Waggy Tales - Borrower Lyndsey, Glasgow

Borrower Lyndsey has always grown up surrounded by dogs, so she was very happy when she matched with two dogs, Fudge and Skye. Lyndsey now helps take care of both of them regularly, and lives right by a park which is pawfect - high paws! Here’s Lyndsey’s story.

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

I would encourage people to sign up to BorrowMyDoggy. It’s really rewarding and it is definitely worth going through the verification process. One of the main reasons that I got chosen by the owners was because I was verified. Verification really adds the extra element of trust which is so important as it’s what the site is based on. It’s a really good website, I’ve told all my friends about it and some have even signed up. It’s such an amazing idea and rewarding for everyone involved.

Why did you sign up to BorrowMyDoggy?

I’ve had dogs all my life, so when I moved to Glasgow for university I really missed having one in my life. A friend of mine heard about BorrowMyDoggy and, as I don’t have the time or money for a dog of my own, it sounded like a great way to be able to spend time with a dog on a part time basis.

High paws! Do tell us about your experience with BorrowMyDoggy…

When I first signed up to BorrowMyDoggy, there were fifteen dogs signed up within three miles of my address. I added four or five local dogs to my favourites and heard back from one who was listed as within a quarter of a mile of my house. It turned out that the owners, and their lovely dog Fudge, lived around the corner from me which was perfect.

Since then, I’ve looked after Fudge several times, she’s a lovely dog. There are now around double the number of dogs in my local area, which is great, and I’ve made another local dog friend called Skye.

Tell us about your first ‘Welcome Woof’?

After messaging back and forth with Fudge’s owners through BorrowMyDoggy, we arranged to meet up locally at Glasgow Green for our ‘Welcome Woof’. They told me all about Fudge, we had a great chat and really got to know each other. We discussed what they were looking for, when they might need a little help looking after Fudge and told me that they would be happy for me to look after her whenever I want. We had a cup of tea back at theirs too - it went really well.

The first time I looked after Fudge, her owners were going out during the day so they were keen for someone to look after her as she can get quite anxious when she’s left on her own. I’ve done that quite a few times now and it works perfectly for all of us. I get on really, really well with Fudge’s owners. It’s great as well because I was new to the area and they were able to give me lots of great tips and information about the area. We have an ongoing casual arrangement and we help each other out when we can. It’s definitely been mutually beneficial for me, them and, of course, Fudge!

Do you have any other local doggy pals?

As well as Fudge, I recently looked after another lovely local dog called Skye. Skye’s owner got in touch with me on BorrowMyDoggy and, like with Fudge’s owners, we messaged and arranged a lunchtime walk at a local park. We chatted about what we were both looking for and got to know each other. It turns out Skye’s owner has to go away with work for a few days at a time and he’s looking for someone to help out with Skye during these times.

Since then, I’ve looked after Skye whilst her owner was away and it was brilliant! When her owner dropped her off for the first time, he explained all the important things that I needed to know, her eating habits etc. He was on hand to text and call if I had any concerns and I kept him updated on her progress the whole time she was with me. Skye was absolutely great, she’s such a chilled out dog. It was so nice to have a dog around and her owner was great too and so grateful. I would really like to continue helping him out and seeing Skye too.

Any other woofs that you would like to share?

I feel so thankful to have met such lovely local people and dogs. I was recently made redundant and BorrowMyDoggy has been a wonderful pick-me-up. It’s been great to get experience with new breeds of dogs too.

What one word do you associate with BorrowMyDoggy?

Rewarding