What are your qualifications?
I am delighted you asked. We believe that continuous education is absolutely
paramount to provide you and your pets with the best service we can. For a full
list of experience, qualifications and club activity, please drop over to the
"Qualifications," page.
Are you insured?
Absolutely. We hold relevant and up to date dog walkers and pet boarding
insurance through Pet Business Insurance so you can be happy in the knowledge that your pet is in the
best of hands.
Do you walk large groups of dogs together?
No. We prefer to be able to give your dog 100% attention for the time they
spend with us so we generally only offer solo, VIP dog walking sessions, or
multiple dogs from the same house. We may pair up neighbouring dogs if we think
this will benefit both dogs and will discuss this with you as appropriate.
My dog loves another dog in the estate. Can they walk together?
We take time to carefully match
up any potential neighbouring dogs to insure they will both benefit from the
experience, but if your dogs are buddies and scheduling suits, we may be able
to team them up together for extra fun and games. Get in touch and let us know
how we can help.
How long is a walk?
Visits are usually scheduled for a minimum of one hour in length. We may offer
a 30 minute visit when we are working on puppy toilet training sessions or for
older dogs where the schedule allows this.
What happens on a walk?
We walk from your front door. Walks
are tailored to suit your dogs needs and while some dogs will prefer to race
around their local park playing and letting off steam, other dogs would rather a more gentle
amble around the housing estates with lots of sniffing. Let us know your dog’s preferences and we can
make the most of our walks. All walks aim to provide appropriate levels of physical exercise, mental enrichment, adventures, play, basic training and fun. Dogs are returned home an hour later and settled with a meal, a bone or a Kong if supplied.
More information is provided on the “Why choose us” and “Services” pages.
Will my dog be cooped up in a car for long periods?
Never. We walk straight from your door and walk locally. There is therefore no
being cooped up in a hot car or having to spend valuable time traveling to and
from our walking destinations.
Will the neighbours know we are away from home?
No, we do not have a branded vehicle outside your door so there are no tell-tale
signs that your house is empty during the day while you are at work or away on
holidays. We can also turn lights on and off or pull curtains as needed, just
let us know your requirements.
Do you use your own gear to walk dogs?
We walk dogs using their own gear once it is fit for use, doesn't impede
movement or cause pain and is safe to do so. We can provide a long line if you
do not own one, but we think it is a great bit of kit for your dog to have. We
prefer to use harnesses if possible but are happy to give advice on gear if you
require it.
Does my dog
require a muzzle?
If your dog is listed under the Control of Dogs Act 1998 it will need to wear a
muzzle in public in accordance with Irish law. These dogs need to be
comfortable wearing a muzzle for walking services and we are happy to arrange a
one to one training session to help you train your dog to feel happy with this
process. Get in touch for more information.
Do we get to see what our dog gets up to on their walks?
Absolutely. We love to share
snippets of our daily adventures on social media. We also occasionally put
together helpful training videos while on our daily walks that you can watch
for tips and tricks. We can send photo and/or video updates and reports at the
end of the day or weekly and we will discuss all of this with you at our meet
and greets.
What if the weather is bad?
The joys of having a dog walker means that we walk in all kinds of weather, so
you don't have to!
Unfortunately rain is an everyday Irish hazard. We
do not provide a grooming service but if it is wet out and your dog wears
a rain coat we are happy to use this. Please leave an old towel out beside the door so we can dry off
dogs after their walk and try to mop up any puddles after us. In the unlikely event
that we are experiencing extreme weather conditions, walks can sometimes be replaced with house
visits that include toileting breaks, sniffing games and indoor enrichment
sessions. We will inform you if these changes are necessary.
What
information do you need from me?
You will be emailed out a short questionnaire which will ask for basic pet and
owner information and emergency contact details in order to provide the best possible
service to you and your pet. This can be filled out and emailed back to us, if
you are having any difficulty in downloading it, just let us know and we can
arrange an alternative if necessary. This also serves as your contract and must
be filled out in full. All information gathered is treated sensitively and
stored in accordance with current GDPR laws.
Do we get to meet you before we book walks?
