I've got covid19. What do I do with my puppy?

[WentworthPrison]

I've just tested positive for Covid19. I live alone and all relatives are extremely clinically vulnerable or care for those that are. All friends work. What on earth do I do with my puppy?

They might also be experienced dog owners wanting to help out. Just as likely.

I don't ask for for qualifications when I've had dog walkers, but insurance would be a good idea I agree.

@HerFlowersToLove

Are T&T providing additional funding to cover the cost of a professional dog walker? At £188/fortnight it's not something I can afford if I'm being told not to work. I'm already #ExcludedUK and haven't been able to claim either furlough or SEISS.

Test and Trace put you in touch with the support hubs run by local councils.

I imagine those support hubs aren't going to be providing dog walking services for dogs with significant behavioural needs, including a history of sinking his teeth into my lower legs whenever he saw a motorbike.

If the council want to cover the costs of me self isolating in full, then I'll happily self isolate. But that means

• all my living expenses (which are greater than £500 per fortnight)
• my businesses expenses - overheads, loss of perishable stock and so on
• a professional dog walker (£188/fortnight for group walks with the walker who knows him)

As things stand, I'm expected to

• shut down my business for a fortnight
• have no income
• receive no financial support because I'm not on benefits
• all while my cost of living goes up as a direct result of self isolation.

This comes after a year in which I've already been financially shafted - screwed out of SEISS because of the date I went self employed (long before covid hit!)

Fuck that shit. I'm not engaging with a system that seeks to cause further financial suffering for something that's not my fault.

It's no wonder only 11% of people self isolate when they're told to.

@HerFlowersToLove

They might also be experienced dog owners wanting to help out. Just as likely.

I don't ask for for qualifications when I've had dog walkers, but insurance would be a good idea I agree.

I wouldn't send my dog out with someone who didn't have insurance. My worry in this scenario would be the dog running off or getting injured - would the council really pay out?

Unfortunately dog walking is still seen as a "hobby job" - there are too many walkers out there with no insurance or qualifications. In my opinion, it's not a job for volunteers. I'm sure the walkers would be dog lovers but that's not really enough for me.

My dog means so much to me - there's no way I would send him out with a random council volunteer

All I pointed out was that there are support hubs to assist with tasks people cant do when self isolating.

I volunteer walk 3 dogs for Cinnamon Trust. In my area these would be options of someone to walk dog for you

Good Neighbour scheme volunteers (some will be dog owners)
Professional dog walkers
NHS? Royal volunteers (they are vetted to not be psychos)
Cinnamon Trust (they are vetted to have experience with dogs & not be psychos)
neighbours (some are dog owners)
people on community Fbk pages (some are dog owners)

@HerFlowersToLove

All I pointed out was that there are support hubs to assist with tasks people cant do when self isolating.

I understand that, but I guess the point is that even though that help exists, it won't be much help to a lot of people.

ps: I imagine if your dog bites nearest person when they see a motorbike then you walk them with muzzle on anyway, no?

there is a lot of dog-walking at midnight type times from what I hear. I'm not telling you to do it, but it's not posing a risk to anyone so can't be bothered to worry about it happening, either.

I volunteer walk 3 dogs for Cinnamon Trust. In my area these would be options of someone to walk dog for you

Okay, so for me:

Good Neighbour scheme volunteers (some will be dog owners) - No. I wouldn't send my dog out a random, uninsured volunteer with no experience of working with dogs.

Professional dog walkers - yes, but cost will be an issue for a lot of people.

NHS? Royal volunteers (they are vetted to not be psychos) - are these people insured? Do they have any experience walking reactive or dangerous dogs?

Cinnamon Trust (they are vetted to have experience with dogs & not be psychos) - yes, I would trust them.

neighbours (some are dog owners) - again, no. I wouldn't send my dog out with someone who wasn't insured or qualified.

people on community Fbk pages (some are dog owners) - nope, definitely not. I don't know those people and again, they're not insured or qualified.

