Anyone used Borrow my Doggy?

[MothershipG]

I put my Mini Schnauzer up as, although we meet her needs, she would never say no to extra walks and extra fuss!

Someone has contacted us so I was just wondering if any one had any experience of it, from either perspective?

I think people are being over-cautious. We use BorrowMyDoggy and it works for us. Our little dog can never have enough love and attention, and he gets extra walks this way. We took up employer references - not hard to do, surely?

Some of the potential borrowers are serious dog-lovers with masses of experience but living circumstances which mean they can't own their own dog right now. What's not to like?

I have never heard of borrowmydoggy so cant comment on the site however I have been a sitter on mydogbuddy since last July and I can honestly say any dogs that I care for are treated like one of the family. We have a meet and greet before taking any dog which also gives the owner a chance to decide whether they are happy to leave there pet in our care this can range from a few hours to a longer stay. We have reviews that the owners can also read first.The site is free to join no hidden costs you only pay once you have made a booking. I expect borrowmydoggy is run along the same sort of lines.

Borrow my doggy works different you pay an annual fee also they have now become partners with dogs trust to help people keep their dogs when they could easily give them up . Also it gives people a chance to look after a dog for a short while before they decide to have one of their own. I have just registered as an owner

Interesting reading i'm in a London flat and don't have appropriate situation to own a dog so i've registered with this site but my first impression looking through the 640 profiles of recommended owners in my area is that the vast majority are simply well off middle class Londoners not prepared to take the responsibility of paying for their dog care

After reading this thread I'm concentrating on the cinnamon trust!

I joined it as a borrower and did get involved with a few dogs but then moved locations and now have my own dog

I just got my cinnamon trust pack looking forward to being called up to walk my first client.

I have been registered with borrow my doggy about two weeks now I have two whippets young one very energetic loves children, not had any interest yet. Hoping I have not wasted my money

We have had a welcome woof and a retired couple are going to be looking after our two whippets for the day in May .

I have been a sitter with mydogbuddy since last July it's free to join whether you are a sitter or a owner in search of one.

Also i think if I was looking for a sitter for my own two dogs i would prefer to pay someone to look after them in the hope that they would be taken better care of. I'm not saying they won't be as well looked after by the people who borrow the animals, that is my own personal opinion.But saying that I made a mistake when i read the original post i thought it was another site where owners pay someone to look after there pets like dogbuddy which is why I pointed out sites do this that are free to join.

I was a borrowee of two dogs. It is a tricky dynamic to take care of a dog for longer periods of time long hours and/or multiple days. I felt so very responsible for the welfare of the dogs, worried that they might get away from me and get lost or killed. I felt like it was like taking care of a toddler that level of responsibility. The dogs were cuties but they didn't settle too terribly well (this might have been different if we'd had more days together and discipline strictly enforced, but I didn't sign up to have to do this). In the end, I felt my people were really looking for a doggie sitter and borrow a doggie really isn't suited to this. People hosting a dog are looking for the enjoyment of a dog's company but largely do not want a long day's responsibility for the dog, unless the dog is really low maintenance and sleeps a good deal. The requests coming to me were for people wanting to get their dog taken care of while they are at work. This is really a dog sitting proposition. If you want your dog to have a true social opportunity borrow a doggie could be great. If you want a week-in week-out all day commitment I think those opportunities are few and far between. Borrow a doggy probably will not replace your need for a dog sitter, if that's the type of services you need.

My dogs have had two borrowers one who helped out with a walk a couple of times a week when my husband was on jury service and the other when we spent a day with my granddaughter. We have met dome lovely people that took great care of our dogs and we are meeting someone new next weekend.
Our dogs love company. Happy to walk but just as happy to laze about

I freely admit I'm a complete control freak but there is no way I'd ever trust a stranger with my dog. I'm slightly astounded that so many people would!

jules your dogs are lovely.
We look after 2 borrowed dogs and we take very good care of them, in fact we are extra careful because they aren't ours.
It was a slow process with visits to their house and ours and joint walks before we had sole care and in one case overnight visits sometimes.
Some owners on the site are looking for free long term or holiday care though which I think is a bit much and one woman wanted someone to have her puppy for 2 weeks not long after she got it as she was going on holiday!!!
To be honest I do have concerns about some of the dogs on the Borrow my Doggy site but being left with strangers isn't one of them!!

