Waggy Tales - Borrower Kev, Newcastle

Our latest Waggy Tale is from borrower Kev and his fiancée, who look after Axel, a gorgeous Golden Retriever. They’ve built up a trusting relationship with Axel’s owner and now take care of him regularly - high paws!

How are you getting on with your new furry pal?

My fiancée is over the moon with our local match and, to be honest, so am I. Her phone is full of pictures of her and Axel the Golden Retriever. She even goes out and buys him new toys and we take him to a local dog-friendly pub, which even has a dog menu! It’s fantastic and all the extra walking is helping me lose a bit of weight before the wedding.

Why did you sign up to BorrowMyDoggy?

My fiancée loves dogs, but we both work full time, live in a city centre apartment and don’t have a lot of extra time so it’s not appropriate for us to have a dog right now. We’re due to get married later this year and all she ever says is “I want a dog”, so when BorrowMyDoggy came up on my Facebook feed, I thought what have I got to lose? We signed up and saw that there were dogs in our area, including my fiancée’s favourite, Labradors and Retrievers. It was a no brainer.

How was your ‘Welcome Woof’?

Through BorrowMyDoggy, we messaged back and forth with Anne, the owner of a beautiful Golden Retriever called Axel. They live a short drive away from us, so after exchanging phone numbers we arranged to meet at a local beach for our ‘Welcome Woof’. It felt like a first date! We met and it took off from there and it’s worked out nicely. Anne works about a two minute walk from where we live. If she’s on a long shift, she drops him off in the morning and picks him up on the way home. It’s so convenient for all of us.

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

We’ve looked after Axel for a few months now, mostly on weekends, and Anne is happy for us to look after him whenever we want so it works out for all of us. Anne knows he enjoys his time with us as when he comes round, he always runs up to the door with his tail wagging - he loves the extra attention. We’ve built up a really trusting relationship with Anne and that’s so important. Dogs are part of the family, so for her to put that trust in us is a big deal.

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

A dog is a lifetime commitment, so if you’re thinking about getting a dog then BorrowMyDoggy gives you a chance to see if a dog suits your lifestyle and if it works for you and your family. It’s great as you’re also doing a favour for someone else.

What one word do you associate with BorrowMyDoggy?

Wooftastic!