11/02/2026
A fellow dog walker made this post and she couldn’t have said it better for us dog walkers. 🫶🏼🐾
🐕 “It’s Just Walking Dogs Though, Isn’t It?” 🐕
Ah yes.
Just popping out for a gentle stroll, sniffing daisies, earning easy money.
Basically a spa day with puppies.
In reality, dog walking and pet care looks more like this:
🚐 A van that drinks fuel like it’s a competitive sport
📋 Insurance, licences, DBS checks, council rules and forms that reproduce at night
🧠 Constantly counting dogs, exits, other dogs, children, joggers, squirrels, that one man who appears from nowhere
🧽 Cleaning mud, slobber, wee, more wee, and the mysterious third substance
📱 Messages like: “He seems a bit off today, can you keep an eye on him?”
(Yes. Always. Forever.)
I’ve been a dog walker and pet care provider for nearly 20 years, and I’ve watched this happen on repeat:
🐾 Lovely dog walker starts
🐾 Charges too little because they’re nice
🐾 Clients try to save pennies
🐾 Dog walker is skint, knackered and questioning life choices
🐾 Quits after about 2 years
Rinse. Repeat. Cry into flask.
Cheap dog walking isn’t cheap — it’s just being subsidised by someone working for less than minimum wage while hauling 30kg dogs through mud.
Good dog walkers don’t just walk.
They:
✔ Stop fights before they start
✔ Spot injuries before they become vet bills
✔ Keep your dog alive, intact and vaguely clean
✔ Get your dog home when the weather is biblical
That skill comes from experience.
Experience comes from not quitting.
Not quitting comes from being paid properly.
So if you’ve got a dog walker you trust:
🐶 Don’t haggle
🐶 Don’t compare them to “someone cheaper on Facebook”
🐶 And if you think they’re under-charging… tip them
Tips say: “I see you. I appreciate you. Please don’t leave the industry.”
Because good dog walkers aren’t expensive.
They’re rare.
And your dog would absolutely pay more if they had opposable thumbs 💸🐾
