Dog walker/daycare horror stories

[baileysworkworld]

There is no real guidelines or vetting procedure for dog walkers. In theory, anyone can say they are a dog walker and charge some one to take a dog out.

I have heard some real horror stories, like dogs being forgotten about, the owner arranges for a dog to go out 4 times a week, come the 4th day, when the owners gets home, the money that they left is still sitting on the counter. When they contacted the company, they just said 'sorry, forgot'.

Local to me there is a day care company run by a guy who would take out a large group of dogs to our local park. (I don't have a problem with that, I'd do it but I feel that taking 6 out at a time as I do is enough in a large public place) A client of mine once found a large malamute wandering around and seemed lost so as the dog was following her and her dog, she started to take him around, trying to find the owner. Coming across this guy with 10 plus dogs standing around a pond, she asked if he knew this dog. He looked it up and down, looked around then said 'yeah, could be one of mine!' She'd been with it for over 1/2 hour!

I find that unacceptable behaviour. I may have dogs who are out of sight, following sniffs r chasing squirrels, but I know which are on a walk with me and which ones are fine to be out of sight and the ones who never go far. I strongly believe in one of the 5 freedoms that dogs must display natural behaviour so my dog taking 2 others off around a small wood for a play hunt while I walk the other way round with the other 3 is fine by me. They come back when called and know where I am so always appear at a certain point.

Not even knowing if a dog is in your group Is unbelievable. It gives people who do a really good job a bad name.

I could go on, not just about walkers, but about day care companies and boarding kennels as well.

Maybe we should start a horror story thread!!!!!

[Adrianne]

... I have a friend who is a dog walker .. she is insured, police checked , has a council license to home board etc...she once (a long time ago) had two westies on her books on the same day ...put the wrong one in the wrong house and had already posted the keys back ! ooops!

[Kimmikins]

When we lived near Reading, Tim was on his way home from a night shift and as he got off at our motorway junction he saw a large white dog running along the sliproad. Thank god nobody was behind him, because he stopped and backed up to where he'd seen it running around. The dog was friendly, and came bounding over to him when he called for it and he got it to jump into his boot.

He called the number on the dog's tag and got hold of her owner...who hadn't a clue her dog was missing! The dog was with a walker and had gotten away, and been roaming around for half an hour!! The owner came to meet Tim and collect Anushka, her white husky...and insisted he take a money for his efforts. Tim refused, saying he was doing what he hoped somebody would do for us, and she replied with "but today that's not as likely" and kept insisting he buy himself some beer or chocolate or anything as a thank you.

I don't know if the walker had been looking but had wanted to find her before informing the owner or what...

Which raises and interesting question - would you rather be told straight away if your dog runs away from the dog walker? Or be told after they're found?

[baileysworkworld]

I put my collars with my tags on most of my dogs, especially new ones.

TO date I have lost 5 dogs, but all were found quickly. I have had dogs who chase after things and go out of sight. Bailey will chase a scent over 2 fields, and some of the others always stay with him.

When I say I have lost dogs, those are the only times I have actually paniced and thought, thats it, they have gone, gone. Other times they may not be with me, but I know those dogs will come back, and I am not worried.

One dog, a choc lab (need I say more) went through a hedge to say HI!!! to the dog the other side. That owner, grabbed him, put him on a lead, rang the number on the collar (it was after this that I started using my collars and tags!) and walked away. By the time the owner was contacted - who was in Morocco - who had rang his wife, in england who had rang me, the person had walked the dog to the other side of the park, and it took me 45 mins to get over there and get him back, not to mention I'd been searching for him all that time, taken the other dogs back to the van and was going mad with worry.

If they had called my number, I would have got him back in about 10 mins!!!

Hence, I now have my number and my details on most dogs I take out!

[Kimmikins]

That's a really good idea, and makes practical sense when you think about it! I think it was more that this dog had been gone for half an hour and had made it to the motorway without the owner knowing. The whole time there was no sign of the walker (Tim drove far enough to get off the motorway, but close to where he found the dog), even when the owner came to collect her there was still no sign, it was the owner calling as she drove to meet Tim that the walker told her the dog had run off half an hour before.

[kristina]

I used to live near Reading too Kimmikins about 2 miles from junction 11 M4 the Madejski Stadium turn off thats a very busy motorway but surrounded by lovely walks within half a mile either side of it.That would be 1 very lucky dog that your Tim picked up and if I had owned her and put her in the hands of some one I was paying to look after her trust me I would be 1 very angry lady.Kristina

[Kimmikins]

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure all dog walkers have had dogs do a runner and be a real pickle to find, but I'd hope that after a little while they'd let the owner know! Even if it's "I've got it covered, we're going to find them", but I'd want a call all the same. I'd want to join the search for starters! I'd never forgive myself if I sat at work while the dog walker went searching for my runaway dog.

