue is also a big one for me.

I think the whole idea needs re-inventing. It's a shambles atm.

[SarahSavesTheDay]

It would be nice if they used some of their subscription fees to develop a feedback system.

[treaclesoda]

When you contact someone through the website you will know if they are male or female. If you suspect it is a man being sleazy you just don't agree to meet them. It is emphasised on the website that you should be aware of security and meet in a public place etc, all the usual precautions.

In my area the owners mostly seem to be female and looking for other families etc, maybe with a view to dog sitting occasionally at the weekend, that sort of thing.

I definitely would treat it all with caution but no more or less cautiously than I would treat meeting anyone who I don't know very well.