How did you find your dog walker?

[Natasha]

I'm working on a new business designed to better connect consumers with service providers (qualified and the best representation between better, faster, and cheaper - depending upon the particular needs of the service seeker).

I'm wondering if you would share the steps that you took to find your dog walker.  My story:  Rouser was about 4 months old and my husband was headed out on a two week business trip.  I was recovering from vertigo and - one thing led to another - and I fell and hurt my foot. Badly. The doctor put me in a walking boot and told me that for at least a month, I was to only walk around when absolutely necessary.

OMG - my husband leaves today for two weeks and I have a 4 month old dog that needs to walk at least once, if not twice, a day. I will be honest, trying to find a dog walker (that I liked) was far more difficult than I could have ever imagined and we went through three.

So, a few questions:

-How did you find your walker? Where did you go and how did you know if they were reliable, actually met your criteria, etc?

-Were prices in your area consistent or all over the map?  Did you feel the prices were what you would expect, lower, or higher?

-Did you have a good idea what you were looking for in terms of times per day/week and length of walk so that you could have created an "I'm looking for..." type ad quickly and easily?

-Were there special skills that you were looking for (would take your dog to a dog park with other dogs or would only walk your dog)?

-Were credentials important to you and, if so, what (like BBB, licensed, bonded, graduate from a special program, etc.)

-Were there special skills or experience you were looking for (eg CPR certified, former vet tech, etc.)?

Thanks for your help!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I googled dog walker in our area and mine popped up. I had her come for an interview and liked her very much. We did a trial run and it all worked out. Basically, I watched how she was with Honey (our older rescued dog) and told her what I was looking for.......specifically, someone that would take Honey over to her house and dogsit her there. She suffered from severe separation anxiety. Our dog walker was willing to do this, pick her up, and return her to the house for $20/day. She was just starting her business and I had never used a pet sitter, so we were kind of in the same boat. She now watches Fudge and Vern and I am blessed to have found her on the Internet. She has lots of credentials, but when she comes to the door, Fudge and Vern are almost spastic when they see her and get in her car and never look back. Worth every penny!!

[Debbie and Thomas]

I got lucky...our dog trainer at puupy obedience classes has a husband who walks dogs. He is fantastic and Thomas adores him. They board too for like 20.00 bucks a night. It is the greatest contact.

[Eva (Lilo and Rocky)]

by personal reference... which is also how I found my doctor, dentist and lawyer. Nothing beats having someone recommended by a person you trust.

[Marianne *OZZY & ZOEY]

I needed to find someone to run with Ozzy at the park and wear him out...LOL My husband walks Ozzy and I can't since I had my surgery...I do have a 17year old daughter and I am very active in the High School, ( I know all the kids) Most of them have to do community service hours to graduate but, I just asked the counsler for someone strong and got an honor student that I know and plays football. They are good for each other too...
Try your local high school.

[Diane and Alma]

I asked my vet if they knew anyone. It just happens that they have a technician that walks dogs. I already knew her and so did Alma. I also feel comfortable knowing that she has lots of experience with dogs. We also found our dog trainer the same way.

[Natasha]

I have found that vet techs do a lot of work on the side (whether it's dog walking or overnights, etc.) which seems like such a great fit! Nice knowing that they know what to do if there is a problem.