Waggy Tales - Borrower Vanessa and Princeton, London

Borrower Vanessa joined BorrowMyDoggy as she’s “crazy about dogs” and found her pawfect match in Princeton the Staffie, which happens to be her favourite breed - high paws! Vanessa and Princeton enjoy 1 day a week together filled with lots of cuddles and playtime. You can also sniff out Princeton’s owner’s Waggy Tale here.

How did you hear about BorrowMyDoggy?

I saw BorrowMyDoggy on a friend’s Facebook and, as I’m crazy for dogs, I had to investigate. When I saw the website I was immediately over excited, it seemed perfect! I love dogs, however, I work long hours and can’t have a dog of my own so BorrowMyDoggy is the perfect solution. I signed up straight away.

Once I’d signed up, I looked at the different profiles and even though I didn’t hear back from people immediately, I didn’t give up. My partner encouraged me to keep going as there are all sorts of reasons that people might not get back to me. I have a soft spot for Staffies, so when I saw Princeton I wrote a nice, long message to his owners. I heard back a few days later and everything fell into place from there.

How was your ‘Welcome Woof’?

We met up for the first time in a local park as we live very close to each other and I liked them straight away. Princeton was really cool and we clicked immediately.

I spoke with his owners about his history, he was a rescue dog so he didn’t have the easiest start in life. We gave him treats and played with his tennis ball. At the end of the meeting he even tried to follow me home!

It was important to me that before I took him alone, everyone was comfortable so we met up around four different times. After that, I felt very relaxed and happy to take him out. The website puts security measures in place so I felt safe. I am very careful and I want to make sure everything is in order and everyone is happy.

What kind of arrangement do you have with Princeton’s owners?

It’s quite ad hoc as we live so close and they’re very easy going. I just text and say I’m off so can I take Princeton for a walk or a play. I try to see him every week at least once. My partner loves dogs, too, so he’s happy for me.

How are you getting on with Princeton and his owners?

Princeton is always excited to see me and wags his tail. When they drop him off, he runs straight to my door and I’m so excited, too. I like his owners a lot. I wasn’t really expecting to meet people through the site, I was initially just in it for the love of dogs. I really like Noel and his partner so they’ve become friends as well. They have lots of similar interests to my partner and I - movies and books, etc. It’s a really nice added bonus. They’ve been so lovely and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I’m 100% happy.

Noel's partner suffers from a disease that makes him very tired and there have been days where he was too unwell to take Princeton for a walk. On some of those days I was available at short notice which meant that he did not have to rely on a dog walker or pay for someone to look after Princeton. He said that BorrowMyDoggy could be a great help to more people like him as there have been days where my help made a huge difference.

I have also met another dog, Ted the Cockapoo, and his owner Christine through BorrowMyDoggy. I see Ted once or twice a month and he’s lovely.

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

I would say in the beginning, don’t get disheartened if you don’t get a reply immediately. Keep going and you’ll find the right match. You need to invest time to get to know the dog, too. It’s so exciting when you first log on, I really recommend it. I’ve already met two people in the park and their dogs were BorrowMyDoggy dogs, too!

What phrase do you associate with BorrowMyDoggy?

For me its been amazing as I really missed having dogs. I feel so much happier since I met Princeton. I really look forward to seeing him and going for walks.