Dog sitters professionalism

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sunnyone

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A question for those of you who use dog sitters, or are one please.
If the dog is on a public footpath/cycleway, would you expect the sitter to keep it on a lead?
Would you expect the sitter to carry a mobile phone with them when they do not know the locality well?
 
In regard to keeping the dog on a lead I'd expect the sitter to do as the owner has instructed. I wouldn't let a dog off the lead unless I knew it would come back! I would expect them to have their phone with them if they didn't know the area though.

I used to dog sit for two lovely spaniels and a Pomeranian, who never got walked on the lead because they were walked exclusively on the owner's (extensive) property. But the first week or so, before they really knew me, there would be dogs flying off in all directions while I tried desperately to keep them all together :p
 
depends on the agreement - I would expect to have explicitly said my dog could be off the lead if I was confident the sitter and dog could maange that, and if I hadn't agreed I'd expect the dog to be on the lead.
And yes probably but wouldn't really be that concerned about that- why what has happened?
 
SusieT said:
depends on the agreement - I would expect to have explicitly said my dog could be off the lead if I was confident the sitter and dog could manage that, and if I hadn't agreed I'd expect the dog to be on the lead.
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My original post was assuming this. I completely agree.
 
In reply to SusieT, nothing actually happened but I had a friend staying here in France recently who does dog sitting. She asked if she could walk my dog and as I was considering using her professionally, I let her.
However she had, what can only be described as a tantrum each day about keeping the dog on a lead and taking a phone, which I provided, as using hers would incur roaming charges.
I thought I just wanted to reduce the risks and complications as path can be busy, it is unfenced, and runs alongside roads in places. Dog is lively and likes to lead, not follow when off the lead.
 
Thanks to those of you who replied I feel justified in my request to keep dog on lead. Guess I will be putting dog in kennels if I ever need to, rather than use my ex-friend! Man who runs kennels locally is great so I have no qualms there.
 
there was a very sad story about a champion cavalier king Charles which was being walked by a professional that the owner had specifically asked for ON lead walks. Walker didn't do as asked, the dog got a fright and ran in to street and was killed. There is absolutely no excuse for not following the owners orders in something like this.

As for carrying a phone, whether or not they knew the area it would always be prudent to carry a phone. I never felt happy to take my own dogs out in my own neighbourhood (or hack my horse etc) without a phone. I happened to not have a phone on me once, got dumped in the school by my own very reliable horse. Twisted my knee, was only about 50 feet from the stables but literally took ages to catch the horse, walk back to the stable, untack - was in agony. There was someone in the house but I couldn't get them because...I didn't have a phone!
 
PucciNPoni I feel your pain. A similar thing happened to me when phones were bricks. Horse took fright, reared and dumped me out the back. I broke my pelvis, a rib and cracked a vertebra. I managed to crawl to paddock gate and stand up using the gate bars but my phone was 10 feet away in the barn. I lay out there for 3 hours until somebody came to lock the chickens up for the night. Needless to say I was in deep shock by then. These days I wear a BP and carry a phone.
 
sunnyone said:
PucciNPoni I feel your pain. A similar thing happened to me when phones were bricks. Horse took fright, reared and dumped me out the back. I broke my pelvis, a rib and cracked a vertebra. I managed to crawl to paddock gate and stand up using the gate bars but my phone was 10 feet away in the barn. I lay out there for 3 hours until somebody came to lock the chickens up for the night. Needless to say I was in deep shock by then. These days I wear a BP and carry a phone.
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that's horrible! but a lesson learned eh?

Just doesn't make any sense, IMO to not carry some sort of back up plan when out and about. Maybe we're too addicted to our technology, but I'm not using mine for selfies, I'm using it for safety (well, mostly lol)
 
My dad broke his ankle walking his own dog, no more than half a mile from his house. Neither him or mum had taken their phones!!!! He had to walk to the nearest road while mum got the car!! They now both remember their phones.
 
I think a lot of people are just not risk aware. When young I used to hack for hours on my own, we had no mobiles then. If I had come off no one would have known where I was.
Now I do not go down the field without a phone, I know of at least two people who have been killed by their horse whilst catching it.
 
honetpot said:
I know of at least two people who have been killed by their horse whilst catching it.
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What?? That's terrible. Don't know what else to say.

As for being risk aware I know that I am these days. Having implemented lots of high value govt IT projects and therefore spent hours doing risk registers and assessments, as well as having "unlucky" experiences, I thought I was doing the right thing by myself, my dog and the friend. I asked you people to comment just in case I had been OCD about it. Seems I wasn't.
 
honetpot said:
I think a lot of people are just not risk aware. When young I used to hack for hours on my own, we had no mobiles then. If I had come off no one would have known where I was.
Now I do not go down the field without a phone, I know of at least two people who have been killed by their horse whilst catching it.
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yes, it's about being aware. My husband thinks I'm just paranoid, but really I think it's using good judgement.

I was kicked by my own horse turning him out, I had turned my back too quickly and he kicked me in the back (just out of sheer excitement really) and I was very very lucky to be just winded and a helluva bruise. That could have so easily been a broken back or shoulder blade a few inches either direction. Or it could have been my head. I've been kicked in the head by another horse a long time ago (which should explain things a bit lol) but people get so complacent when out doing things that they just never think they could be hurt. Sometimes a phone wouldn't make a difference but does it make it any better that on the time you could have used it you don't have it?

Dog walking is no different. I work at a vet surgery. Number of times that a dog walker has carried a dog in to surgery having impaled itself on a fence - not often but often enough that should they have required assistance in the field and didn't have a phone....not really worth the risk imo.
 
The last dog walker I used about 10 years ago was categorically told to not let young setter off lead as recall at 12 months was not ideal. She let him off next to a field of young barley, had a £300 vet claim to dig out the little green spikes from his belly.

I always carry a phone these days, was invaluable when I came off one time but I am also very aware of being at the farm in the dark during storms etc and feeding horses by myself.
 
Your friends sounds irresponsible and unreliable when it comes to doing as you ask. Sorry to say this but a lot of French professionals are very inflexible about the services they offer, they always think they know best to the point of arrogance.
 
I do allow my dog sitter to walk my dogs off lead, but only on walks she already know (so know where roads are etc) and has walked them off lead with me so we talked about any possible issues she could have (my oldest doesn't like bikes for example and she asked me about their behaviour meeting other dogs). I would not want them walked in an area she did not know.

As for not taking a mobile phone.... How bizarre!
 
Booboos exfriend is English, so no need to cast aspersions on the French this time.
I'm beginning to think despite all her journeys away from home, she's a complete amateur and waste of space. I will never let her come here again, it was so much hassle.
Thanks all.
 
The first dog walker we had would only walk on lead using her own collar/lead so that she knew they couldn't slip it. This was despite my dog pulling like a steam train without a Halti - she said she felt like they both got a better work out and her insurance was happier if she used her own kit. The second would allow dogs off lead but only once she knew them, the walk, had the owners permission and was confident in their recall. I would have thought their insurance would have some serious questions to ask about letting them off near roads, without permission and not having a phone when out on your own in any situation is stupid.
 
Polonaise said:
. I would have thought their insurance would have some serious questions to ask about letting them off near roads, without permission and not having a phone when out on your own in any situation is stupid.
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That's assuming they even have insurance. I wonder how many "dog walkers" just don't bother with insurance. I know of groomers who fly under the radar and don't pay tax / insurance so would imagine that there are walkers who do too.
 
Personally i always take my phones (i have two)
Dogs dont get let of the lead till a form has been signed to aggree this and only in safe areas
And if i dont know the area aka first time there dog stays on lead
 
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