Sunday, January 2, 2011

Local Dog Walkers - Finding the Right Dog Walker For Your Dog

Just because you don’t have time to walk your dog every day doesn’t mean your dog can’t get walked daily. Consider hiring a professional dog walker. It used to be that only big cities like L.A. and New York offered dog walking as a professional service. Now many communities have professional dog walkers.

If you’d like to consider hiring a professional dog walker, here are several sites that can help you find a local dog walker.


The most comprehensive directory of service providers. The site is broader than just local dog walkers and broader than just dogs. But it’s easy to navigate to get to the information you’re looking for.


This site conducts a background check on its listed providers. It shows a photo of the service provider, their age, rate, type of animal they provide services for, last time they logged into the site, what percent of inquiries from the site they reply to. This all sounds great but you can’t tell at a glance who provides local dog walker services and you have to register to get more information. You don’t have to pay to register but you do have to register.


Though they don’t have listings in every state, they tell you on the home page how many dog walker listings they have per state. If they don’t have your state, it’s a quick “in and out” to the website.


I like this list because everyone on the list has participated in training programs towards a certification program in dog walking or have achieved their certificate.

As you’d expect, this list is not particularly extensive either. And when you select a state to look for a list of local dog walkers, you have to download a word document with the listings.


This website shares information and listings for pet sitters as well as local dog walkers. To find dog walkers from this site you must submit your zip code or city/state. I tested several markets from L.A. to New York and Minneapolis MN to Houston TX. They are weak in the smaller markets and have several listings in the larger markets. 

They also have information on “How to be an ideal client” and “What to look for in a Pet Sitter.” Though most of it is common sense, it’s still helpful to have it outlined for you. 


Don't bother with this site. Links are broken on the site. They have very few listings for a local dog walker. When you do a search you have to select from a pre-determined list of cities and once you do that you must select a state. Pick the state and another search bar opens asking for the zip code. Enter the zip code and it asks you for the state AGAIN. Select the state AGAIN and it asks you for the city AGAIN. Select the city AGAIN and it asks you for the neighborhood. Select the neighborhood…and nothing happens!

Maybe you’d like to explore a career as a dog walker yourself? If so, check out the Dog Walking Academy (which has nothing to do with the Dog Walker Guide)

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My Bulldog's Favorite Treat 
FYI – I have no relationship with any of the sites I’ve reviewed

I do earn a commission if you choose to purchase Smokehouse Duck and Sweet Potato Dog Treats.  I only recommend products that I have personal experience with. These Duck and Sweet Potato Treats are my bulldog's favorite treat.