I think in an emergency situation for 10 days is a slightly different scenario to the criteria we'd probably all use for picking a permanent dog walker. We took a lot of care when we used one, just like you, but a neighbour also walked out dogs many times. She'd had dogs all her life, was really good with them and most importantly, loved our dogs.

@AlCalavicci

Providing you keep well clear of everyone , where a mask and dont touch things ( park gates / benches other peoples dogs etc ) when you are out I can not see the harm in still walking him. It may be best to keep him on a lead as other people may stroke him. And also walk him when ir is quiet.

Urm no. Don't do this. What if OP has an accident whilst out and needs medical attention? Plus you can spread the disease even in the open. Ridiculous idea

OP - surely a friend or neighbour can help? I work long days but would put myself out to fit in 20-30 mins walking a friend's pooch if they were in the same situation. Play with the pup in the garden through the day and do activities to stimulate them mentally to make up for the reduced exercise.

Cinnamon Trust phone line = 01736 757900

Send a pic of your doggo with the request to CT. They like to see their cute clients. :)

I believe the NHS Royal Volunteers ?Samaritans? are insured. At least some are DBSd, too. I'd check other schemes before assuming not insured.

Many people are more relaxed about insurance, tbf.

I'd think it was safer for you to walk the dog at 5am and not go anywhere where you'd need to touch anything rather than having to do a handover to an uninfected person when your lead, harness and dog itself could have droplets on etc.

Thing is, we both work, too, but we could take a dog out in the early morning or evening or long lunchbreak if a neighbour asked, wouldn't conflict with work. Maybe OP shouldn't write off her friends as long as they live nearby & could pop over just once or twice in week to come.

@HerFlowersToLove

I think in an emergency situation for 10 days is a slightly different scenario to the criteria we'd probably all use for picking a permanent dog walker. We took a lot of care when we used one, just like you, but a neighbour also walked out dogs many times. She'd had dogs all her life, was really good with them and most importantly, loved our dogs.

I'm a professional walker myself so I guess I'm very picky

But I've seen so many hobby walkers/owners who just let their dogs run riot and have no control over them. They wander along with headphones in or staring at their phone.

Even in an emergency situation, I'd not send mine out with someone who wasn't insured (unless they were a trusted family member). It only takes seconds for a dog to bolt, slip a lead or for a fight to break out.

Many people are more relaxed about insurance, tbf.

Yep, and this is a huge part of the problem. I'm coming at this from the viewpoint of a professional walker.

Dog walking is still seen as a hobby job. In England, insurance is not mandatory. Neither is training, qualifications or any kind of knowledge of dogs. That scares me. I don't want to send my dog out with someone who has no insurance and no knowledge of dog behaviour or canine first aid. I want him to be in the best hands possible - he means the world to me.

Volunteers having insurance also doesn't mean they have knowledge. Do they know about dog body language? Do they know about canine first aid? Would they know how to break up a dog fight? Would they be able to protect my dog if it was approached by an off-lead, aggressive dog?

Hope you’re ok op
If you’re managing then you can do other stuff with pup to keep him/her going mental stimulation is good too, I’ve not been very well so during the day when I’ve not been able to walk him I do scatter food, hide and seek, lots of training and mental games. However he does get a walk later on when my son is home. Did manage for a few days without though and was fine it’s not long term it’s just hard just now. Hope you find someone who can help you,

I'm a professional dog walker and carer, fully insured, pet first aid certificate etc etc... We joined our local volunteer group as the specialist dog walkers when this all kicked off, thankfully I've only had to look after four altogether since April. We've got loads of protocols for reducing contact risk to a minimum, @vanillandhoney has described some of them upthread. As a volunteer I do not bill for people who are self isolating or positive - although a contribution towards fuel costs is much appreciated.

And yy @vanillandhoney I absolutely agree, it's far too easy for anyone to advertise themselves as a dog walker. Same with behaviourists, trainers, groomers... I think about the only part of the 'dog industry' that is properly regulated are the vets. The whole approach to companion animal ownership and care needs root and branch reform in my opinion.