We were off J10 of the M4, down towards Bracknell way. I was born in Reading, in the Royal Berks, and my grandparents and aunts still live there.

[baileysworkworld]

I have never had a dog be gone for more than about 20 mins and have been about to call the owner when I've found them (or they've found me!). The only time I have called an owner was when a old lab went missing but he had been gone about 10 mins.

He was very doddery and just pootled along sniffing ever blade of grass he could find. I used to have to walk round corners out of sight as that would encourage him to keep up with the others. One day he was keeping up well and we were walking along a wooded river path. I went around the corner, waited, waited, waited! Then went back and he had disappeared! I went back along the path. Went back to where I waited, no sign. A big, slow yellow lab in a sparsely leafed area! NO SIGN.

At that point I rang his owner and said I'd misplaced him!! - my actual words!

She laughed and said how could I have lost him! He never went anywhere. I think that is why I was so worried.

It had just started to rain and she said he may have gone back to the van as he wasn't keen on the rain. I was on my way back at this point. I got back to the van and he was nowhere to be seen. I put the other dogs in and was about to go back to look when his owner turned up - she was on her lunch break and she said she couldn't sit around waiting for me to ring.

One of the main worries - it never crossed our mind that he'd have gone in the river - was that he lived on the other side of the park and if lost, could have quiet easily found his way home, not crossing busy roads, but would have made a bee line that way.

So we went back, I went along the river and she went up in to the fields towards her home. Just as I got on the path, there he was plodding along the river towards me. I rang her and she ran down, we were so pleased to see him, but he wasn't fussed, I don't even think he knew he was lost!!!

We think that when I went around the corner, he had somehow slipped in front of me and then followed the path which went in a small circle. He then just walked along there while I was going up and down then back along the river.

His owner was so thankful that I'd found him, I had to keep reminding her that it was me that lost him in the first place. But I still stand be my first assessment - I had misplaced him, Not lost him!

[baileysworkworld]

I have had people ring me and tell me some really shocking things.

One company that is near me had a dog that was there for a day or 2. When the owners went to pick him up, he had a muzzle imprint around his face (you know what I mean, where the muzzle has left a clear mark on the dog - possible from being too tight but that is another story!).

This was a very sweet Beagle and the owners had not been informed that the dog needed muzzling. When questioned, the person said the dog had been muzzled because it BARKED!

Firstly, a correctly fitted muzzle should not stop a dog barking,

And secondly, and from my point of view, very very relevant, if the dog was barking and the people were not able to stop it, how the hell are they running a successful day care service.

MY dogs are in my house, crashed out because they are well exercised and socialised (the occasional newbi may bark a little when left alone), or they may be playing and having a noisy time of it, but If I think it may be getting too much or out of hand, I am able to control the situation so they all calm down and chill.

The point of day care is not to let the dogs run riot and be out of control. The point is to ensure they are happy, trained, learning life skills and social manners. And try to let them run out and burn off when needed!!

All my dogs go home happy and tired so I feel I am doing something right.

[Kimmikins]

If somebody muzzled my dog because they barked there'd be hell to pay! It doesn't take much to wear out my dogs and they're out for the count - to me, if a dog hasn't settled then the people running the day care aren't cut out for the job.

If a dog doesn't "mesh" with the other dogs in your care, would you consider it your duty of care to suggest an alternative day care for them?

[Dani]

I have laughed out loud reading these posts you know   wrong dog put in house including keys and lab lost ,omg I nearly laughed tears here 



On a serious note,if I would put my boy into daycare  . . . . I would expect a call right away should anything go wrong to be honest . ... I would be every dog walkers worst nightmare,dont think anybody would want my custom to be honest as I would text them until they would be blue in the face about how my precious darling is doing    . . . . . muzzled because of barking hmmmmmmmmmm now that can only mean that that was a muzzle this dog could not drink with either right ? Hence no panting and if he/she would ve had to be sick,well god knows !!! I would go wild . . . . .  dog walker  . . . . . 


That  is why you are fully booked and have to turn business away Lizz,because you know what you re doing and are fantastic with all of your dogs 

(keep those stories coming,have just about stopped giggling   )

[baileysworkworld]

Jan 30, 2014 17:22:00 GMT Kimmikins said:

If a dog doesn't "mesh" with the other dogs in your care, would you consider it your duty of care to suggest an alternative day care for them?

Abso-bloody-loutly.

