Cat got your tongue? Messaging tips for Borrowers

You’ve found some gorgeous dogs on BorrowMyDoggy, who you’d love to get to know a bit better, so now is the time to get messaging!

Sending a message to an owner and their dog can let them know why you think you could be the right match for them. But we get it, sending a message can be a little nerve-wrecking, and you want to put your best paw forward, so to help we've put together a messaging guide to help you find a new pooch pal.

Message Owners - DOs

Personalise your messages - make sure the owner can see that you’ve read their profile and understand what they need
Let an owner know your availability - even though it’s on your profile, letting an owner know your availability can be really helpful
Be patient - Just like you, owners can be busy, so you might have to give them a little while to respond
Reply - even if you don’t think someone is the right match for you, or you already have a dog to borrow, if someone messages you, be sure to reply to them to let them know. If you want to hide your profile to not looking check out how to change your settings
Check their membership - If an owner isn’t premium they won’t be able to reply to you yet. But some are just waiting for a message from a pawsome potential borrower to upgrade.
Have an open mind - You might have your sights set on borrowing a mini daxie puppy, but how about spending time with an older one? Or maybe use BorrowMyDoggy as a chance to learn about other breeds? Lots of our members have borrowed breeds they never would have thought about before and ended up loving them more than they could imagine!

Messaging Owners - DON’Ts

Only talk about yourself - It’s great to let a potential match know a bit more about you, but be sure to tell them how you can help them, and how you can be the pawfect match for their pooch.
Ask for too much too quickly - Most dog owners think of their pups as family members, and it’s really important that they build up a good relationship with you and you get to know their dog really well before you go to the next step.
Be inflexible - It can be tough when you have other things going on, but try and be as flexible as possible as to when you can meet and borrow a dog.
Message only a few people - It’s pretty simple really, the more people you message, the more likely you are to receive a response!
Overshare - the ‘Welcome Woof’ is the pawfect time to get to know each other and discuss more about your situation in detail.
Miss opportunities - if you can’t help right now but might be able to in the future let an owner know, and keep in touch!
Write too much - It’s great to introduce yourself and let an owner know why you think their pooch is pawsome, but if your message is too long then they might not read it all the way through. Just think, if someone sent me this would I read it all? If you wouldn’t then it’s probably a bit too long.

Owners want to be sure you’re willing to get to know and care for their dog, and that you really value their relationship with their pooch, so when sending your first message be sure to avoid messages that don’t give that impression.

Got questions on sending messages or anything else about BorrowMyDoggy? Get in touch with our friendly help team.

When you've messaged a potential match, got to know each other and feel comfortable, you’re ready to schedule your first meet and greet, the ‘Welcome Woof’. We’re sure you’ll find a pawsome match soon!