As a Glasgow Dog Walking and doggy day care business, we get asked questions all day every day. Here are some of the most frequent ones, and our best advice:
1. I can get someone to walk my dog for £6 per hour, why can't you match that?
At Stardust, we firmly believe in offering our customers value for money as well as an excellent service. All of our team are fully trained, experienced and Police checked. We also operate as a professional business and provide other services, which our competitors may not. These include a dedicated account on our software, where you can manage your own bookings/ invoices/ information. Emergency support and guidance outwith office hours. All of our gang travel in customised air conditioned Stardust doggy vans to ensure safe transit. We therefore feel £10 for a 1 hour walk and £15 for doggy day care (5 hours) is excellent value for money.
On the back of this question we also get if I use you Mon - Fri will I get a discount?
No, we have a set number of spaces each day, so are unable to offer discounts. Many of our dogs walk with us Monday to Friday.
2. How do I know my dog won't just be travelling in a van all day?
Stardust was founded back in 2009 and our principles have always been the same. The first rule is that health and safety of the dogs is paramount and secondly all dogs are equal. All of our team have dogs too, so each of the gang is treated exactly like our own. Through our software, we send you a notification when your dog is picked up and again when it is dropped home, along with an accompanying photograph. The team are all tracked via GPS, which is available to view. We also post regular photographs and live feeds on our social media accounts. If all this fails; just check your dog's energy levels, they will be suitably shattered when the come home from a day out with us!
3. How many dogs are walked at a time?
We only offer group walks at Stardust as we do not have the capacity to provide solo walks. Each walk is usually between 6-8 dogs.
4. How do you ensure they won't fight?
Every dog is subject to an assessment during our initial free consultation. During which we observe the dogs behaviour, body language, social interaction and attitude. Usually during this we can advise whether our service will be suited to the dog or not. Only if the service will benefit the dog and our existing gang will we proceed with a trial walk.
5. Does my dog need to be neutered?
Not necessarily, although we do prefer it. Sometimes entire males can become aggressive with other males. If we do observe this or change in a male dog as it gets older then we would advise accordingly. As soon as you are aware that your female may be coming into season, she must stay off until it has passed, this can be between 2-4 weeks.
6. I might only need you every now and again would this be ok?
To be honest dogs are creatures of habit and like routine. If this is continually disrupted, your dog could become distressed and possibly even develop behavioural issues. We prefer to see dogs at least a couple of times a month, this therefore keeps them used to the routine and avoids any problems.
7. There are loads of Dog Walkers in Glasgow, why should I go with you?
At Stardust we are fully transparent and offer our customers an excellent level of service, for which our rates are very competitive. We now have almost 50 dogs on our books, a team of 3 crazy dog ladies who are bonkers about dogs. We are all fully trained, experienced and Policed checked. We have 3 customised doggy vans to ensure safe transit for all our gang. Our team also wear a uniform, which makes us easily identifiable. Holiday cover is always provided, therefore we won't leave you in the lurch or pass your dog to someone it's unfamiliar with whilst we are on holiday. We do however close down on Bank Holidays and over Christmas and New Year as we find most owners are home at these times. We can offer a limited service, if required.
8. Where do you walk?
All the gang are grouped in terms of their location to ensure that they are not spending any longer than they need to in our doggy vans. We therefore have various woodland walks that we use. We prefer to walk in areas which are not commonly used by the public, so we try to find off the beaten track areas, where the gang can have as much fun as possible and not be disrupted by anyone else.
9. How does home boarding work?
We offer home boarding only to the dogs we walk. The reason for this is that the dogs stay in our homes as part of the family. We therefore have to ensure that we know the dogs really well. All of the Stardust team have dogs of our own and some with young children, so we need to ensure everyone will be safe. We want your dog to have a stress free happy holiday with us, so you come back to a relaxed pup!
10. Why do I have to pay a retainer fee when my dog is off?
At Stardust we operate on the same principles as a nursery, we like to think of ourselves as the canine version. The retainer fee ensures your dog's space is reserved when it is off as there would be nothing worse than a disappointed mutley if all our spaces were full.
