Being away from home all day to work doesn’t mean your four-legged friend needs to be all alone. In today’s Angie’s List report, we’ll hear about dog-walking services.
Getting out and about is more than just giving your dog some love and attention, but seeing to their health.
“Experts say it’s really important for dogs to get regular exercise to prevent developing health problems later in life. The key is consistent exercise to let them lead a healthy, long life,” Angie Hicks, Angie’s List Founder, said.
David Hayber, owner of Happy Pants dog walking company, says the key to hiring a good dog walker is to judge their love of dogs.
“Anytime I meet someone I surround them by other dogs and see how they react to the dog and the natural sort of interaction they have, that’s a key component, also being very responsible and professional,” Hayber said.
Dog walkers help give your canine companion the proper attention when you can’t be around.
“It’s a good idea to hire a dog walker if you’re going to be away from home for more than 8 to 10 hours a day,” Hicks said.
In many cases, a dog walking service will attend to other small details as well.
“They’ll go out of their way to kind of help out with anything they need around the house, like administering medicines to the gods, certainly feeding and taking in mail,” Hayber said.
A dog walking service doesn’t need to be expensive, either.
“You can expect to pay about 15 to 20 dollars for a 20 minute walk, but be sure to ask your dog walker for discounts if you’re a regular customer,” Hicks said.
Many veterinarians keep lists of reliable dog walkers in their area. Angie also says to be sure you hire a dog walker who’s bonded and insured, which will cover you in the event of an accident.