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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

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Original poster

Dog walker - would this annoy you?

24 replies

Hoppinggreen · 04/04/2016 21:34

I use a dog walker very rarely as I work from home but if I am going to be out for longer than 3 hours I arrange for one to come and let our dog out and play with him for an hour, dog is 6 months old and she has been 4 times so not often.
Recently our dog had to have a General and when he came round he reacted badly and was a bit growly at the vet especially when fed. As a precaution we got a behaviouralist in who tested our dog and said she didn't think there was a problem.
I needed the dog walker to come last week and I told her about the incident at the vet and asked as a precaution she leave him in peace while fed, I know she has brought her son with her before and I wanted to make sure that the little boy was bsolutely safe ( I'm sure he was as I have 2 children of my own but thought I should mention it)
I took our dog out for a walk tonight and bumped into a neighbour and her dog, she asked how our dog was getting on as she has met him with our dog walker who told her that we were having problems with food related aggression!!!
I'm actually pretty cross about it, not only is it not true but the dog walker has told someone about it. I know dog walking doesn't carry some sort of privacy clause but I'm wondering whether to email or text her to say that I'm pissed off.
Would you bother?

OP posts:

TheoriginalLEM · 04/04/2016 21:37

don't bother - get another dog walker!

SaggingTits · 04/04/2016 21:41

No I wouldn't bother texting. You've consulted a behaviourist and asked her to do things differently, so of course she'll think there's an issue. Probably told neighbour while making small talk?

WhoTheFuckIsSimon · 04/04/2016 21:52

I wouldn't do anything apart from have said to the neighbour it was only while the dog was a bit grumpy after having a GA.

Dieu · 04/04/2016 22:10

It does seem unprofessional on her part to indulge in tittle-tattle.

Jeremysfavouriteaunt · 04/04/2016 22:14

Honestly- yes it would bother me, it's gossipy and untrue. I wouldn't use her again and would probably end up texting her just to let her know that she had the wrong info.

Jeremysfavouriteaunt · 04/04/2016 22:15

Reading back though I sound a bit over the top .

lljkk · 04/04/2016 22:18

It wouldn't piss me off.... so I wouldn't complain.
I would assume someone got wrong end of the stick.
I wouldn't care if they got wrong end of the stick.

Floralnomad · 04/04/2016 22:19

It's pretty unprofessional to take your children to work with you so I'd get rid on that basis alone , other than that the remarks wouldn't bother me .

lljkk · 04/04/2016 22:23

hardcore, Floral.
What wage does a dogwalker make? Enough to cover childcare? One suspects not...

Floralnomad · 04/04/2016 22:29

There are lots of poorly paid jobs ,people who do home care earn very little ,they don't take their children with them .

Pixa · 04/04/2016 22:31

I'm with floral. I wouldn't want my dog walker bringing her kids to my house. Also, yeah, I'd be annoyed because it's simply not true and she has seemingly misunderstood the issue. I would just get a better dog walker rather than complain to her though.

DreamingofItaly · 04/04/2016 22:48

I'm with pp. I'd be very upset if my dog walker talked about my business, it's not exactly something that easily comes up in conversation! "Oh, hi dog walker, hi doggie, how are you today?" "Well, he's suffering from food related aggression actually". No. Doesn't happen.

I'd get a new dog walker. If you can't trust her to keep quiet about that kind of thing, she's got a key to your house...what if she saw some personal mail you'd accidentally left out? Is she going to discuss that too?

stonecircle · 05/04/2016 08:35

Yes it would annoy me, but is it possible your neighbour is the one doing the exaggerating and has put their own spin on a milder version told by the dog walker? I know the dog walker shouldn't have said anything but it could have come up in a harmless way in conversation? Perhaps your dog seemed a bit off with your neighbour and your dog walker said something him having not settled down after the op but he had been assessed and was OK etc etc?

But I wouldn't be happy with a dog walker bringing a child with her at all - but then I have a nippy, unpredictable rescue lab who doesn't like small people running around him!

Original poster

Hoppinggreen · 05/04/2016 09:06

Thank you for the replies.
To answer a couple of points she gets £15 per hour so yes, enough to cover childcare. However, I have my own business and 2 children so I'm not unsympathetic to trying to juggle both. She brought her 3 year old with her once and she told me afterwards ( plus there was a small muddy welly print on the bottom step) which didn't bother me unduly but as its school holidays I thought it might be a possibility she would bring them last time too ( she didn't) My dog loves children and I didn't think there was an issue but as a responsible dog owner I thought I owed it to her to tell her what had happened.
I know the neighbour well and I have explained the actual facts so it's fine but the dog walker didn't know that - for all she knew the neighbour could have been a dog hating sworn enemy.
On reflection I am not going to say anything, I use her so rarely anyway but I am a bit annoyed about it.

OP posts:

stonecircle · 05/04/2016 09:32

Not sure how much of a walk you could give a dog with a 3 year old in tow!

Original poster

Hoppinggreen · 05/04/2016 09:56

He's a puppy *stone" so she does a 20 minute walk and then plays ball or similar with him for the rest of the time

OP posts:

AlpacaLypse · 05/04/2016 10:06

I run a dog walking and pet care agency.

I've never given any of the walkers specific instructions about gossiping about their charges, although I imagine it would be covered by 'We will respect our client's privacy', which is one of the things we have in the standing instructions.

Light chat when meeting other dogs while out and about is encouraged, we regard helping with socialisation with puppies as part of our job!

Re children coming to work, this happens fairly regularly during school holidays. It's something that is mentioned when we first take clients on so that if a dog is not child friendly we can ensure a child free walker is sent to their house.

Dieu · 05/04/2016 11:56

£15 per hour for walking a dog! I'm in the wrong job

WhoTheFuckIsSimon · 05/04/2016 11:58

I pay my dog walker £8.80 for a 30 min walk and she brings her newborn in a sling.

lljkk · 05/04/2016 14:03

Aack, £15/hr is more than I make 20 yrs experience technical skills & a PhD

GinIsIn · 05/04/2016 14:09

Alpaca - does it not invalidate your insurance if you take children with you as a dog walker?

WhoTheFuckIsSimon · 05/04/2016 14:13

£15 an hour sounds like a lot but remeber they're hardly going to work an 8 hour day are they? Their window of opportunity for work will generally be a few hours in the middle of the day excepting the odd shift worker client.

They also have to pay tax and NI out of that, budget for sickness and holidays, pension maybe. If they're official and above board it's not cash in hand.

AlpacaLypse · 06/04/2016 20:32

Fenella no, it's fine. I double checked with the insurance provider.

WTFIS yy, you've got it bang on the head. EVERYONE wants their dogs walked at lunchtime. So from 11 until 1.30 we're flat out!

We aim to earn about £40/£50 a day, before tax, NI etc. Doesn't always happen.

Morning and evening walks are a bonus, and for some of us are just plain impossible.

Collaborate · 08/04/2016 08:31

Don't forget time taken travelling to collect the dogs as well, plus insurance and travel costs.

Why do some people look at headline costs and think that all goes straight in to someone's back pocket?

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