At Hearts at Home Pet Sitting, we pride ourselves on being present for our clients' pets when they can't be. For this reason, we believe that every dog guardian should have an established relationship with a professional pet care provider or dog walker. The following are our top five reasons to hire a dog walker.
Top Five Reasons to Hire a Dog Walker: Exercise & Weight Maintenance
According to Chewy, dogs need exercise because it combats anxiety, keeps dogs feeling youthful, strengthens the bond between handler and dog, helps dogs maintain a healthy weight, provides enrichment, prevents boredom, and allows dogs to practice discipline and social skills.
Unfortunately, obesity is the most common preventable disease in North American dogs. Per VCA Animal Hospitals, “Approximately 25-30% of the general canine population is obese, with 40-45% of dogs aged 5-11 years old weighing in higher than normal.”
Professional dog walkers provide low-impact exercise for dogs of all ages. Our team of pros ensures that dogs are walked for an adequate length of time, at a proper pace, and while keeping in mind environmental and weather-related considerations to ensure each dog’s comfort and safety.
Top Five Reasons to Hire a Dog Walker: Enrichment & Socialization
In addition to needing more exercise, most American dogs desperately need more socialization and enrichment. Dogs are natural walkers and avid explorers; they love to interact with their environment by sniffing and taking in their surroundings. For this reason, a daily walk in the neighborhood is enough to greatly improve a dog’s quality of life.
Dogs also benefit immensely from interactions with humans that are not part of their immediate family. By establishing a relationship with a professional dog walking service, you allow your dog to interact with highly qualified professionals who make each interaction a positive one. Especially for dogs that are skittish around strangers, our team provides slow and gentle opportunities for dogs to develop relationships with our care providers.
Top Five Reasons to Hire a Dog Walker: Convenience
The benefits of hiring a dog walker are not just for the dog. Some of our clients tell us that the greatest benefit they yield from their relationship with us is the convenience we offer when life gets hectic. Many of our clients are busy professionals with families, hobbies, and social lives. While living their lives to the fullest includes sharing their lives and homes with a dog or dogs, many pet parents have a hard time balancing their daily demands and their dogs’ needs.
We at Hearts at Home Pet Sitting make life a little more manageable. Once our clients are established with our services, they can use our online scheduling software 24-hours a day, 7 days a week to schedule regular midday visits or a la carte services whenever is convenient for them. Both ongoing appointments and sporadic scheduling are welcome because we know that every family is different.
Top Five Reasons to Hire a Dog Walker: Support in the Unexpected
Finally, life can be quite unpredictable. Schedules, demands, and reality can change from one day to the next. For this reason, it’s a great idea to maintain a relationship with a pet care provider that can care for your dog when you physically cannot. Whether it be because of surgery and recovery or an unexpected last-minute trip to see family, our team is happy to step in and help. We believe that it takes a village to properly care for our pets and are dedicated to helping families thrive by adding an extra layer of support.
Top Five Reasons to Hire a Dog Walker: Fun
We all deserve to have a little fun and dogs are no different. In addition to all the above-mentioned benefits of hiring a dog walker for your dog, dogs enjoy their dog walking visits. They look forward to our arrival, are at ease when we leave, and they enjoy every second of our time together. It's no wonder many of our clients' kids refer to their dog walker as their dog's "best friend."
To learn more about our flexible scheduling and dedicated services, email us at Hello@HeartsAtHomePetSitting.com or call 757-745-9868.