I had a cocker Spaniel pup come to me last year. He started coming at 12 weeks (even before fully vaccinated), and I had him up to about 9 months. Right from he start he was a bit of a handful, very difficult to settle, very bolshie with the other dogs, would steal and hoard toys in the house and was funny with other dogs getting in and out of the van.

I have had lots of puppies come here, many from a similar age. Usually the younger the better. Puppies are tiring but easy if you get them in a secure routine. I also have a number of Cocker Spaniels as clients so it wasn't the usual 'oh but spaniels are just mad aren't they?' thing!

This guy just did not fit in. I waited til after he was castrated to see if that helped, it didn't make a difference, if anything he got worse.

I really struggled for ages to make the decision to not have him any more. I felt like I had failed and that it was somehow my fault that he was the way he was. His owners (first timers), thought he was fab and I think when he was on his own, away from other dogs, he was fine - it was more of a issue with him and the pack as a whole, my dogs were very tolerant with him, even though they clearly didn't feel comfortable with him and didn't really put him in his place, they left it to me and me and him clashed. 

Funnily enough he was fine on walks, good recall, fine meeting other dogs on and off lead etc. I spoke to a few friends about him and every reply I got was 'oh, but he is so cute!' my reply got automatic 'if all my dogs were ugly but well behaved I would love it, i'd rather have funny looking good dogs than cute bad ones!!'

I was about to go away for 2 weeks and the owners asked me to arrange alternative care for him while I was away. I spoke to a lady who I know and trust who runs a similar business, she is also no longer taking on new clients. She is a qualified behaviourist and I explained the issues I was having, She agreed to have him while I was away and Also, if all went ok, to take over his care for me.

I then invited the owner on a walk and was able to voice my concerns while he was clearly showing the behaviour I was concerned about. He would just mooch along with us but when any dogs ran past or came too close he would snarl, growl and chase them away. Also, getting the dogs in and out of the van, he would 'go for' the dogs jumping in and out of the van, whether he was in or out. His owner was understanding of the problem and I was in a win win situation. If my friend had no problem, and took him on, I wouldn't have to deal with him and he was probably in a better situation. If she had problems and told the owners, it would only confirm what I thought and saw.

When I came back from holiday I contacted the owner to see how they were getting on. She said 'he is getting on fine, Tasha is having no problems with him, he's doing great. Thanks for all your help.'

I then contacted my friend who said 'Well, he's a little Mr isn't he. My 2 older bitches had to put him in his place, more then once, big time. Now he is getting better!'

I now strongly feel that my dogs were just far to tolerant and let him get away with far too much.

I'm sure Adrianne can point out loads of stuff I did wrong!!!!!!!!!!!

By The Way. He went to the other care provider on the understanding that I would have him back if she ever goes on holiday.


He is coming back in a week or so to stay for about 5 days straight!!!!!    Watch this space!


:

[baileysworkworld]

Just to say, there haven't been many dogs I haven't gelled with. There are the odd ones who have come for boarding once or twice and not come again for a while. Then I got too full to take on dogs that weren't coming on a regular basis.

I think it is equally important to have a good relationship with the clients. I have a few clients who I don't get on with brilliantly. Pity, because they usually have nice dogs. I have other clients who have (trying to be nice) not the nicest/easiest dogs, but as we have a good client/worker relationship, I will really go out of my way to help them out!

[Adrianne]

Little b hadn't been socialised adequately enough..throwing them into a group of of other dogs doesn't constitute socialisation, sounds like he came from a litter where the pups had maybe eaten from the same large bowl - left his mum too soon or had very few littermates...this is the trouble vets give owners by telling them not to put puppies down until after the jabs...the fallout of that affects far more pups than the chance of catching anything ever would.
socialisation should be gentle and each new thing should be positive, that said..a telling off from an older wiser female (clip around the ear from your granny) does pups the world of good - before adolescence they take notice and very quickly learn to wait a moment before diving in ...in this pups case the inappropriate behaviour sounds to have come from fears of not understanding the intentions of other dogs..he hasn't learned to 'predict' good old fashioned inexperience.
or as I call it 'inexperience in 5th gear'

I didn't gell with a dog just before xmas...I told my groomer and she was shocked - she had never heard me say that before - it hardly ever happens...as it turned out he had some severe medical conditions.. our own animal instincts should be listened to - work out what it is you don't like and find out what is causing it.

[Kimmikins]

Feb 1, 2014 7:29:57 GMT Adrianne said:

Little b hadn't been socialised adequately enough..throwing them into a group of of other dogs doesn't constitute socialisation, sounds like he came from a litter where the pups had maybe eaten from the same large bowl - left his mum too soon or had very few littermates...

Why does eating from the same large bowl impact a young puppy? Leaving mum too soon or having few littermates I understand, but not the bowl?