Anyone used Borrow my doggy?

[somanychristmaslights]

DS is desperate for a dog but we can’t have one full time. I was thinking that website might be a good compromise?

Yes, I walk a dog regularly and have him for overnight visits and holidays.

I “dated” four dogs before I found “the one”. I absolutely love him and he gallops into my house so his owner knows he is safe and happy with me.

I would thoroughly recommend it if you need a doggy “fix” but aren’t in a position to have your own dog right now.

There’s also a community giving feel to it. I’m effectively volunteering in my community the same as someone volunteering to help at a charity shop. It’s all round a feel good activity and I can say no any time it’s inconvenient.

Yes, we used it to look after dogs for about a year before getting our own dog, and it worked really well.
Let me know if you have specific questions about it. In my eyes, it’s ideal for both owners and borrowers.
We now use it to have people look after our dog.

To be very honest, we do view it as getting free daycare or evening care, rather than someone taking him for a quick walk every so often.
Ie, when we need someone to have him, it’s for at least 4 hours, if we’re going out for dinner, or a full day (or even over night). It’s very rare that it’s someone coming to collect him just to take him for a walk, so do bear that in mind.

The same was true when we looked after other peoples dogs - the dog would be with us for full days, whilst the owners were at work.

However, you can be very clear on your profile as to how much time you have available, and what you’d be happy to do.

Yes I have, I don’t want a dog of my own but thought it would be nice to be able to take one out for walks in the countryside near my house.
I found a young dog literally around the corner and walked him every week for about four years until his owners moved away.
On the whole it was a very positive experience but he became quite reactive to other dogs ( especially those off lead) and it became quite stressful in the end trying to keep him away from other people’s dogs.
I worried about him getting injured or injuring another dog and having to tell his owners.

I tried it as a dog owner and was repeatedly let down so gave up. I found the whole experience really disappointing. I’m talking people making arrangements to meet and not turning up. Obviously I’m fine with the people who interacted and decided my larger dog was a bad fit for them before wasting my time.

Yes that’s what I was thinking. We could have the dog for a day at a weekend for example if the owners need it. We love dogs but just can’t commit full time, so this seemed an ideal solution!

How old is your child?

The reason I ask is because people very often...forget key details of their dogs behavioural issues when asked about it. That goes for people surrendering their dogs to rescue, employing a behaviourist or signing up to something like 'borrow my doggy.' I've heard one too many horror stories of people 'renting out' their dog like it's a shitty blockbuster movie, or sending it to a home-boarder, and failing to disclose that it has, for example, severe resource guarding or sleep startle or reactivity etc.

Honestly, I wouldn't ever use one of these sites - either as an owner or a parent to provide my child with 'dog time.' The safety risks are just too great.

But, if you do plan to press ahead (which I imagine you will), you should be very careful about what sort of dogs you let near your child. Only takes a few seconds and if you don't know dogs, and your child doesn't know the warning signs, you'll miss the warning.

You could volunteer as a walker for a rehoming centre. Your son would need an adult with him but could be an option. You might be able to foster short term, give them a break from kennels kind of thing, some rehoming centres do that.

Yes, I wasn't able to do it for long but I enjoyed my time with Leela the collie.

Yes it’s great. I’m a borrower as I don’t want to commit to another dog just yet, I lost mine last year. I’ve found a perfect friend on there and am having her three days a week for the foreseeable future. Suits me and owners are delighted. Perfect.

Yes I have 'dated' three dogs and have an ongoing relationship with a little cockapoo. We started out with a weekly morning walk. Now she comes to me one day a week and the occasional evening.

For me, I need to get on with the owner, not just the dog. For one of the dogs I met, the dog was sweet, but the owner was a bit too nutty for me to cope with.