For those that use a dog walker is this an unreasonable request?

[cowfacemonkey]

Been using our dog walker for well over a year. She's reliable, flexible and I trust her with ddog (rescue, lovely but a nervous nelly at times).
She has taken on an employee as she wants to grow her business and messaged me last week to say this new person would be taking over ddog's walks and once dbs is through new person will hold our key.

I've asked for new person's contact details and for her to pop round and see me so I can meet her first. As ddog can be nervous I want to check his interaction with her and be she understands how to manage his lead reactivity. I would also like to know who has a key to my house! I so far have had no response at all to this request (it's been four days) and as she is due to start walking him this week I just wanted to gage if I'm being unreasonable. I have no qualms in admitting I am very precious about my ddog and I am quite disappointed he won't be continuing with current dog walker.

What would your response be here?

Do you think things are getting 'lost in translation' with texts? Would a quick call to ask things like how many times has new walker walked your dog with her, does new walker know all the issues, how many dogs is new walker taking on right now from her to gauge how well the handover has happened her end.

However, like everything else you need to go with your gut feeling on whether you are happy to continue or not.

Possibley bitey although in her first message she said she’d joined her last week for a walk and met ddog and it seemed to go well. So really sounds like she’s only met him once. This is the thing she really only needed to get in touch and arrange to pop over so I could meet her and see ddog around her and although I may have been a bit apprehensive I would have gone with a more “suck it and see” approach.
I think I’m slightly snarked that it hasn’t occurred to her that yes it’s her business and she’s free to expand as she sees fit but customers like to know who’s coming into their homes and taking their dog out! You can’t just decide on someone’s behalf that they will be using a different person with less than a weeks notice. Annoying cause there’s an equal chance new person is ace and all will be well with the world!

If you're only gone for 5 hours twice a week, you don't actually need a dog walker at all! Problem solved!

I wouldn't be happy with her response at all. For a start if she is going to be walking your dog SHE needs to be your point of contact. And if your original walker doesn't want you to meet this newbie until the DBS comes through, that is also odd to me.

Personally i'd be giving notice & looking for a new walker. And make sure you get your key back!

YANBU at all. I would definitely expect to meet the new dog walker and introduce and discuss my dog with them too. Perhaps she's not thinking about the client's perspective here, maybe she's just worried about her new employee going solo if she hands their details to you? Even if that's the case she has not dealt with this well and you are defo entitled to know who has your key and is walking your dog.

I’m usually far too relaxed in these situations but this is peculiar.
Could she be worried you’ll discuss money with the new walker? Either way she’s hiding something!

I suspect she might be worried about losing business I guess it would be all too easy for people to approach new walker and offer her the business instead especially as her prices have gone up. I genuinely didn’t mind the price increase as I think it’s worth the money for someone reliable and experienced that you trust. But having never met the new person I don’t know her experience, reliability etc. yet I’ll be paying top dollar just the same.

I think your requests are perfectly reasonable and I'm surprised that she expects you to trust a complete stranger with your keys and dog. Worth phoning rather than texting, but maybe now is the time for ddog to cope with the occasional 5hr absence.

She’s been seeing him since he was 6 months old and obviously at that point 5 hours would have been too long to leave him. I’ve just never changed it although I know he does fine for four hours alone.
You get such varying views on how long is fair to leave them for!

Have just messaged to say I need a meet up before keys are handed over and to check ddog responds positively around her (he has a superb daily mail sad face when not happy with his lot so should be easy to tell!)
Sigh I don’t think I worried this much when I handed the kids over to the childminder. Mind you they don’t bare teeth and lung at other kids and have never chewed a bannister rail!

My friends and family walk into my house and my fella looses his mind until he sees who it is, and he LOVES people. Not a hope someone who had never met him would be walking in!

Tell the dog walker that you want to meet new walker before they walk your dog (If that means not walking him until after dbs is back then so be it) and that you would really prefer if they stayed walking your dog rather than the new person.

Really unprofessional and quite strange behaviour IMO.

Maybe Dog walker is trying to protect her business by preventing OP from communicating with her new team member. It doesn't make this OK though.

I think it's entirely reasonable for you and Ddog to meet new Walker first.

I wouldn't want my dog being walked by someone unknown to them or me. They should have a meet with you out of courtesy also your dog, your house key your choice on it all. I'm sure once you'd met them you'd feel better about it. Also that they are all insured with the business etc.
Hoping it all works out for you but you aren't being unreasonable. Pets are family!

yanbu, you have a right to have met anyone who is coming in to your house. You are paying for this service and are the customer. If she isn't delivering the kind of service that you desire, then look elsewhere. For reference, I use a dog walking company and they always offer me to meet any new members before they start with my dog (without me having to request this myself). They are all dbs checked before starting, and insured incase of any accidents on walks.

The company we use are fine with our dog cam being on at all times too, and always leave a note saying what time they were walking him, where they went, who walked him, and if he did any wees poos, walked with other dogs, etc. They are flexible, reply to texts fast, and in general extremely professional at £8 for half an hour. There are some good companies out there and customer service is important when you are trusting another person with one of your family members.

Wouldn’t be happy with that response. I don’t use a dog walker but have looked at a few and what puts me off is there is usually only details of the owner, lot about her background. No info about her employees who could be anyone, just referred to as “we” do this, do that etc.

I dog walk for someone else occasionally.

I wouldn't do it unless I had the owners contact number to hand in case of emergencies.

If your dog walker doesn't trust the new walker not to pinch your business then I would suggest the new person is not trustworthy enough to have your keys.

For your home insurance do you not need to know the name /details of a key holder?

Just read the thread, in your position I'd be understanding that she's growing a business but i would have chosen an individual for specific reasons and not interested in whomever was down on her rota to enter my home and take my dog out. So I'd have my keys back and cancel the service. Sounds like you no longer need it.