Melanie

I have loved dogs all my life and grew up with various breeds including a Labrador, Grey Hound, Lurcher, Springer Spaniel and whippets.

live on the doorstep of Ally Pally which is the perfect place for dogs to walk and play as it offers the feeling of being out of London with plenty of open space away from roads and other distractions while providing lots to keep them amused.

For the past 3 months I have been dog sitting/walking a beautiful Staffy named Boris daily while his full-time human was on a work contract that had extreme hours. Sadly (for me, not the human!) this contract has now come to an end but as I love being around dogs so much and it makes me genuinely happy to do so I would like to continue to help out others who are in similar situations.

Obviously every dog has their own habits and physical limitations so I would adapt a routine to suit the particular dog's needs but as an example; Boris and I used to have a 1.5 hour walk in the morning (which consisted of a brisk 40 min lead walk followed by a game of ball and a bit of exploring in Ally Pally), then we went home where he would typically have a snooze. We would have another long walk in the afternoon and I would feed him his dinner and keep him company for another hour or so before his own human returned late.

Of course smaller and/or older dogs wouldn't necessarily want such a long walk or to play ball so this would be completely dictated by the dog's individual needs. I have seen dog walkers with 5 or 6 dogs at a time but unless they are from the same household or happier around other dogs I would prefer to give a dog individual attention so that I can care for him/her properly.

So if for whatever reason you are unable to take your best friend out as much as you would like to or need someone to dog sit while you are away please get in touch!

(If a reference from Boris's human is required btw I am more than happy to put you in touch)