Over the last couple weeks we’ve been trying different options for when we’re both working during the day. We both work from 9-6 and bike to work so it’s actually 8:45-6:20 we are out of the house. At first I thought it was really expensive for dog services but over time I’m seeing how much it makes sense and how much happier Whiskey is if she gets the exercise. For all the options we still walk her in the morning for 30-45mins (with most of it off leash) and also another walk as soon as we come home. This is our experience so far:
Dog hiking (1.5 hours hiking, 3 hours out) $22
- It’s actually difficult to find a very good company with openings because they’re usually scheduled with regulars so we’ve had to use two different companies so far. We give them the key and they come at around 12-12:30 and bring her back around 3-3:30. I found some “hikes” were actually to a beach and park so we prefer the one company that actually hikes. All hikes are off-leash and regulated to max 6 dogs. Both companies have reported that Whiskey has been great and has really good recall. She’s been “one of the easiest puppies” which is great to hear! The downside is she’s locked in her crate the rest of the day.
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| sample picture of usual hikes with company #1 |
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| of course she’s on a log! |
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| At the park (not always a hike with company#2) |
Daycare $22 +($25 in car rental)
- We’ve only tried this twice and it was the most difficult because we need to grab a Car2go each time (we are working on buying a car soon). Driving in rush hour traffic to drop her off and pick her up is also frustrating. Mix that with potential carsickness, parking, and the daycare closes at 6:30- it became our last option. The daycare itself was great though and she was happy to lie down when she came home.
Whiskey with “Bruce Wayne” someone is a tired puppy rubber floors so they don’t slip and hurt joints
Petsitting $35
- We found someone on Dogvacay (think AirBnB but for dogs) who lives pretty close so we’ve been dropping her off once a week there. It’s more expensive but it means no crate time, one on one attention, petting, and a home environment. She gets to sleep in the bed and go out for a long walk to the park.
Coming home at lunchtime $0
- Cheapest option but much more work! We need to bike home at lunch and because the biking takes up half our lunch, we tag-team taking Whiskey to the park and getting her some outside time. It’s great to spend more time with her and she’s always so happy! It’s much harder on rainy days though, and we live in Vancouver (Raincouver)
Our current schedule is
Monday: hike Tuesday: hike Wednesday: petsitting Thursday: hike Friday: come home
I think in the end I would like to leave Whiskey in the bedroom (we only have 2 rooms in our loft) and have her hike everyday.
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