Professional Dog-Walker: East Dulwich Environs..

[Tony.London Suburbs]

Are any Forumites aware of how prevalent or numerous Professional Dog-Walkers are in your area.

Would there be a demand do you think and is that demand being met?

Interested to see what the demand is in your area Guys...

[daizie]

I walk my dog on Peckham Rye Common, and there are lots of professional dog walkers there, last one i spoke to said he charges ?10 per hour, ive no idea if this is good or bad .

[Tony.London Suburbs]

daizie Wrote:

I walk my dog on Peckham Rye Common, and there are lots of professional dog walkers there, last one i spoke to said he charges ?10 per hour, ive no idea if this is good or bad .

Thanks daizie, that does seem to be the going rate.

[Tony.London Suburbs]

Tony.London Suburbs Wrote:

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> daizie Wrote:

> I walk my dog on Peckham Rye Common, and there are

> lots of professional dog walkers there, last one i

> spoke to said he charges ?10 per hour, ive no idea

> if this is good or bad .

>

> Thanks daizie, that does seem to be the going

> rate.

Thats "per dog"...I know in The Borough of Greenwich that you are only allowed to walk 4 Dogs per person ( even if you own "5" )...luckily I own "only" 4 !...and I use Avery Hill and Oxleas Woods all the time.

[*Bob*]

Professional dog-walker. ?10/hour.

This also seems to be the going rate for having someone come round to your house once a day, open a tin of cat food and give your cat 'a bit of a stroke'.

Completely ridiculous in the grand scheme of, well, everything, but good luck to anyone who can make a living out of it (not that the taxman needs to find-out, eh?)

[daizie]

ah ok, ive seen a few dog walkers on the Rye with whole packs.. of dogs, i didnt even think there would be a limit . My dog loves it, when he sniffs out a gathering of his canine cousins he gets right in there, its like heaven for him , :)

[woofmarkthedog]

I walk myself than you very much, my "lead" is used ....well for "other" things as it were.

Ahem...yes.

W**F

[daizie]

here boy

[Tony.London Suburbs]

woofmarkthedog Wrote:

I walk myself than you very much, my "lead" is used ....well for "other" things as it were. Ahem...yes.

Wolfie: I'll offer you "Mates Rates"...I'll walk you door-to-door for ?9.75 and I'll provide your lead and doggie bowl..

Deal or No Deal?

[*Bob*]

Do dog walkers charge more for larger, harder-to-handle dogs?

I can appreciate the big ones might present a tougher challenge when you take them outside to piss up a lamp-post. Some of the smaller ones though.. let's be honest.. you might as well just hold them out of a window and squeeze.

[daizie]

well my little timmy has got a big personality

[*Bob*]

Can't we even have an honest and mature discussion about dog-walking without bringing sex into it?

I haven't mentioned 'little bobby', have I?

[daizie]

*bob* you have a dark mind, i wasnt talking about my pussy ..

[*Bob*]

Anyway, back to dogwalking.

Minimum wage. ?6 tops. After all, you're only walking a bloody dog, aren't you?.

[Tony.London Suburbs]

*Bob* Wrote:

Anyway, back to dogwalking. Minimum wage. ?6 tops. After all, you're only walking a bloody dog, aren't you?.

Travelling costs, Public Liability Insurance, Tax ( naturally) , small charge built-in for all the times that the Owner cancels, built-in small charge for the occassions where the weather prevents any walking. Advertising costs...

?10 oer hour, irrespective of the breed seems fair to me "bob"...

When do you want me to come round M8?B)

[*Bob*]

Fair 'wear and tear' (shoes)

Depreciation on equipment (tennis ball, rubber ring)

er, erm.. some other things

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Weather prevent walking? Dogs have to go out come hell or high water, snow, blizzards, etc.

[Tony.London Suburbs]

Peckhamgatecrasher Wrote:

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> Weather prevent walking? Dogs have to go out come

> hell or high water, snow, blizzards, etc.

I can imagine some owners cancelling if Timmy or Toby or Tacha doesn't like to get wet...:))

btw: Who cleans up the pooches on their return?

If its the "Walker" then add that on, as well...

?10?? its a veritable snip, would be cheap at half the price....

[Tony.London Suburbs]

Depreciation of car....

Doggie Treats...

The list of expenses is endless..

[SimonM]

>>Professional dog-walker. ?10/hour.

This also seems to be the going rate for having someone come round to your house once a day, open a tin of cat food and give your cat 'a bit of a stroke'.<<

Er no...the rate for cats is per visit not per hour. And a good person does more than give the cat a bit of a stroke. He or she will water plants, re-fill birdfeeders, groom the cat if necessary etc etc, and in my experience is worth every penny.

[*Bob*]

Paws at home, Simon?

Tony.London Suburbs Wrote:

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> ?10?? its a veritable snip, would be cheap at

> half the price....

It would be 'about right' at half the price.

I feel that the 'professionalisation' of tasks that would otherwise have been reserved strictly for sulking teenagers, neighbourly favours and Boy Scouts has led to a decline in the moral fibre of the nation.

[*Bob*]

See here, Simon.

Alice will cuddle and groom your cat, sort your post, do your recycling boxes, wheelie bins and water your plants and garden - ?5 per visit. She doesn't mention bird feeder re-filling but I'm sure you can come to an arrangement.

Good luck to her. It's exactly the kind of thing enterprising 14 year-olds should be doing, not grown men and women - who ought to be out driving lorries / mining coal etc

[Tony.London Suburbs]

*Bob* Wrote:

....It's exactly the kind of thing enterprising 14 year-olds should be doing, not grown men and women - who ought to be out driving lorries / mining coal etc

Some of us have paid our dues since '71 ..now its time to put our feet up, metaphorically but not literally.

Life in "The Open Air" beckons, I hope...

[*Bob*]

You might as well just come out with it, Tony.

You'd like to start-up in "the dogwalking game". And charge ?10 / hour.

[SimonM]

>>Good luck to her. It's exactly the kind of thing enterprising 14 year-olds should be doing, not grown men and women - who ought to be out driving lorries / mining coal etc<<

It's a slippery slope when you start to criticise the way people make a living. I'd not want a 14 year old doing this task for me - she'd have neither the expertise nor the authority to spot a genuine illness and call a vet, nor indeed deal with, say, a burglary. We used to have the neighbours feed the cats when away, which was fine until one of them needed medication twice a day (the cats not the neighbours muhahaha)and, again, I'd not want a 14 year old doing it. She'd be far better out being pushed up chimneys or whatever...And anyway exactly what needs to be done with recycling boxes and wheelie bins if we're away? :))