Why we won’t use a third party booking website

In an attempt to get our website to the top of Google Rankings (please help us by sharing posts and leaving comments!) we’ve been researching dog walker listings. It seems that when you Google ‘Dog Walker’ the main sites that come up are the platforms where people sign up to register as a dog walker, the site takes the booking and the dog walker comes to you. Seems simple? Well, yes. But there are a lot of unknowns. Do you really KNOW who is going to walk your dog? Have they got any security checks? Are they insured to transport your dog in their vehicle? Are they insured for your dog whilst it’s in their care? What is their method for maintaining control of your dog? How many dogs will they walk at any one time? Chances are the booking site won’t have checked any of this – they will simply match the request to anyone who has signed up with them as a dog walker, then take their cut from the price paid. We won’t sign up with a third party booking site because we like to assess our dogs first, to see what group they would be compatible with, what their recall is like, any allergies they may have (we like to reward good behaviour with treats!), if there are any reactive issues and to reassure the owner that their dog is in safe hands with us. We don’t charge any more than a booking with a third party site, yet you get confidence, security and peace of mind. In return, we get 100% of the booking fee. This goes towards covering the cost of insurance, up to date certifications, fuel, admin, equipment, treats and poo bags. Lots and lots of poo bags!