Borrow my doggy

[MiriamShepherd]

I have a few questions

Has anyone used them?
Are the borrowers checked in any way?
How can you guarantee your dogs safety with the borrower?

@MiriamShepherd you're right as borrowmydoggy is more for occasional walking or holiday cover than a proper regular arrangement.
Have you checked all the dog walkers in the area - ours is £10 per walk and picks up from the house. He's out for about two hours - tbh we don't really need the service so much now we are wfh, but she's so lovely and reliable and rookiedog enjoys it so much we haven't the heart to cancel. You may be able to negotiate a rate for the walker to have the dog during the day as well.

£10 for two hours sounds really good! When I had a dog walker previously it cost £20 for half an hour, I placed her into doggy day care for £38 a day previously but that would be unaffordable as a student, I’ll shop around, and if I do end up retraining then I suppose I’ll have to save up for the costs of three years of dog walking. She really is my priority in this, I will start looking in to other options. I’m sure borrow my doggy is great but I am worried for my girl going to a stranger no matter how well I get to know them.

£20 for half an hour is extortionate! I charge £12 per hour for solo walks, £8 for half hour walks. Group walks are charged at £10 per dog for an hour, though that's just the walking time - the dogs are generally with me for 90 minutes or so once you factor in travel etc.

I would look around and see what people are charging - ask on local Facebook pages for recommendations and prices and then meet a few local walkers and daycare providers and see what they offer :)

I was a borrower before I got my dog. I’m not sure I’d let anyone walk my dog.

However it’s not a substitute for a paid for dog walker - I actually stopped as found that the person who’s dog I was walking started to take the piss “oh I can’t pick her up so can you drop her back” calling me late notice etc.

I wasn’t there to be at their beck and call - just to take the strain off a bit (she’d not long had a baby and was finding having both a bit of a handful.)

£20 for half an hour - total rip off! I pay £12 for an hour and my dog is walked solo (and I live in a London suburb).

I'm a borrower. The owner has a key safe and I know the alarm code. She took a photo of my driving license when we met.
We all went for a walk together and she told me I can let the dog off. She has other borrowers too.
She lives very near my mum and knows her by sight which I guess is reassuring.
I have my own dog now and yes I would lend her out but she is quite stubborn about whether she wants a walk or not

This thread definitely made me feel more positively about borrow my doggy, however, I also have realised it’s not the route I’m taking. My girl is too precious to me to hand over to a stranger in this way. I am though going to research dog walkers that seem to be more reasonable and begin saving money to have a dog walker throughout my university life. Next step I suppose is applying for uni once I’ve saved enough money.

OP many years ago I made the decision to retrain and go to university as a mature student. This meant planning for about 2 years to work out how to make that happen practically and involved selling things, changing my lifestyle to save to get me through a degree. It is really good that you are thinking about this but don't be put off retraining and all the best and I hope you work out a viable route.

I’m a borrower. We are a family waiting for our own pup and I grew up with responsibility for family dogs. I only borrow one dog on BMD, same day and time every week so there’s consistency for owner and dog. I’m so hyper aware when borrowing that I’m responsible for someone’s precious family member and am extra cautious as a rule. I went for a walk with the owner before my first solo outing so we could talk things through and she could see how interacted with the dog. We have mutual friends/neighbours which helped her feel confident in my trustworthiness. Saying that, I’d definitely have reservations about lending my own dog out on the scheme as I’m sure not everyone is a conscientious borrower, and I’m sure I’d be super protective of my own dog!!

You could try the Cinnamon Trust. They have screened volunteers who walk dogs for people who are no longer able to do it. As you are hoping to retrain in something so publicly useful, they may be able to help. Worth a 'phone call or an email anyway.