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It’s been a while since I’ve talked about dogs.

So let’s talk about dogs for a bit.

As I told you a few weeks ago, the dog walker drama in my life has been intense. As Gallagher’s first Vancouver dog walker experience with dogcity.ca went from good to disappointing (I’m being nice) in a very short period of time (refer to the dogcity.ca incident in December if you’re interested), I was forced to make some changes. And changes, my friend, I have indeed made.

Cut to January and for the past few weeks, I’ve been on dog walker interview warpath. I mean seriously, I haven’t interviewed so much since I left University. The only difference, I’m on the other side of the table. And we’re speaking of a dog, not a job. And it’s fun, not stressful. And there’s treats.

So, my point of this post is to tell you who I found, what I found, and where I found it. You can do whatever you like with this information, but for those of you in the ‘I need to find a dog walker in Vancouver’ camp, I hope this helps.

1. A great source of information, at least to start, is raincitydogs

2. From there, you can take a shotgun or a sniper approach to working your way through the laundry list of dog walkers in Vancouver, dog boarders in Vancouver, and dog trainers in Vancouver

3. You’ll find out that most dog walkers in Vancouver are geographic/size specific (i.e., I only take small dogs in the West End). If you’re interested in your own walks, check out this blogger’s top 10 places to walk your dog in Vancouver

4. As I have a goldendoodle and live in Kits, the sniper was my weapon of choice

5. I phoned, emailed, interviewed probably five to 10 companies…I even went so far as to trial one, fetch n’ go

6. I selected release the hounds

I’ll leave it to release the hounds to give you all the specifics on what they do and why they do it, but let me say this, Nicole and Josh are a nice couple (engaged) who care very deeply about their dogs, train their dogs, REALLY walk/hike their dogs (we’re talking two hour mountain trail hikes), and are pleasant to deal with. As our ‘relationship’ is relatively new, I’m impressed with what I’ve seen so far and Gallagher’s first day was a success.

Before I leave you to it, let me just give some props out to Corinne at Fetch N’ Go. Although we didn’t end up selecting Fetch N’ Go, the level of service I received from her over a very short trial period was fantastic. Corinne really cares for her dogs and is a great person to deal with.

In the end, it comes down to you, your specific needs and circumstances and how the dog walker fits within them. If you can find someone who fits, allows you to put taking care of your dog while you’re away on autopilot, and provides you with a personal level of service (which I feel is a necessary requirement when you’re dealing with pets), you’re done.

darren