What about all these new online booking companies like Rover or Wag?

While there are Some professional Walkers that take advantage of the Marketing Leverage Rover, Wag, Care, Thumbtack, Offer- The Majority Actively Avoid most if not all of these platforms.

So who are all the people signed up as sitters?

To be Honest, The Majority are simply your average Joe/Jill Looking to make what they perceive as a quick/easy Buck. They are High School & College Students, Stay at home moms or Retired homemakers.

Unfortunately these platforms have huge marketing campaigns that have led the general public to believe that all sitters/walkers on their platforms are Professional, Insured and Some even make them seem like the sitters are employees.

Sitters and Walkers that sign up with these companies have NO OBLIGATION to be Insured, Bonded, have any certifications, or any type of prior experience or training. Background checks are OPTIONAL if they are offered at all and These sitters are considered CONTRACTORS not employees there-fore these platforms have NO liability towards the sitter or walkers actions if and when things go wrong.

Still don’t see any difference?

DO YOU REALLY KNOW WHO’S WALKING YOUR DOGS? Looks don’t matter here-anyone can post a photo and look cute walking a dog!

At Lake Country K9 to 5 LLC. WE DO know who is Walking your Dogs! We’ve done criminal background checks (5 year state and federal!), drug testing, asked for a copy of the walkers driving record, done personality assessments, checked references and invested time and money to make sure WE know who is coming into your home! We also Believe that this Job is not as simple or easy as Picking up a leash and going. We KNOW dog behavior and Body Language and all of the Certifications our staff take allows us to prepare for ANY and all situations that may arise!

Safety should be your #1 concern. Only a trained professional-skilled in pet first aid and CPR, canine body language, basic obedience, and even beyond can make the correct judgement call about the health and wellness of the dogs in their care.

Employees of established companies are trained to follow a company protocol. They follow best practices. Online companies-what do they offer?

An established company offers legal documents to sign, liability insurance, bonding and accountability. Does that online service do the same?

An established company has a back up plan in place and knows how to deal with dog and home emergencies.

Professionals put their heart and soul into caring for your loved ones whereas Hobbyists, neighbors and friends, and online people generally are in it to make extra cash.

So, if you are considering hiring someone from a platform consider all the above factors and ask yourself if your comfort level is there.