Pigs&Paws Pet Sitting

24/06/2026

I've just stumbled across this on line....

So, let's talk about pay during hot weather.

I know this is probably going to be quite a controversial topic, but I'm genuinely interested to hear other people's thoughts. I also think it's a good opportunity to explain to owners why there usually aren't reductions when a walk is replaced with a pop-in visit.

Let's say you walk a group of 6 dogs for an hour and charge £12 per dog. That's £72 for the walk. Sounds great, right? But it's not just an hour's work.

You then have at least an hour of pick-ups and drop-offs (and that's assuming traffic behaves itself!), which brings it down to the equivalent of around £24 per hour. Then there's tax, taking that figure closer to £19.20 per hour. But we're still not finished...

There's fuel, van insurance, road tax, business insurance, treats, poo bags, vehicle maintenance, equipment, and all the other costs that come with running a dog walking business. By the time everything is accounted for, you're often not earning much more than minimum wage.

So when someone charges the same price for a 30-minute pop-in as they do for an hour-long group walk, I can understand why some owners feel it's expensive. Compared to a group walk, it is more expensive. However, you're paying for one-to-one time, and when you factor in travel to and from your home, the walker isn't far off earning what they would have made from a group walk.

Now let's talk about payment during extreme heat.

Personally, I don't charge for a service if I'm closed and unable to provide it. If I can't fulfil a booked service, I feel clients should either not be charged, receive a refund, or have the payment credited towards a future booking. Not to mention, my conscience simply wouldn't allow me to take someone's money without doing any work! 😅

I completely understand that extreme weather isn't anybody's fault, and I genuinely sympathise with those whose income takes a hit because of it. However, if I paid for a service that was cancelled due to unexpected circumstances, I would expect either a refund or the opportunity to use that service at a later date.

So I'm curious—what are your thoughts?

Do you absorb the loss and move on, or do you still charge a deposit or cancellation fee?

And if you took the loss this time, would you consider changing your terms and conditions in the future to include an extreme weather policy?

22/06/2026

No winching allowed on my walks 🚫💋
Sit… not snog

22/06/2026

Winnie and her new pal Remy 🥰

22/06/2026

💜📸 Monday 15 - Saturday 20 📸💜

22/06/2026

21/06/2026

☀️ Toasty Temps Incoming! ☀️

To make sure everyone stays safe and comfortable, we’ll be aiming to get as much of the day done before the peak sun and heat hits. This may mean some earlier collections/walks, and a few adjustments to the usual routine where needed!

🐾💜🐕🌳☀️

20/06/2026

💖 Wee change to the schedule going forward 💖

With Mondays and Fridays being our quieter days, I’ve decided I’m going to take advantage of that - every second Monday and Friday I’ll be starting a little later than usual! 😊

If you know me, you’ll know I’m usually running about like I’ve got the zoomies! 😂 Recently, I’ve realised I’m actually quite bad at just taking things at a slower pace and giving myself the chance to slow down and take a breather. So every second Monday and Friday, I’ll be doing just that and starting the day at a gentler pace - extended weekends!!💜
I know a few faces will appreciate a wee lie in too!

Typically, collections are somewhere around the 9/10 am mark, with the occasional earlier start around 8:30am. On these quieter weeks, I’ll likely be starting collections closer to 10/11 am instead. As most of you know, we never arrange specific collection times due to the nature of working on the road - it’s just not practical - so this still gives us plenty of flexibility.

As always, if the later start doesn’t quite work for you, just give me a shout and we’ll see what we can do to accommodate. If a wee adjustment is needed from time to time, that’s no problem either!

📢 If your dog is part of our Monday or Friday regular gang, please give this post a wee like so I know you’ve seen it and can keep track of anyone I'd still need to contact.

Just in case I’m kicking it back one morning and you’re wondering if I’ve gone MIA… don’t panic! 😂🐾

🗓Next slow start week W/C Mon 29th June

🐾💜 Thanks everyone 💜🐾

19/06/2026

I usually meet the most lovely people on my walks, but today was a rare exception. 😢

If you walk up - at speed - behind someone with a group of dogs off lead minding their own business and don’t make yourself known until they come over for a sniff hello - they will come up to you. Then telling me you are scared of dogs and they should be on leads when you’ve continued to walk at speed through them all does not GIVE ME TIME TO PUT 6 dogs on leads. (Sadly,as yet, there is no contraption that allows me to put six dogs on leads in under a second).
Then after walking away shout at me that they’ve made your shorts dirty - well perhaps you should stick to a treadmill at the gym.

I always try to be so aware of people
around me - especially those who are frightened of dogs- but I don’t have 360 degree vision and if you don’t give me a small heads up or a moment to put them on a lead then I’m afraid they will come over for, at worst, a hello.

Let’s share the countryside and not be t***s.

EDIT. Well that escalated quickly so I’ve turned off comments for now. Thanks for all your thoughts - it’s obviously a divisive subject. I just wanted to stress that we all need to communicate and then 99% of these issues will be avoided. I’ll go back to posting photos of my happy gang! Happy walking in the sunshine people x

19/06/2026

A quiet wee Friday… later start today!