AIBU to have this idea about dog sitting

[BrywanthebabetgeycalledBrywan]

Unfortunately I can’t have a dog at my social housing flat but it is okay to bring a dog into the flat if it doesn’t live there. I have had dogs in the past and really miss the company of a dog.

I’m 69 and retired and luckily quite healthy. I hear about people being worried as their dogs are on their own all day. I would love to dog sit for someone from, say, 9-4, Monday to Friday. I wouldn’t take the dog for a long walk but would take it out a few times for a wee. I would leave the long walks for the owner.

All I’d want is the dog’s food and perhaps £10 per day as I only receive a state pension and it would help although to be honest I would do it for nothing for the company. Do you think this is a good idea and could you please point out the pros and cons.

I think Borrowmydoggie might be the perfect thing for you, if you want dog company, but not the long walks etc

ignore all this licence thing, it sounds like a lovely idea and dogs are great company. Start with oeople you know and see how you feel.

however for me it would be a big no if you re not walking my dog. She is a great bench dog but also love a good run. And if i give my dog to day care during the week it is because I dont have time to walk her. So your arrangement wouldnt work for me.

Borrow my Doggy is great. You set your availability and only spend time with dogs you like. There is no pay though.

we used borrow my doggy and have ended up good friends with some people with a little Italian greyhound who live around the corner - their dog can’t be left alone as gets very upset and stressed - we take it a lot and mind it if they go on nights out - they drop off and either pick up later or in the morning

if they are out for the day we sometimes have him if we have no plans - he’s lovely and hangs out with us in the garden or sits watching tv with us

he loves our 5 year old and sits lying on her lap watching a film

we wouldn’t like the responsibility of our own pet dog - so this works perfect for us to get a fix of a dog and stops my daughter telling us it’s not fair we won’t get her a pet 😆

It's a great idea. You could your local FB group and see if anyone is interested. Or Rover.com. You'd get paid for spending an hour with a dog, letting it out etc.

You want OP to ignore the law and potentially end up with a fine?

She won’t get a license anyway as she’s in social housing so it’s all a moot point really!

Lol

I can’t imagine that there are many people who would pay to have someone look after their dog but not take it for a walk , surely the whole point of dog daycare is that when you get home from work the dog is ready to have its tea and snooze for the evening , not be needing a walk . That is aside from the whole insurance issue .

Unfortunately I can’t have a dog at my social housing flat but it is okay to bring a dog into the flat if it doesn’t live there.

I can't see that this allows for having a dog there 30 or 40 hours a week. I imagine it's only for occasional visitors to bring their dog inside while they visit.

What’s so funny?

I think to do something like this a good walk would need to be part of the deal. You need to be providing a service to the owner and the dog, not just getting your doggy fix!

Actually no, a great many of my separation anxiety clients would LOVE someone to simply be there, be friends with their dog, stay with their dog in their own home or at the sitters home and NOT walk them.

A lot of dogs with separation anxiety have other anxiety issues and going for walks is not the delightful treat you assume, but a stress inducing nightmare that has a negative effect on other behaviour and sets back behaviour modification/training.

If you have a friend or neighbour who needs a dog sitter you won’t need to worry about insurance, etc. If you advertise, people who don’t know you would expect insurance. I’d have loved to have someone who could have looked after my elderly dog for me if I needed to go into the office or out for the day.

As a dog owner I really like this idea. The only thing is that when I need this kind of service, it's usually because I'm out for a long work day, eg 8.30am to 6.30pm, so I'd need longer hours than 9am-4pm. But the rest sounds great.