I do not have any experience of BorrowMyDoggy but have plenty of experience (4 years) as a paid dog walker. I find that dog walking requires a trust to be developed both between myself, the owner and the dog. This takes some time. Time for the dog to recognize you as an 'alpha' character- ie. one it will respond to and pay attention to your necessary commands when out on a walk. Time for the owners, whose keys you often have, to fully understand you have no interest at all in their property. I now have a lot of experience whilst out walking and can often spot behavioural signs from dogs that I walk and avoid any problems, for instance when meeting other dogs, and I learn the personalities and requirements of the dogs themselves. I walk on a one to one basis but sometimes it can be as much hard work as enjoyable; many of the dogs I am asked to walk are not the best socially and regrettably I have been seriously attacked on one occasion by a German Shepherd the moment I met him being badly bitten on the face. That said, I walk a retired police dog of the same breed who is fine and like all of 'my' dogs a firm friend. Yes I get paid and rightly too. There is one person who has no issues with BorrowMyDoggy and that is the owner of the site, who is obviously making their fortune from the subscriptions for no risk at all. I have not written this because I am a dog walker. I walk locally and am quite happy with the work I have. Just wanted people to know, from my experience, that things are not as simple as they first appear.

I've used Borrow my Doggy for over a year now and it's been great! I have about 4 sets of people who take my Jug out for the day as and when it suits them, they always contact me about when they want to look after her, never the other way round. It's worked out brilliantly and my girl has made some lovely friends who absolutely adore her.
I also have a dog walker for the days I work so I don't use it as a substitute for that, just a welcome addition if people are free to lend a hand. If we don't hear from them for a while, it's no bother to us as we don't rely on them taking her out

I just check their website to be a dog borrower, and I understand their owner consent but I look after children and also work in a nursery and their parent worried far more but they relied on us as they also work and as a carer I know how important their precious little children are so I look after them as if they were mine and better. I'm not compering children to dogs but I guess the feeling is similar. You could ask for CRB or references from previous jobs as well even if is not for dog, u will know is not a bad person and therefore not to feel worried. I love children, pets and even grandma's and grampa's and I'm sure many people do. hope this post help.

I'm about to sign up for the borrow a doggy site and hoping to get a dog sitter twice per week while I work, I will let you all know how it goes. Fingers crossed

I joined BMD last year (as a dog owner) and have found it a complete and utter lifesaver. I have met some truly lovely people through it. Like wickedwitch I am not dependent on it for walks ... it's simply a bonus (particularly as my dog has separation anxiety, so it's nice for me to get a break sometimes!), and the borrowers have all been happy to provide a reference for my added peace of mind.

I don't suppose you are in North Devon! We are looking for a mini Schnauzer as we speak and would love to get to know another one!

x

I have recently become a borrower on BorrowMyDoggy.com and I too had many reservations, so I thought I would give you an overview of my experience.

I separated from my husband 2 years ago and, as part of that, my 2 gorgeous Cavalier Spaniels were re-homed. It was not an easy decision to make, (in fact I was heart-broken), but it was the right thing to do for my dogs. As such, I do not feel that I can get more dogs of my own now that my life is settled again, but I do miss taking a dog for a walk, the interaction with other dog owners and walking places that I wouldn't walk on my own. I only heard of BMD a few weeks ago and was very concerned over whether I felt comfortable with it. I know I certainly would not have been able to let a complete stranger take my dogs out so why should someone trust me?

Anyway, one night I decided to register and see what happened. On Tuesday I received an email update with dogs local to me. I contacted 3 and received a reply from one lady. She has a Springer Spaniel and was looking for someone to give him extra walks as she had recently had an operation on her foot and will be on crutches for 6 weeks and her husband works away from home during the week.

We talked on the phone and agreed I would go round and meet both her and her dog. We spent a couple of hours chatting and decided I would take the dog for a short walk the following day to see how we were together. He walks well and is no problem, so at the weekend I tried him in the car and took him for a longer walk.

So far, it is going well. We are flexible on when I walk him, I can fit in with her hospital appointments. I am still very aware I have responsibility for someone else's family pet but hopefully, this will work well for everyone involved, and I may even have found a new friend, which is a real bonus as I moved 200 miles away after my marriage ended, and I have found making friends a slow process.

I did consider helping at a dog refuge but, I just know I would end up wanting to take them home, which is so not right for me at the moment, so BMD is perfect for my current needs.

I personally would never register my dog for such a service. Be like entrusting a child member of my family to strangers.

Margaretwyl. I'm in your area and have a Working Cocker Spaniel and a WCS/Springer cross. I work from home and normally do Farthing Downs, Happy Valley, Addington Hills. Selsdon Woods. Banstead Woods etc. We're having to do local park walks at the mo as my car was written off a couple of weeks ago by a traffic light jumper. Would like to keep I touch though as I'll be back up that way soon.

We borrowed a local dig for walks a few times which was great and the family asked if we'd like her for a weekend. Had a great time looking after her and lots of muddy walks etc. also got pregnant that weekend so maybe should borrow her again as TTC #2