The Art of Dog-Walking

The art of Dog Walking. Okay, I'll admit it, I'm making it sound more glamorous than it can be, but it can also be really fun at times!

I myself am a dog walker, in Falls Church. I walk dogs in my neighborhood, and in other neighborhoods too. (If you are interested, please email me at sophieracine03@gmail.com. I am also available for dog sitting.) It can be fun, but once I was taking care of a dog, and the owners asked me to leave him outside during the day. The weather was nice, so it wasn't a big deal. But this dog had never had human food. On the morning of my birthday, we went to let out the dog, because we locked him up inside during the night. However, the dog had suffered side affects from the neighbors, because they had given him a lot of spicy food, as we later found out. That can be the downside.

What is also a downside, is coming across a hurt robin on your walk, and having to throw your shirt over it so you can take it to the rehabilitators. (Luckily I still had my bathing suit on; we had just come back from the pool and I threw on some shorts and a shirt to walk the client's dog.)

But, it can be fun. You bond with the dogs, and each one has their own personality. You get to now them, and you laugh a lot, because hey, dogs walking into tress because they're focused on a squirrel IS pretty funny.

You have to be responsible, though. You must always pick up the dog feces, and if the owner has left specific instructions such as where to walk the dog, you must follow those instructions. If you're walking dogs during the summer, make sure they have water when you come back, and during the winter, remember to put on their sweater/jacket IF the owner has left you instructions to do so, because often little dogs get cold. (Booties too, it might be cold, icy, or snowy, but remember, only with instructions left by the owner.)

For dog sitting, the rules are somewhere along that line. Follow all instructions left by the owner, and stay with the dog at all times, to make sure they don't dig or get into places where they are not supposed to be.

One final note: it might be a good idea to ask the owner if the dogs knows any tricks, to exercise them a bit mentally. Ask if there are any places that are off limits to the dog, and how to get them away from there if they happens to wander into a "No Dog Zone."

When you're dog walking or dog sitting, be responsible, but have fun with the dog!