"Borrow My Doggy" experiences

Meow_35

Just wondering has anyone recently registered with Borrow My Doggy or does anyone have any experiences they could share?

my husband and I have a chocolate labrador and are considering registering on this in order to find someone interested in walking her during the day when we're in work. We'd love to have a companion for her but we rent and already have 3 cats as well so just can't get a 2nd dog until we buy our own place so I thought this service would be perfect. Might even find someone that also has a dog and she could make a friend. We walk her twice a day and bring her to the beach every weekend but she's bored during the day when we're in work and I'd love to have her walked once a day when wer'e not there.

Any feedback much appreciated...:-)

cocker5

OP,


Im going to have to be honest and say while I think it’s a lovelyidea personally it wouldn’t be for me.

What if the person lost your dog while out walking? Or hegot knocked down… who would be responsible?

I would prefer to get / pay for a dog walker as a business transactionwhere I would have some come back if anything happened to my guy. And have donein the past.


But that’s just me.


Have you looked up doggie day care or a dog walking company?

Tranceypoo

Also, isn't 'borrow my dog' a UK website? Didn't think it was available here?

I agree with Cocker, lovely idea but in reality too much could go wrong, how are the people 'borrowing your dog' vetted? Are they insured?

Not for me, look into doggie day care.

tk123

I'd be too picky myself and even with a dog walker I'd want some level of qualification!

FlowerGarden

I'm currently considering this service too, I'm sure if you meet the person first and both agree on what you're comfortable with it could work. For example I would stipulate that the dog stays on the lead all the time.

cocker5

FlowerGarden wrote: »

I'm currently considering this service too, I'm sure if you meet the person first and both agree on what you're comfortable with it could work. For example I would stipulate that the dog stays on the lead all the time.

Yes you could arrange this no problem... BUT its a very wishey washey arrangement, as its not an business transaction there would still be no come back.

Can you trust the person actually likes dogs?

What happens if you dog get hurt / stolen / lost while in their care?

how are these people vetted?? Ireland is RIFE with dogs being robbed for dog fight baiting, puppy farming etc - how can you be sure they haven't set up a profile to go around robbing dogs. Sounds Outrageous but its a huge possibility

Honestly OP don't risk your dog.. either keep him safe at him where he currently is or look at doggie day care or a professional dog walker etc. They wont have other dogs UNLESS they are fully vaccinated and neutered etc... which is a consideration also.

I wouldn't trust just anyone to look after my dog, regardless of who they are.

FlowerGarden

I have used and paid for both professional dog walking and doggy day care. One time my dog was lost by the dog walker and very luckily found within an hour. She takes about six dogs walking at one time and they go off lead. Seems like my little one got distracted and wasn't noticed missing. Also I found doggy day care quite stressful for my dogs but think some dogs probably love it. Any of these services are €10-€15 a go which equates to at least €250 a month if you use them 5 days a week. If I can find a dog walker that I trust who takes one dog on a lead I think it could be great.

cocker5

FlowerGarden wrote: »

I have used and paid for both professional dog walking and doggy day care. One time my dog was lost by the dog walker and very luckily found within an hour. She takes about six dogs walking at one time and they go off lead. Seems like my little one got distracted and wasn't noticed missing. Also I found doggy day care quite stressful for my dogs but think some dogs probably love it. Any of these services are €10-€15 a go which equates to at least €250 a month if you use them 5 days a week. If I can find a dog walker that I trust who takes one dog on a lead I think it could be great.

Im sorry you haven't had good experiences... was your dog walker a local person or a professional one?

I used one for 3 years twice a week for my guy when he was younger and not ONCE was he lost or anything.

My concern its because it a "free" service you have NO comeback

and you didn't make any reference to dog getting stolen for dog fight baiting etc.. this is a MASSIVE problem in Ireland at present

im sorry but im not going to risk my dog's safety or his well being for a free dog walk. But that's just me he's worth more to me than that.

kylith

I agree with everything Cocker5 has said, you don't know these people, they could easily be dog thieves, they're not going to be insured or vetted at all. You'd be better off bunging a neighbour a fiver to walk your dog, at least you know where they live.

frenchmartini

I'm the only one who I trust with my beloved dog �� Not even family and Not close friends. I agree, way too much could go wrong.

DBB

Whilst I do trust family and some friends with my dogs, there is nothing in the world that could make me use a service like this... Not a chance of it!

LouBeanie

I signed up to this website as a 'borrower'. I thought it would be a great idea to help someone local to exercise/socialize their dog, and from a personal POV, I miss having a doggy around and I would happily do this for free. Now that I read some owner's opinions about the site, I'm not surprised nothing came of it!! The idea of 'borrow my doggy' is good in theory but I guess people can't trust borrowers (despite me being verified, insured and certified :-()....it's a pity the harm a few unscrupulous individuals in society can do!

DBB

Are you referring to comments made here LouBeanie?

cocker5

LouBeanie wrote: »

I signed up to this website as a 'borrower'. I thought it would be a great idea to help someone local to exercise/socialize their dog, and from a personal POV, I miss having a doggy around and I would happily do this for free. Now that I read some owner's opinions about the site, I'm not surprised nothing came of it!! The idea of 'borrow my doggy' is good in theory but I guess people can't trust borrowers (despite me being verified, insured and certified :-()....it's a pity the harm a few unscrupulous individuals in society can do!

Probably a stupid question.. But do you mind if I ask you mentioned your verified, insured and certified... In what way?

