Dog Walking

All our walkers are experienced dog lovers, and many have their own dogs. We pair new walkers with an experienced VIPPIES team member to ensure they know what standards we expect. Our walkers receive pet first aid training early in their career with us and this is refreshed every three years.

All our staff have had criminal record checks. We do not use marked vehicles or wear uniforms. We only carry the keys required for each visit. Keys are stored safely at VIPPIES HQ and at your team member’s home, they are coded so they cannot be tracked to your property or pet(s).

As we collect from your home we will generally walk in the local area, at the meet and greet we will ask about your dog’s favourite routes. If your walker has time, and you agree, they may take your dog by car to a different area as a treat.

Your dog is our priority and so we always walk one to one unless you have more than one dog and want them walked together. Sometimes, with your permission, if two walkers are in the same area, they may meet up. But only if the dogs are vaccinated and get on.

If your dog has good recall and you agree we may let them off the lead to run and play during their walk. However, it will not be until the walker has forged a bond with your dog. You will need to sign an authorisation for this to happen. We will only let them off lead in secure areas such as parks or fenced fields.

VIPPIES has a team of approximately 30 pet carers so we always have back up. At the meet and greet you will be allocated a main walker and a back-up. In an emergency, if your regular walkers are not available, one of the management team will step in to walk your dog(s).

We expect the dogs we walk to have a basic level of training on the lead. We will work with the way you have trained your dog(s) and use the same commands you do. The team members are not qualified to train dogs however, we do have a relationship with Animate Dog Training who carry out puppy training at VIPPIES HQ.

At your meet and greet we will take the contact details for your vet as well as your emergency contact details – mobile, office landline etc. We also like to have the contact details for another person who can make decisions on your pet’s behalf if we cannot contact you. This can be a partner, family member or friend (over 18 years). At the meet and greet you will be asked to complete a form that gives us authority to act on your behalf at your vets. You will also be asked to notify your vet that we have your permission.

If you need to cancel please contact VIPPIES HQ during our normal office hours (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm). Outside our normal hours there is an answer phone service where you can leave a message. There is an emergency mobile number on this message which you can call for last minute cancellations. Unfortunately, last minute cancellations will be subject to a fee.

Whilst our processes and systems aim to avoid these events we are insured up to £5 million which covers your pet and home as follows:

• should your dog cause an accident while in our care there is third party cover,
• if we have an accident in your house and damage anything we are insured to replace the broken item,
• should we lose your key and need to get a locksmith in to gain entry to your premises and we are insured to replace all locks and supply new keys,
• if your pet goes missing in our care we are insured to advertise for their recovery or replacement,
• finally, should your pet be injured due to our negligence we are insured for all the vet’s bills.