Would you let a dog walker walk your dog?

[zoomer]

If a child came to your house and told you s/he was doing dog walking, would you let him/her walk your dog? What is s/he stole your dog? What is something happened to your dog? What would you do?

[Kfamr]

I wouldn't trust a complete stranger, let alone a kid, walk my dog. My trust isn't that easily given, especially when it comes to my dogs.

For the first time - last night I let my brother take Kiara for a ride.


*edited to add*
I HAVE let my co-worker's daughter walk Kiara, but I was right behind them the whole time.

[chocolatepuppy]

No, I wouldn't let anyone walk my dogs. My dogs are both special needs anyways, so I wouldn't trust anyone with them.

[elizabethann]

[QUOTE=Kfamr]I wouldn't trust a complete stranger, let alone a kid, walk my dog. My trust isn't that easily given, especially when it comes to my dogs.
QUOTE]

I feel the same way. I trust only one person to take care of Fenway and that's my Sister. However, she had to earn that trust since the first time she babysat him (while I was in NC), he almost died because he had an absess that she didn't know about (she thought he was depressed and missed me). I can tell you she was devastated and I knew she would never let anything happen to him again.

[luvofallhorses]

I wouldn't trust a complete stranger, let alone a kid, walk my dog. My trust isn't that easily given, especially when it comes to my dogs.

Ditto. I don't think I would want someone I don't know to walk my dogs..I'd rather walk them myself to be on the safe side.

[Alysser]

I only trust certain people walking Sassy. I would never never ever let ANYONE just off the street walk my dog. EVER! Of course, even with the people I trust I am usually there supervising or not far away.

[wolf_Q]

No way. If Nebo got loose he'd just run off, huskies are normally not trustworthy off leash. I can give him the "come" command which he's good at obeying (in the fenced yard, I don't even try him off leash) but he would not listen to somebody else (he usually won't even do it for my parents). Not to mention he can be quite skittish around strangers.

[zoomer]

Reading all these I don't think I want to do dog walking this summer

[Pembroke_Corgi]

Well, I wouldn't let a child walk my dogs because I'd be worried they couldn't control them, especially Adele who chases rabbits and squirrels on our walks. I also wouldn't trust a stranger either, but if I were gone a lot or didn't have time to give my dogs proper exercise I would employ a dog walking service. Luckily my mom is in town, and I trust her completely with my dogs when I go away.

[ParNone]

Somebody just coming by knocking on my door asking to walk my dogs. Nope wouldn't do it. It's annoying and doesn't say responsible and professional to me.

If I wanted to be a dog walker and I was a kid, what I would do is first is build up some clientele with very close neighbors or friends. Try your parent's friends too. That's how I got babysitting jobs. After you do that and have a lil' experience and good references:

Build a website. Make it look professional. Give your rates, services, references, dog experience and how to get in touch with you. Show pictures of you walking different dogs. Maybe some of you getting them to "sit" or "down". Just make sure in all the pictures that you look in control and the dog looks happy.

Then put together flyers or business cards, about your dog walking business. Make sure to point to your website and have a contact phone number. Then go around to pet stores, grooming shops and vet clinics and see if they'll let you put up your flyer/card. Or if you just want neighborhood dogs and they'll allow it, put the flyers on people's door. I've hired my lawn guy and my pest control guy through flyers.

Someone who went to that much trouble, I would very well consider.

Par...

[king2005]

With my old dog I only trusted 1 kid to walk him. She was in an abusive enviroment & her dogs were too old & sick to be walked far. We knew it would help her if she walked him & it did. She would even babysit him for a weekend or a week & sleep on our couch so he wouldn't be alone. She was also safe from her father when she was at our place & with Max. So we saw her a lot until she was old enough to move out on her own.

When Max was 6months old, we took him on a family trip to PEI. Next to our camper & tents was an old camper & 2 young teen girls (if they were even 13). My dad saw them pouting & pacing about for a few hours & he couldn't stand it anymore. He invited them over to play with our puppy. Then he asked them to take him for a walk around the campground. It was 6pm when they returned with him (we could see them the whole time) & their parents still didn't return. So we invited them for dinner & they stayed until very late as their folks still hadn't returned.

So ya, it really depends on the kids & the dog.

[zoomer]

I read all of the replies and they are very interesting. I think after thinking about what Par said I am going to do that.

[cocker_luva]

if i knew the kid, sure. but not a stranger, i mean, jesse is gonna be 12 this year! thats pretty old, even thou she could fool you about her age.