LET THE DOGS OUT

24 Jan ‘12

admin — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:40:42 +0000

Advanced Diploma in Canine Behaviour Management

Since setting up Let The Dogs Out in June 2009, it has always been my intention to pursue my studies in animal behaviour, an area which I find fascinating. Up until now, although I have read avidly on the subject & attended various dog behaviour seminars & training workshops, time & finances have not allowed me to do anything more formal.

However, at the end of last year I finally got the wheels in motion & am delighted to announce that I have now been accepted to study for the Advanced Diploma in Canine Behaviour Management. This is a distance learning course which, together with practical experience, will prepare me to work in the role as canine behaviour advisor.

My hope is that with time I will be able to add this service to my existing dog walking, day care & home boarding services. Wish me luck!

29 Nov ‘11

admin — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 14:59:09 +0000

All change

Let The Dogs Out has moved to East Lothian! I regret leaving our South Edinburgh clients behind, but am pleased to announce that my partner & I have bought a property in Cockenzie, & are now settled there with our 3 dogs, Molly, Sandy & Dennis. There are beaches & fields a plenty right on our doorstop & ready for your dogs to enjoy!

I am very sad to announce that we lost our old dog Max to cancer earlier this month. If it weren’t for Max’s inspiration I would never have set up Let The Dogs Out in the first place, & he has been a constant companion to all the dogs I have looked after over the years. He will be sorely missed.

However, Molly & her 2 new greyhound companions, Sandy & Dennis (adopted from Scottish Greyhound Sanctuary) are ready to welcome new doggy friends onto their walks & into their home. I am delighted to now be able to offer dog day care & home boarding services in addition to dog walking. Please check my revised rates & also my availability, & please bear with me while I update this website to reflect the changes in my service!

Introducing Let The Dogs Out

admin — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 13:30:38 +0000

Let The Dogs Out offers a high quality dog walking, day care & home boarding service in East Lothian to ensure your dog remains healthy & happy whenever you can’t be there to walk or care for them yourself.

Cockenzie based service
friendly, experienced professional who really cares about dogs
flexible services tailored to the individual needs of you & your dog(s)
walks in East Lothian’s beautiful beaches & green spaces
fully insured & police checked
trained in canine first aid
competitive rates with discounts available for multi-dog households

at Bilsdean beach

Dog walking

a service for those living in the Cockenzie area, providing an hour of physical, mental & social stimulation for your dog

Day care

a service for those living or working in East Lothian, providing a home environment in which your dog can rest & play all day, & including at least an hour’s walk

Home boarding

a kinder alternative to boarding kennels, where your dog can relax & enjoy home comforts & individual attention whilst you are away for anything upwards of one night, including walks

Please scroll down for news & updates.

5 February ‘11

admin — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 15:04:07 +0000

Availability update

As reflected in my calendar, I will be unavailable for dog walking on the following dates over the next 6 month period:

Mon 23^rd – Fri 27^th May
Fri 3^rd June

Dog boarding

I am happy to offer a home boarding service for existing clients’ dogs at a cost of £25 per night. I only ever board one dog (or one family group of dogs) at a time & dogs are cared for as my own. Please ask for further details if you are interested.

4 September ‘10

admin — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 12:49:00 +0000

Availability update

As reflected in my calendar, I will be unavailable for dog walking from 22nd December ‘10 to 5th January ‘11 inclusive. Many clients will likely be on holiday at this time of year anyway, & I hope this gives those who are not plenty of notice to make alternative arrangements for their dogs if necessary.

I am now operating at almost full capacity on most days & therefore clients who use my service on an occasional rather than a regular basis may find that I don’t always have availability, particularly when requests are made at the last minute. I apologise for any inconvenience this may cause, but it is for the welfare & safety of all clients’ dogs that I must limit the number walked on any particular day.

26 July ‘10

admin — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:50:02 +0000

Lately I have received several enquiries from people who are in the process of setting up their own dog walking businesses, or perhaps just considering the idea of becoming a dog walker, asking for my advice on how to go about it. So I decided to write a blog post covering some of the basics. My ten top tips for starting your own dog walking business are based on what has worked for me.

1 June ‘10

admin — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 20:59:35 +0000

Let The Dogs Out has been operating for a whole year & it’s time to renew my dog walking insurance. I have chosen to take out a policy with Pet Business Insurance this year.

