10 Things I LOVE about being a dog walker

1. I get to work with my best buddy EVERYDAY. I know it sounds like a cliche but it’s true. Working for yourself is great but it can get lonely. Stanley provides HOURS of entertainment-some not as funny, like when he decides that rolling in a freshly manured field would be fun or dare I say it chase after a deer. But, regardless, it’s always fun.

2. Weirdly I LOVE it when it rains. The more mud the merrier and the wetter the better quite frankly! They are so happy in it, it’s like some sort of magic lotion that when it hits the skin it turbo charges them. The other great thing is that you can guarantee the majority of dog walking fields and parks will be deserted.

3. On the flip side of this nothing beats spending your time roaming the Dorset countryside in spring/summer. Obviously we need to be mindful that the dogs don’t overheat, so we take precautions to avoid the midday heat. But anybody that tells me they would prefer to sit inside on a gorgeous day in front of a computer is lying!!

4. Even now, three years in I’m finding new walks and new places to take the dogs for walks, granted a lot of these places have been discovered when I’ve perhaps been a bit ahem..lost. Nonetheless, I still get that fizzy feeling in my tummy when I stumble across somewhere new.

5. When we take on a new client that is perhaps a bit nervous of new people or dogs and you slowly gain that dogs trust that everything will be ok when they are with you. That’s a really special moment. You can’t rush it, maybe it’ll take ten minutes maybe it’ll take a couple of weeks-We do everything at the dogs pace. When it happens it’s seriously one of the best feelings in the world.

6. I LOVE the meet and greets. Meeting the dogs first and foremost. But getting to know a client and sharing a common interest in the dogs is really nice too. We always take the dogs out for a walk and it’s a great informal way for us to all get to know each other.

7. I LOVE when a dog recognises me or one of the team in the street. Often we are in “normal” clothes so the client won’t recognise us at first and the dog will be straining to get to us. It is one of the biggest compliments that their dog could give. They want to be close to us. It also confirms to the client that their dog is happy in our company.

8. You can be having the absolutely worst day…have a flat tyre first thing, lose your van keys on your first walk, then put your hand through a poo bag because you were trying to save pennies and bought the super cheap ones from a well known pet store-cheap doesn’t always mean the best-do not be fooled. Anyway, regardless of all this happening. The dogs are still super pleased to see you. Nothing beats the greeting of a wagging tail and a slobbery kiss.

9. Working for yourself ROCKS. Sure, when you’ve spent the last six weeks working everyday without a day off it can feel a bit relentless. BUT that’s my choice, the buck stops with me and I simply adore what I do. I think if you work for yourself and you want the business to succeed then it’s a sacrifice you are willing to make. You also get perks like free Crufts tickets from happy clients or getting puppy cuddles with a new addition.

10. What I have learnt over the last three or so years has been phenomenal. Canine communication is vast and we ask a lot of our domestic dogs. We are an entirely different species and we speak a completely different language. Yet day after day, year after year they want to please us and be by our side. I feel really privileged to be able to spend everyday with such great dogs. Not only that, but that owners entrust me and my team to walk them.