The health, happiness and safety of any animal in my charge is my main priority. Protecting dogs in my care from injury or harm is the first consideration, followed closely by their need for exercise and mental stimulation. My practice comes from my 20+ years experience of handling dogs and a common sense approach towards risk… if it’s too big or too probable, don’t take it.
I will only accept work I am confident I can undertake to a high standard safely and I pride myself on knowing the owners of dogs in my care can be happy and confident of all aspects of my care however the unexpected does occasionally happen (unless dogs are wrapped in cotton wool which is never healthy for anyone or anything) so please note:
Insurance
I am fully insured as a Pet Sitter & Dog Walker – Pet Plan insurance, Policy Number: IS50704201 for Care, Custody and Control of Animals (Capped £1250), Public Liability, Professional Indemnity Extention and Loss or Theft of Keys – HOWEVER please be aware that my insurance is NOT AN ALTERNATIVE FOR OWNERS’ PET INSURANCE.
It does NOT cover injury incurred where there is no absolute blame and I cannot be held responsible for injuries sustained in my care during normal activities commensurate with a dog’s age undertaken in good conditions – e.g. walking, running, jumping, turning, swimming. The exclusion includes all common injuries such as pulled or torn ligaments and muscles, small cuts, injuries to paws, stings, bites, allergic reactions etc OR where there is a pre-existing vulnerability or previous injury.
Owners are responsible for insuring their pets against all types of routine illness, injury and accident including any incurred whilst in my care.
Dog Behaviour
I reserve the right, without liability for any inconvenience caused or resulting consequence, to refuse to walk any dog if I believe it may have the potential to be disruptive, dangerous and/or unsuitable for my services; if I am not confident of my ability to control the dog: and/or if owners are rude, aggressive, irresponsible or do not pay promptly as per pre-agreed arrangements.
Owners must advise me of any problematic history including any fights that have resulted in injury requiring treatment to either dog (regardless of blame) or antisocial tendencies that their dog displays including any possessiveness, defensiveness, aggression, anxiety, lack of recall, problematic hunting instinct, scavenger and/or any other behaviour that has potential to cause harm to themselves, any other dog, livestock or individual so that I can plan appropriate restraints and action.
Dogs’ Health
General (Infections / Illness / Exclusions)
For the sake of other dogs in my care, any dog showing signs of illness, excessive scratching, contaminated faeces will be refused walks until treated and symptoms cleared.
I will not walk any bitch while in season to prevent unwanted attention from other dogs not in my control however by using my services, clients accept that I walk dogs in wild environments where they may come into contact with ticks and fleas or lice, land/air/water based diseases and/or other dogs (not walked by myself) that may carry other infections.
Therefore, due to circumstances beyond my control, I cannot be held responsible for any type of condition or infection any dog I walk may contract in my care and owners are responsible for ensuring their dogs are kept up-to-date with vaccinations, flea and tick treatments and de-wormer treatments to protect their dogs from such threats.
Exercise or play with undigested food in their stomach can result in Gastric Torsion (Bloat) which has the potential to be a life-threatening condition. Clients should not feed their dogs immediately before an arranged walk. If a dog become ill with bloat after a walk, I cannot be held responsible in any way.
Accidents / Injury
I will take all reasonable care to prevent accidents and any injury to all dogs in my care and I will not allow any dog to take part in high risk activities but unless sustained as a result of negligence, owners are responsible for the full cost of treatment in respect of any injuries that their dog suffers while under my care including emergency call out charges and or ongoing treatment.
Owners are asked to provide an alternative contact number of a trusted third party when arranging my services for use in an emergency situation if they are not available. In the highly unlikely event of such a situation, I will do my best to contact the owners and/or emergency contacts to decide what actions should be followed but, by using my services, owners authorise me to use my discretion if I am unable to make contact with either person in the appropriate time frame.
Liability
IF THERE ARE ANY RISKS INVOLVED TO MYSELF, OTHER DOGS, HUMANS OR PROPERTY AS A RESULT OF WALKING YOUR DOG OR COLLECTING YOUR DOG FROM ANY ADDRESS, YOU MUST VOLUNTARILY DISCLOSE IT TO ME SO THAT I CAN TAKE APPROPRIATE CONTROL OF A SITUATION AND/OR REFUSE MY SERVICES IF I AM NOT CONFIDENT OF MY ABILITY TO MANAGE THE RISK.
RISKS INCLUDE ANY HISTORY HISTORY OF AGGRESSION, FEAR, DISOBEDIENCE (ESP REGARDING RECALL), SCAVENGING, A STRONG PREY INSTINCT AND/OR RUNNING AWAY.
