Waggy Tales - Borrower Elaine, Surrey

Today we have the wonderful story of Elaine who signed-up to BorrowMyDoggy and matched with the dog of her dreams, Robbie a three-legged rescue dog. Elaine now takes care of Robbie every Sunday, and sometimes during the week, and is really enjoying sharing her time with a pooch, as well as showing Robbie some exciting new walking routes.

Why did you sign up to BorrowMyDoggy?I heard about BorrowMyDoggy through a colleague at work. She knows that I would love a dog of my own and asked if I’d heard of BorrowMyDoggy. That night, I went home and immediately signed up. It was fantastic - I was able to browse dogs in my area straight away and it was very quick to complete the verification process.

High paws! Tell us a little more about your experience...

I started to add dogs in my area to my favourites and after about a week I heard from Robbie’s owner. Robbie is a three-legged Romanian rescue dog and he is so lovely, my dream dog. Robbie’s owner and I exchanged messages and contact details, then arranged to meet up locally the following weekend for our ‘Welcome Woof’.

Tell us about your Welcome Woof?

We met locally and went for a walk together along the canal, which is Robbie’s normal walking route. We chatted loads and really got to know each other. It turned out that we actually had a lot in common and got on really well. After our walk, we went for a cup of tea and I met her husband and son. It was lovely as they were so friendly and welcoming.

How are you getting on with your new furry pal?

I am getting on so well with Robbie and his owner too! I look after him every Sunday and sometimes in the evenings during the week, too, as the days get longer. He is so happy to see me when I come round, he howls with excitement! They live just down the road from me, so I go round to theirs to pick Robbie up. He has a dog flap, so when I go round, I call for him and he comes running out into the garden. He knows me now and happily gets on the lead and comes with me.

As he only has three legs, I can only walk him for about 45 minutes to an hour because he gets tired. I love the feeling when I walk him, it’s so much fun and he is so relaxed and gentle. He absolutely loves walking in the woods and chasing squirrels. I like to walk him around Fleet Pond, which is a large safe area to walk dogs. He is so social with other dogs when he meets them.

BorrowMyDoggy is really working for me, I absolutely love it. It’s perfect as I can have the dog of my dreams and help someone out at the same time.

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

Be friendly, open, honest and, most importantly, be yourself. It’s so important to reassure the owner and get to know them well. They are trusting you with their dog, which is a big responsibility and the dog deserves the best care possible. You may need to go for a couple of walks together before everyone is comfortable, so take as long as you need to get to know each other well. Robbie’s owner saw that I could walk him and he was relaxed with me, which has worked out so well for all of us.

What words do you associate with BorrowMyDoggy?

I would say that BorrowMyDoggy is both innovative and brilliant.