Absolutely. A mandatory, free meet and greet
will be arranged to meet each other before walking or sitting services
commence.
This gives me the chance to meet your dogs in an informal environment and gives
you the chance to discuss your dog’s requirements, your needs, arrange access to your dog, check over your pet questionnaire details and discuss scheduling. We will also take a
set of keys at this stage and
discuss any additional alarms or security issues.
How are my
keys handled?
A set of keys is required for all walking services and we may also need any
additional apartment security fobs to ensure we can gain access adequately.
Keys will have a fob with your dog’s name attached in order to identify them
but will never include an address for safety reasons. Your keys will only be
carried on the days your dog is scheduled for a walk, at all other times they
remain in a safe, lock box in our home office to ensure their safety. We will hold
these keys until services are finished at which point we will arrange for their
timely return.
How do I book walks?
Once you have had your free meet
and greet session,
walks can be booked on a rolling, weekly basis or if your work schedule is changeable, ad hoc dog walking
sessions can be catered for if
our roster allows it. We ask that all
requests for the following week are texted in by Friday at 6pm at the latest in
order to give us the time to figure out a schedule for the following week. We
are often away working with the dog club at the weekend and may not see last
minute requests so WhatsApp or Text requests are preferable. Walking times can sometimes
be changeable and we thank you for your patience with this.
What if I
only need occasional walks?
We are happy to offer occasional walks if our schedule allows it. Regular walking
clients will however have priority over time slots. We will arrange meet and
greets as usual and take a copy of your keys which we will store in our safe
lock box in our home office until services are no longer required.
Are there
days you do not walk?
Our regular walking service runs from Monday to Friday from 9 to 5. Due to clients being
home and not requiring services we usually do not work Bank Holidays and the
week of Christmas, but if you have any additional requests, please get in touch
to discuss your needs. There are additional costs for these out of hours services.
If we are taking planned time off we will give at least four weeks notice to
ensure you have time to make alternative arrangements.
How do I pay for walks?
Walks can be paid for by cash, bank transfer or cheque on a weekly basis.
Receipts can be issued for all services provided via email if requested.
What if I need to cancel a walk?
We understand that life happens and sometimes plans go awry. If you need to
cancel a walk we ask for a minimum of 24 hour notice period or your walk will
still be charged for as your
slot has been accounted for. If your dog is unwell for some reason we
can still usually offer
a drop in service consisting of short toilet breaks, playtime, enrichment, fun
training or puzzle feeders as appropriate in lieu of their normal walks for no
extra charge, just let us know in
advance and we will be happy to alter our services.
Do you provide a dog boarding service?
We do not currently provide a
boarding service for dogs.
Do you provide a cat boarding service?
We do not take cats into our home here as we find they are much more comfortable staying in their own
home, with the familiarity of their usual environment, smells, sights and toys.
We do offer some drop in's within the Dublin 15 area and can also accommodate
other small animals that may not enjoy traveling and just need a check in
daily. Availability and drop in times can be limited especially over busy periods, so
please get in touch early and let us know your requirements to avoid
disappointment.
I’m booking a holiday
and need somewhere for my small animals, can you help?
Yes, we have experience in caring for a range of animals and have the facility
to board your small pets in our own residence in Dublin 15. In this way, they
will be ensured to have company throughout the day and to be integrated into
family life while you are away from home. This boarding facility includes daily
cleaning routines, feeding, watering, puzzle feeders, enrichment, handling and
exercise as species appropriate. Please see our "Small animal boarding"
page for more details.
Do you offer dog training classes?
We are in the process of launching our first online, 6 week, "Good Dog LEVEL 1" course which you will be able to take part in from wherever you are based and in your own time. These may have a limited intake number so if you are interested, please sent us an email through our Contact Forms and we will add you to our waiting list.
We do not currently offer group dog training classes, but this may change in the future. Any future changes will be announced on our social media and website.
What next?
All that's to do now is to get in touch and let us know how we can help you and your pets.
We will need your email address so we can forward you our short pet
questionnaire and arrange a time suitable for our free, introductory meet and
greet for walking or to discuss boarding dates as required.
We can't wait to welcome you and your pets to our K9 Kim family!