23/04/2026
Unfortunately, Fife Council have retired the Dog Walker Accreditations with the Dog Watch Scheme, which Wolfsounds had been a member of since we launched. It was a great resource for clients to find reputable and responsible professionals operating in the area, and most of the new clients we've been enlisted by over the past 2 years found us from our listing on the councils website, so it was disappointing to hear that it would not be renewed for the next fiscal year.
It did more than promote us from a business perspective, I rated the initiative quite highly because it strengthened the network we had in the local community between us dog walkers and the council. It gave members of the scheme confidence in dealing with the public. It helped ensure the wellbeing and safety of pets with the inspection of our vehicles and transport equipment, limiting group walk sizes to 6 dogs, and the approval of contracts and record keeping helped make sure client agreements were legally sound.
Without the standardised checks that this scheme offered, there is now no formal regulation on offer for professional dog walkers in Fife. Pet owners looking for care and walking services now have to do all these assurance checks themselves when sourcing help.
If you know someone looking for of thinking about pet care services in Fife, ask them if they know what to look for:
✳️Relevant Pet First Aid - Pet/Canine/Feline etc
📋Disclosure checked
🔒Fully insured for the relevant services - walking, boarding, taxi (even for emergencies), training...
🚙Transport equipment and safety - properly ventilated vehicle with secure travel restraints (leash seatbelts, fitted crates, travel harnesses)
🐕🦺Operational practises - ie limits of number of dogs per walk, leash handling preferences, locations used
📑Client information records (with veterinary info and emergency permissions)
🔑Safe storage of client data and property
💖Ethical and welfare standards
👩🎓Knowledge of laws and regulations surrounding the work