Any of us could end up suddenly in hospital at any time. It doesn't have to be covid. Could be a stroke, accident at home or car accident. Need to have strategy for who would look after our pets if suddenly we can't.

@QueenOfLabradors

And yy *@vanillandhoney* I absolutely agree, it's far too easy for anyone to advertise themselves as a dog walker. Same with behaviourists, trainers, groomers... I think about the only part of the 'dog industry' that is properly regulated are the vets. The whole approach to companion animal ownership and care needs root and branch reform in my opinion.

Couldn't agree more @QueenOfLabradors.

I've seen so many walkers who just shove a bunch of dogs in the back of a van, take them to a field and let them run riot. No thought to socialisation, manners, who gets on with who - just "easy money" - 10 dogs at £10 an hour is £100. Pretty easy pay

Whereas those of us who do it properly (think of the right pairings, walk reactive or nervous dogs on their own, take the dogs to new and interesting places) etc. work much harder and often earn much less - it's bonkers.

But I'd rather earn less and have happy dogs :)

By the time I've been forced to continue working in a public-facing role, just so I can keep over a roof over my head, a spot of dog walking will be irrelevant.

However -

ps: I imagine if your dog bites nearest person when they see a motorbike then you walk them with muzzle on anyway, no?

No, because we've now done a lot of training, and he's now largely got past redirecting bites onto my lower legs. However, that relies on
a) the fact that DDog trusts me
b) total and utter fucking consistency with words, tone, treats, and walking away from the trigger wherever possible
c) me remaining completely calm when he does kick off
d) me having a sixth sense for when he's in a grumpy mood and is more likely to kick off

Essentially - I can head off problems at the pass. A well meaning volunteer can't.

there is a lot of dog-walking at midnight type times from what I hear. I'm not telling you to do it, but it's not posing a risk to anyone so can't be bothered to worry about it happening, either.

Unfortunately I live in a distinctly rough inner city area, and I'm not going to take risks with my personal safety by walking DDog late at night. I'm starting to lose count of how many stabbings we've had within a mile in the last fortnight (it's at least 3), drug dealing is both open and rife in the area immediately around my home (I'm on nodding terms with the local dealers, but you can imagine the types it attracts), and the council is fond of putting homeless shelters, probation hostels, 'street drugs projects' (one of each within 200m of my home, and more beyond) and suchlike in the area.

Midnight dog walking is just not safe here.

Any of us could end up suddenly in hospital at any time. It doesn't have to be covid. Could be a stroke, accident at home or car accident. Need to have strategy for who would look after our pets if suddenly we can't.

I have a strategy - but that strategy has been wiped out by COVID
a) DF to help - but he lives in a tier 3 area, and it's now illegal for him to visit
b) Professional dog walker to take DDog out - but this is no longer financially possible due to what's happened to me this year, and the lack of financial support for self isolation.
c) At a push, DP to take DDog out for walks (we don't live together), but if one of us gets COVID then the other is going to be told to self isolate.

Either self isolation is important enough for the government to provide full support to enable it, or it's not important enough for me to put myself into further financial difficulties and simultaneously compromise animal welfare. They can't have it both ways.

@lljkk

Any of us could end up suddenly in hospital at any time. It doesn't have to be covid. Could be a stroke, accident at home or car accident. Need to have strategy for who would look after our pets if suddenly we can't.

A lot of those strategies aren't allowed under COVID restrictions though. It's all very well having plans in place but they don't help if your relative or dog walker or friend is in tier 3 or isolating themselves.

Our local boarding kennels will collect dogs if owner has Covid and is too ill to look after them.
I know kennels aren't ideal but reassuring to know it's a possibility if there's no one else who can help.

Have you thought about "Borrow my Doggy"? Basically it links dog owners up with people who would like a dog but can't have one, who are able to walk.your dog for you.
One of my friends is an experienced dog owner but when her most recent dog died aged 14 she decided against the commitment of another one. However she misses having a dog so she was linked up with an elderly gentleman who can't always walk his dog due to health reasons. He lives in the same village so she got to know his dog, and it works really well for both of them and for the dog.