My cover includes:

Public Liability (injury to persons & damage to property) up to £2 million (for any one accident or cause)

Care, Custody & Control (accidental loss of or injury to animals in my care) up to £5000 (per animal)

Key Cover (costs incurred due to loss of any keys entrusted to me) up to £2000 (per year)

This cover compares favourably to that previously provided by NARP (which I used in the first year).

During my first year I have found that many clients (& their dogs!) value the social aspect of the walking service I provide. Under my new insurance, I will now have the flexibility to walk dogs in groups of up to 6 (previously 4), where appropriate.

Should you have any questions about any of the above, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Photocopies of my insurance documents are available to clients upon request.

11 March ‘10

admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:39:14 +0000

Client Testimonials

Thank you to everyone who provided testimonials at the beginning of the year. These have now been added to the website & can be viewed here.

Planned changes to the service

As of 12/4/10, all walks will be of 1 hour duration i.e. I will no longer be offering 30 minute walks. This is because the overwhelming majority of my clients request 1 hour walks so fitting 30 minute walks into my schedule is becoming increasingly difficult. The rate for 1 hour walks will remain unchanged i.e. £10 for the first dog, £5 for each additional dog from a given household.

Availability

I will be unavailable for dog walking / sitting on the following dates:

Sat 27 March
Mon 12 April
Sat 24 – Sun 25 April
Sat 1 – Sun 2 May
Sun 30 May
Sat 5 June
Tues 29 June
Sat 3 July

NB with two exceptions these are all weekend dates so will not affect the majority of clients.

In addition to the above dates I also plan to take a week’s holiday at some point over the Summer. I will be sure to give you at least a month’s notice of when this will be.

Remember, you can always check my calendar if you are unsure of my availability.

2 February ‘10

admin — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 20:59:24 +0000

Brrr… Let The Dogs Out has survived our first Winter! However, we have moved a little to the North. After moving house at the beginning of the year, I am no longer based in Pathhead but in Blackford in the South of Edinburgh. Sadly this has meant saying goodbye to some lovely clients who I am no longer able to reach, but on a positive note it has allowed me to welcome some great new dogs into my ‘pack’!

1 September ‘09

admin — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 10:08:46 +0000

Let The Dogs Out has been up & running for 3 months now & I’m pleased to say that the service seems to be a success!

I am currently walking dogs of all shapes & sizes from Pathhead, Dalkeith & Roslin in Midlothian, Cockenzie, Wallyford, Pencaitland, Prestonpans & Haddington in East Lothian, & Colinton in Edinburgh. My feet are well travelled & glad to get a rest at the end of each day, but I’m loving every minute of it!

Clients should note that there are some small changes planned to the existing service. These are outlined below & available to view in a pdf document here.

Rates

As of 1/10/9,

the rate I charge for 30 minutes walking time will increase from £5 to £7.
the rate for 1 hour walking time will remain the same at £10.
the charges for any additional dogs being walked from the same household also remain the same, at £3 per dog for 30 minutes walking time & £5 per dog for 1 hour walking time.

These changes reflect my experience since starting business in June that petrol & travel time costs work out the same for both 30 minute & 1 hour walks.

Walk times & durations

In order to make most efficient use of my time & petrol, whilst striving to meet each client’s individual requirements,

dogs who are due to be walked for 30 minutes may occasionally be walked for the longer time of 1 hour. This will be at no additional charge to the client. Please indicate if you do not wish your dog to be walked for longer than you have requested for whatever reason.
dogs due to be walked around midday may be walked within a window of 11am – 2pm, as this is, naturally, my busiest time of day. Again, please indicate if there is a reason why your dog cannot be walked within this more flexible time frame.

Wet weather

Now that the summer (ha!) is coming to an end, walks are bound to become wetter & muddier. I would appreciate if clients could leave out a designated towel to use for drying their dog(s). Although I always carry some towels in the car, they are bound to become soggy pretty quickly on a wet day!

Availability

I will always try & give you at least 1 month notice of any dates on which I am unable to walk your dog(s). At present the only dates I am aware of between now & Christmas when this is the case are Friday 18^th September & Saturday 31^st October.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any concerns regarding the above changes.