I will not accept any liability for any claim as a result of any undisclosed risk to other parties and may seek damages to protect my reputation as a thorough, responsible and prepared dog walker.
Clients have the absolute right to have their dog walked alone and/or on a lead. I will not let a dog off their lead or walk dogs with any other dog without the express permission of the owner.
All interaction between dogs in my care and/or other walker’s dogs is carefully monitored and, where possible, controlled to avoid any predictable conflict, but it is impossible to predict/prevent every injury and owners must take appropriate responsibility for incidents arising from their dog’s freedom, disobedience, instinct, impulsive behaviour and/or social skills.
In choosing to have their dogs walked off lead or with other dogs in a public space where they may meet other dogs, owners accept the risks and liability for any treatment required as a result of any injury caused by another dog where there is no definite blame between the dogs or negligence on my part.
By using my services, clients agree to indemnify me in full against any liability arising from harm or damage to third parties.
Other
Muzzles / Training Leads
I reserve the right to refuse to walk any dog that cannot be controlled without causing excessive discomfort to the dog.
If dogs are accustomed to wearing muzzles that do not prevent panting or drinking, or training leads such as head collars (e.g. Haltis and similar) that do not cause pain or discomfort and allows a dog to get more pleasure from a walk, I am happy to consider them.
Please contact me to discuss any special equipment needs.
Balls and Sticks
I always carry balls and a ball thrower as my preferred exercise toy. Some dogs prefer sticks and they can be thrown in places unsuitable for balls – e.g. rivers, tall grasses etc.
Throwing sticks in these places has many benefits that should not be discounted without proper consideration including cooling (esp in hot weather), an encouragement to swim (which could save a dog’s life in unfortunate circumstances and is therapeutic exercise), mental stimulation (sniffing out hidden sticks), pleasure (some dogs just love their sticks), training opportunities (dogs love to please and they enjoy challenges) and bonding properties (who doesn’t love a good game) however I will NOT throw sticks for dogs in my care without the owner’s express permission.
If any owner is happy for me to throw sticks for their dogs, they MUST advise me. I take great care throwing sticks (see below*) and although the risk of significant injury is small (and may be worth taking), if owners allow me to throw sticks for their dogs, by doing so I cannot be held liable for any injury resulting from the activity.
*There are valid reasons for concern about throwing sticks for dogs, however in 20+ years experience of throwing sticks for my family’s dogs I know the risks can be significantly reduced by taking common sense precautions that include: do not throw types of wood that splinters; do not throw thin sticks (due to increased risk of puncture/impaling); do not throw sticks for a dog to catch (they should always land before the dog reaches the site); never throw a stick in the direction a dog is running (and trying to misdirect your dog to get it running in the opposite direction that you intend to throw the stick is part of the game); make sure the stick landing spot is not hard enough to allow the stick to bounce up into the dog or too uneven as the dog can trip onto the stick.
Treats
I use occasional treats (usually all natural tripe sticks) to reward dogs for good behaviour and to distract dogs from potentially harmful situations. If you do not want me to give your dog occasional treats, you must let me know.
Dog Waste
I am always adequately equipped with a sufficient number of biodegradable poo bags to dispose of dog waste responsibly and according to local regulations.
Dog Wear
Please do not dress your dog in expensive or impractical collars, chest plates, harnesses, tags, leads or coats. I cannot accept responsibility for any item that is lost or damaged during a walk as I do not have time to check that items are secured properly and/or fittings are not damaged before a walk… plus they very probably will get dirty and/or wet – especially in bad weather.
Keys
All keys are kept in a secure environment and separate from any information that could identify the owner’s address.
Mud/Mess
I try to return dogs to their owners clean and I carry a section of cloths to wipe muddy and/or wet dogs down after a walk for that purpose however I am limited to what I can achieve and there may be traces of mud left on dogs (unless owners provide means to bathe their dogs thoroughly and pay any surcharge).
By using my service, clients accept that their dog(s) may get wet and muddy. I recommend clients use covers and/or restricted access after a walk as I cannot be held responsible for damage caused to carpets, rugs and soft furniture as a result of small traces of mud left on a dog’s coat.
Terms of Business
Cancellation
Clients are asked to provide at least 24hrs notice of the cancellation of any booking. Where possible, Failure to do so may result in clients paying for wa
Photography
Clients consents to their dog being photographed, videotaped, and/or used in any promotion about my dog walking services without prior approval. Ownership of copyright of all such media belongs to myself. Where photographs are given to clients, they may use them for personal reasons without prior approval from myself.
Privacy
Your details will not be shared with any other businesses or used for marketing unless legally required in relation to an insurance claim. For more details on my privacy policy please see our Privacy Policy page.