Also I just wanted to point out its not just a few unscrupulous people.. In Ireland moment we have a huge problem with dogs being robbed from back gardens, being robbed from people while they are out walking, people trolling the likes of dondeal and adverts taking dogs 'free to go home' posing a decent people, taking the dogs and passing then straight over for to scumbags for dog fight baiting .. Puppy farming and God knows what else. I'm Not scaremongering its a fact of modern Ireland.... Our levels of animal abuse has shamefully reached an all time high!

DBB

Cocker5,
From their website, there is a verification process that each party goes through, which seems to consist of information exchange, verification of personal details, meeting up with one another.
The dog is insured for 3rd party liability (which is nice, but not good enough for me.... Presumably if my dog gets lost, injured etc, my dog's not covered.)
I'm not sure what the certification is... Maybe LouBeanie can explain that. But if it means self-certification from the organisation, I'd very much like to know more about who's behind it, and why I should take solace from their certification system. Their website is pretty vague about who they actually are.
I'm not knocking anyone who wishes to use it. It's just 100% not for me. It might be a failing on my part, but I have a very limited set of people that I trust with my dogs!

cocker5

DBB wrote: »

Cocker5,
From their website, there is a verification process that each party goes through, which seems to consist of information exchange, verification of personal details, meeting up with one another.
The dog is insured for 3rd party liability (which is nice, but not good enough for me.... Presumably if my dog gets lost, injured etc, my dog's not covered.)
I'm not sure what the certification is... Maybe LouBeanie can explain that. But if it means self-certification from the organisation, I'd very much like to know more about who's behind it, and why I should take solace from their certification system. Their website is pretty vague about who they actually are.
I'm not knocking anyone who wishes to use it. It's just 100% not for me. It might be a failing on my part, but I have a very limited set of people that I trust with my dogs!

Im with you 100% DBB - my nerves would be on edge and for me (only me) its not worth the risk of something happening to my dog etc. I only trust 3 people with my guy and even at that i still worry

ID verification... unless its garda vetted etc - im still a little sceptical I suppose....[/FONT]

LouBeanie

DBB wrote: »

Are you referring to comments made here LouBeanie?

I hope no hard feelings, but partially yes and this would explain the lack of interest and feedback I've gotten on the site. People can't trust 'borrowers'.

Cocker5: I meant verified by the site including address, photo (driving license) and video verification. Insured (third party) by borrow my doggy, and I have a personal canine first responder cert which is displayed. And I absolutely agree with you Cocker5, the amount of thefts, abuse and puppy farming etc etc, is deplorable, never been as bad. I don't blame owners for being mistrustful.
I guess it is my own naivety that made me join, especially as I am a genuine dog-lover and I now see how some individuals could use it in a negative way.

DBB

I think one of the problems is that the verification isn't all that robust, from the point of view of, what happens if something goes wrong due to the negligence of the borrower... What penalty does the borrower incur? What vested interest does the borrower have to make sure nothing goes wrong on their watch?
It seems to me that the borrower can walk away from any mess they make, leaving Borrow my Doggy's insurers and the owner to clean up the mess, whilst the borrower pays no penalty?
Is there even a code of conduct that borrowers have to sign up to? A deposit that they lose if they mess people around?
I'm afraid, having worked in the industry for years, I've met the best people and the worst people... And some of the worst people have been fooling people for years with a facade of great care for their animals... But it turned out to be only a facade. I've just met too many of these to be prepared to trust a virtual stranger with my dogs, rather than someone I've known and trusted for years.
Whilst this seems a great idea on paper, sometimes these things can't work in reality because people can be very cruel, and untrustworthy... Sites such as this can't/don't do enough to allay the fears I would have. But each to their own. There might be hundreds or thousands of owners out there who disagree with me, that's fine. It's just not for me.

VonVix

I was actually amazed how many dogs I know on that website.

I don't know if the question has been posed yet, but what if it's a restricted breed? There is one dog in particular I am quite familiar with on that site and he is a mix of two restricted breeds. Is there any mention when it comes to a borrower handling a restricted breed? What if they get caught out without muzzling their dog, etc.?

Prezatch

An old thread but I'm interested to see if more people have gotten involved in the last 3 years with using this and what their experiences are. I'm considering it for my pooch

Daisy78

I signed up to this website as a borrower but never actually followed through with matching up with a dog owner, for exactly the reasons outlined here. I was renting at the time so owning a dog was out of the question, this was the next best thing. I guess I had reservations about taking on responsibility for another person's pet, what if the dog disappeared or got hurt? It sounded good in theory but not in practice!

I'm hoping to get a dog later in the year and am looking into pet sitters/ dog walkers who will call to your house. As someone else mentioned they are running a business and the onus is on them to make sure your pet is looked after. I'd rather pay for this arrangement than take my chance with someone who hasn't vested interest in your dog.

Dubl07

I was tempted by the idea of like-minded people who couldn't keep a dog of their own taking mine for walks. I joined and put up a profile but didn't pay the fee. When I looked into matters more closely, I decided that friends and neighbours who I know and trust to be dog-lovers are more appropriate for our needs.

frash

Signed up for a year but didn't renew as it was a waste of time.

The first person:
Met them after a few message back & forth
They seemed nice so they took my dog for an hour
Dropped her back and said they'd enjoyed it & would be in touch the following week
Never heard from them again

Another:
Loads of messages back & forward
Even went to WhatsApp to speed things up
Said he'd check with his wife
Heard nothing

Another:
Was thinking about getting a dog & her kids were excited
We arranged to meet
That day my father-in-law was taken to hospital so I had to cancel with 3 or 4 hours notice
She got in a strop & started telling me I'd let her down & her kids were crying
Think she was a nutter

Happened to notice a mother from my kids' school on there so got chatting to her & she was the only one who ever worked out.