I think we need a childcare voucher system for PETS!!

[Kneesbendarmstretchrarara]

Have had my dog for 7 years and he was my first ‘baby’, even since having my daughter, he is still my baby.

Am now having to look into using a dogwalker (am an emotional mess over it) and it just occurred to me that it would be blooming helpful to have a pet version of childcare vouchers or some free hours.

It’s so expensive. Not that I mind, of course as we always want the best care for our babies but over the month, that’s going to add up big-time.

Just putting it out there so I can be laughed at!!!

I think that is likely to happen as soon as dogs grow up to become tax payers.

I'm not surprised to hear it is so expensive though, I know people leaving childcare to look after dogs instead as it pays much better.

Ooh, I like that idea. I have to pay a catsitter as I travel for work so petcare vouchers would be just the ticket.

You see, in my head, I was thinking if dogwalkers etc were all part of a doggy version of Ofsted & registered, it would make financial sense for them to accept vouchers from owners.

Surely it would make it more justifiably affordable, like childcare?

I was a nursery nurse, nanny & nursery manager & yep, you’re right....the pay for dogcare is better.

I haven’t even had a drink tonight

My hours are changing at work in September so I too am looking to find a dogwalker. Haven't found anyone yet. I feel so weird about it, she's my baby!

I'd be all over this idea.

However, to make it fair and not excessively expensive, I'd give people the choice between childcare vouchers and petcare vouchers. That way the infertile and childfree by choice still get something.

I'm still waiting for my paid pawternity leave

That would be great. My dog only goes to daycare part time and my bill is on average £250 a month. If he was full time it would be over £400.

And yes Avocados I needed pawternity leave for when he was a puppy

It's a nice idea but it'd never work, it's my choice to own a pet I don't expect the government to subsidise the cost for her care.

There isn’t enough government money to fund the current 30 hours free childcare which allows parents of children who do grow into taxpayers, to go out to work and earn a living.
But I’m guessing your post is tongue in cheek so I won’t go on.

I'd ask for meowternity leave.

Did you hear a whooshing sound when you read the original post, Eminybob?

My doggie daycare people earn over £6000 a month to work from home. They have everything set up like a nursery - toys, little houses, sprinkler cooling systems, fake trees for shade, little decks, paddling pools.

I reckon they may have the best job ever.

I'm seriously considering using the money I spend on the gardener from March to October on a dog walker through winter just to cut down on the times I get cold,wet and dirty. The old lady over the road has one daily and he is lovely with her dog so thinking of contacting him.

Or you, SlothMama?

I reckon they may have the best job ever.

They also must have between 10-15 dogs there every day?

I love dogs but unless that is one big-ass house they have, that many dogs in a medium-large house sounds like a recipe for disaster...

Presumably they have 2 people supervising them (at a minimum, that's what you'd need). That's £3k a person which is an annualised salary of £36k on which they should be paying tax.

Yep, they have up to 20 dogs a day. Huge garden. And they only take on dogs that get on well together - they do small group walks, all the littlest together. There’s 2 of them. They have a waiting list

missbattenburg if it was a 'family' run company with say an additional lower paid 'helper' it wouldn't be a bad income. Saying that I think people underestimate how restrictive running a business such as dog walker/day carer can be as you need to be available apart from holidays otherwise people wouldn't use them. A large one near me which I will be using soon as back up can take up to 30 dogs but they have many helpers and seperate 'rooms' to segregate dogs into small groups but they are open 8-6 which is a long day to provide cover but necessary to get customers willing to pay the prices.

My dog walker charge £15/hr for solo walk. My dog doesn't like some other dogs. It is really expensive but I've got no choice. The solo walkers are high in demand, I wish more mums looking into type of work rather than cleaning! We spent so much money on dog walker that we can't justify on cleaners, our house is a tip.

Shampoo0 I can see why people would choose cleaning over dog walking. Imagine some pfb owners, then dogs that decide to be awkward or suddenly develop selective deafness my dog walker had to wrestle a decaying deers head out of my dogs mouth one day . Then there is the wet and mud.

For sure, it's not a bad income. Just not the easy day for massive salary it might sound to someone reading £6k a month .

It sounds like HARD work for reasonable money.

meowternity leave .

Definitely up for this. I don't have children so would be able to use my entitlements on my pets, as a pp suggested!

I am pretty sure some companies (Brew Dog?) offer pawternity leave as a perk. If I recall rightly you get 2-3 days off when you take on a puppy or rescue.

If I didn’t live so rurally I would LOVE to open a doggy day care like the one described. It would be heaven to spend all day with dogs.

There is one dog day care near us but she gets about three dogs now and then so it’s not really the cash generator I fancy!

I’ve got the land for it as well!

I really think dog crèches should be a thing. If I could put him in one while I went to the gym for an hour, that would be amazing. Also they should have them in restaurants so you can eat in peace.

AND I would pay good money to someone who ran an indoor dog soft play for rainy days.

DH and I are looking into setting up a doggy daycare for when he retires from the military in 3 years. We'll start from home, see how he likes it, then build from there!

@Squirrel there's something in South Wales called Action Petz, which is pretty much soft play for dogs. It looks brilliant. Shame I live nowhere near it!

Squirrel26 I once asked the National Trust, in a more irate moment, if they would like to consider doggy crèches at their properties. We love a stately pile but we can only go when the weathers cool cos they’re such a long way from us, it’s too long to leave the dog at home on his own and it’s too hot in the summer to leave him in the car when we want to have a look round the house.

Needles to say they weren’t considering it. I really need to find myself a good dog walker.