Waggy Tales - Borrower Marjanne, London

Borrower Marjanne has found lovely BorrowMyDoggy matches in not one, but two cities! She also attributes her speedy recovery following a broken jaw to lots of love and cuddles from her match, Schnitzel the crossbreed. Here’s her fantastic Waggy Tale :)

Why did you sign up to BorrowMyDoggy?

I first heard about BorrowMyDoggy when it came up on my Facebook feed on Christmas day. It looked like such a great idea so I thought I’d see what it was all about.

High paws! Tell us a bit about your BorrowMyDoggy experience...

I’ve used BorrowMyDoggy in two cities already. Previously, I was living in Oxford and I received a message within a few days from the owner of two lovely spaniels. We met up and I started walking them which was wonderful. I had to give up walking them when I moved to London. When I changed my location to London, I was very excited to find there were hundreds of pooches within a 1 mile radius of my new home.

How was your ‘Welcome Woof’?

I am currently looking after two different dogs who live very close. One of them just lives two streets down from me. Before we met up, we messaged through BorrowMyDoggy and then arranged to meet locally for the first time for our ‘Welcome Woof’. I’ve been over to their houses as well and one of the owners came to visit my house too for peace of mind.

How are you getting on with your new furry pals?

Calix the Golden Retriever and Schnitzel, who is a cross breed, are both lovely. Both dogs recognise me when I go to pick them up which means there is a bond between us. I get on well with their owners too.

I look after Schnitzel more often than Calix and even had her staying at my place this past weekend. For Schnitzel, we have quite an ad hoc arrangement. When I have free time, I’ll text her owners and ask if she can come round to play! I’ve built a really good relationship with her and I had written confirmation from her owners that she can go off the lead now on walks.

Recently, I had an accident where I fell off my bike and broke my jaw. I couldn’t go to work so I was just lying at home with not a lot to do. During this period, Schnitzel came over to my house during the day. We lay in bed, cuddled and even went out for little walks. We had a really good time. It definitely helped to speed up my recovery. Her owner even bought me stuff to help heal scars which was very thoughtful.

BorrowMyDoggy is a great way to meet new, local and like-minded people with an enthusiasm for dogs. It’s good for people who are considering having a dog as it allows you to see how much work it is. For me, I absolutely love dogs but underestimated the time it takes, especially after having one for the whole weekend.

What's the one thing you would tell other potential borrowers about BorrowMyDoggy?

It’s a great idea and it works very well. As a borrower, it is very cheap, the price of two pints in London! It’s definitely worth the money and it’s a fun way to interact with dogs without having to commit to owning one.

I’ve already recommended BorrowMyDoggy to one of my friends who was looking for someone to help look after his dog when he went on holiday. He signed up and met loads of people. It really helped him, not just for his holiday but for everyday life. I’ve been telling everyone about it and have had a few more friends sign up who really enjoy it too.

What words do you associate with BorrowMyDoggy?

Dog-lovers, outdoorsy and sociable.