Bathurst Dog Walking

2000 kilometres

... and still walking!

 

Not so long ago now, I had the great idea of starting a Dog Walking, Check-in  and Pet Taxi Service here in Bathurst. I was inspired at the time by some pretty disparate influences, a friend, a gaol & a physio!

 

The friend had started a Dog Walking service in her local area in Sydney. She is a very clever person but found herself between jobs. I thought,’… if she can do it… so can I!’ I was also inspired by a program going on up at the Gaol. One that has inmates working with and training assistance dogs for sufferers of PTSD… a subject close to my own heart. The physio, well my physio, a final year student from CSU up at Bathurst Base, showed me the way back to exercise and well…just walking again!

 

So since the start I have been meeting some great Dogs and their families. Sometimes It’s just the one off a few times a year, when work and other everyday life, clashes with the usual family routine of Dog walking,

 

There are owners that have been on the injury bench for a little while and I have had the opportunity to sub-in for them while they are on the road to recovery.

 

For some of “My” Dogs, I have the once a week big walks (the family does lots of little walks). Others have the regular couple of days a week walks while family members are on shift work or at school.

 

I have met and got to walk with some real characters, everyone is different and they all make me laugh at their antics and the questioning looks they give me. We sometimes have great chats and they are all pretty good listeners.

 

No matter the age, level of fitness or abilities, all of “My” Dogs have an energy and a vibrancy that just makes my day. I often wonder if they have as much fun as I do, but the general feedback from family members is that they are a different Dog when the family gets home from work or school.

 

I am happy enough with that!

 

I get such great welcomes and happy faces when I arrive to collect all my fur-friends, and judging by the tail wagging, snuffling, happy prancing feet and bouncy strides They seem pretty happy too. There are even sad faces when I leave after a walk…one of them mine!

 

Some of “My” Dogs are serious, some are a little crazy, some are clearly just happy to go for a walk anywhere, everywhere, with  almost anyone! Some even pick the routes we take, some like to lead the way, others are happy to chill with me. All my team are affectionate in their way…some diving on me for a wrestle if I sit down, others happy to quietly sit and watch the world and look at me occasionally (clearly saying…this is pretty sweet…!) Some lean on me, others drowning me in happy facelicks!

 

 We get to meet and see lots of things, tons of birds, the odd flitting cat scooting off home, some are very very interested in Ducks, another loves their pigeons, one of my team loves possum trails and scats.

 

Some have adored the horses we meet, others like the cattle we see, some have sat by and watched alpacas and sheep. One showed me where a friendly blue-tongue lizard lived and I got hold of it to see what they would do… and they just stared very intently…a very safe lizard indeed! Every day is a little different no matter where we walk, and we mostly walk close to home.

 

Our walks seem to give them a broader world view and their place in it… That park at the end of the street… passing other Dogs in their yards, knowing where a swimming hole is…that mud hole! All those trees, the crackly frost on the grass of that one persons yard, the friendly person saying hello in the cold morning…and drinks in the shade in summer. All just fitting in with what is outside the gate that they can scent and hear going on around them, when in the yard.

 

In the first 2000km, I have seen no snakes...at all! I am very strategic as to where and when I walk "My" Dogs.

 

So all in all, my first 2000 km’s have been fun… I have had the opportunity to meet some great families here in Bathurst and had the fun of meeting their awesome Fur-family members.

 

Let me know if I can help out with the occasional walk, a check-in while you are away or even a regular vet visit during business hours.

 

Thanks for all the miles guys!