Cannot justify dog walker's price increase

[Dogwalkissue]

Our dog walker currently charges £15 an hour walk. She has just sent a message to say her prices are going up to £20 an hour.

She said that she has researched other dog walker's prices and says they all charge a minimum of £20 and many £25. I do struggle to believe this as I did a quick local search and the most expensive I could find was £17. We are in a town in Suffolk.

Anyway, I honestly can't justify anything else going up in price. She currently walks my dog twice a week. I work full time and on the days I am in the office, she walks my dog, so twice a week meaning my weekly dog walking will go from £30 a week to £40 a week. With the cost of shopping, fuel, heating etc etc I just can't have something else going up - my own salary doesn't ever go up by £5 an hour.

I like the dog walker and feel really awkward to cancel the dog walks but I need to now as it has priced me out of the market. On the days I am in the office, I'll pop back at lunch time to walk the dog now.

What should I say to her? Be honest that I am nown prices out the market?!

Sigh up to Borrow My Doggy instead.

I don’t have a dog so have no requirements for dog walking services and the costs. However, everything has increased in cost! My annual travel insurance has increased by a massive 56%……not because I have made a claim…..simply because ‘world medical costs have increased’!
The dog walker will no doubt have personal and public liability insurance, travelling costs, tax and NI…….all of which have increased potentially.
However, I do like the suggestion that you use lunch break to go home and walk the dog yourself……..detach yourself from the working environment and decompress and save a few quid. Either that or shop around for another dog walking service.

Clearly some people replying have no experience with greyhounds! We both work from home, but when we got our first greyhound, years ago, we worked outside the home. Our houndie used to go straight to the 'good couch' as soon as we left for work (confirmed by camera) and literally sleep until we got home. She was a great dog, but one walk a day was more than enough for her, even then, it was only a short walk.

Our newer hound is similar, although she's keen for a longer walk. She's happy to sleep all day, except if someone ventures into the kitchen, then she goes hunting for snacks. Come 5pm though, she's ready for her walk.

If your girl is used to a mid day walk when you're home, can you slowly start moving that to an afternoon walk on your at home days. Your work day is reasonably short, so if you can get her used to that, you can save some money.

This, and then it allows the walker to see that putting up the rate may bring in less money

That’s just not happening..

My dog goes on a group walk and we pay £20 a walk (expensive apparently). She does 3 group walks a day with up to 6 dogs per walk. If every walk is full then she could earn £7200 in 4 weeks. She doesn’t actually earn that though does she when you take off petrol, van running costs, insurance for the van plus public liability, NI, tax and pension contributions, hiring a field for a couple of sessions a week etc. Equipment wise she uses long lines which need replacing regularly, her walking boots need replacing regularly given the amount of walking she does, she has better quality wet weather gear to buy.

In the very hot weather she was only doing 1 or 2 walks and starting at 6am then doing a couple of home visits in the afternoon if needed. If there’s very wet weather people cancel. If she’s sick she doesn’t earn anything, if the van breaks down she doesn’t earn anything, if she goes on holiday she doesn’t earn anything. I work term times so mine hasn’t walked with her for the last 6 weeks and she will have other clients the same.

On paper it looks like a lucrative job but the reality is yes, there will be good weeks but also very poor weeks plus she is out in all weathers all year around. I’m happy to pay that £20 for someone who has made sure they have first aid qualifications and the other training she has done who is properly insured and uses GPS devices on the dogs in case they leg it off lead. Plus she’s lovely and the dog absolutely loves her.

I would say that I appreciate that everything is more expensive and that her price rise is necessary, but I am really struggling and wonder if she could agree for £17 for the next year?

Wow that’s a lot. I’m self employed but only increase my fees by a pound each year. That’s shocking and greedy of her. I’d message back saying, I’m sorry, I cannot afford that. Unfortunately I cannot continue to use your service. Then I’d ring around to get someone else. My old dog groomer kept putting her prices up, I accepted as I liked her a lot. After a few terrible grooms and 2 cancellations (my dog is part poodle and has to be groomed no matter what!) I switched to someone cheaper AND better at the job. He has never cancelled me! I think the fear of the unknown makes us scared to change. But it will be fine and you should.

I would drop her to once a week and you do the other

I was paying £20 for my 3 to be taken out 5 years ago, never as long as an hour, they’d die of exhaustion as they motorbike round. Price never changed when one dog died of old age. Local professionals charge £30-£40 per walk for 2, north London, my walker is insured, DBS cleared etc but a lone trader, no big van, she does multiple walks and crucially, takes ours to the local woods/park, which is enclosed.

If you can take her yourself, I wouldn’t pay someone else. We get home and take ours out again regardless.