our dog walker

Although we've had a dog walker for a couple of months now, tax season at work has kept me from singing his praises until now.  We found Mark Sedgwick of Walkabout Critter Care through an ad he posted at our vet's office.  As I've said in a previous post, there aren't many dog walkers who take clients in the outer Richmond area where we live (which I think is totally lame).  We were very lucky to come across Mark's card and to hear he was still expanding his pack.

Since I was super busy with work on the weekends, Papa and our roommate interviewed Mark and went through the initial introductions with Dash.  From what I heard the meeting went really well and Mark seemed like a great guy.  I was also pleased to hear his test walk with our mini Aussie puppy wasn't a complete bomb.  He said Dash had a great spirit and that he'd love to work with him more before bringing him into the pack.

I think he ended up taking Dash on two more private Saturday walks to strengthen the bond between them and figure out which treats Dash liked best.  I don't know how Mark did it, but he figured out that bribing our mini Aussie puppy with cooked chicken quelled his wandering (aka spazzy) dog park behavior.  I'm told Dash has better recall by using the treats, and is learning to follow the pack with Mark as his leader.

We currently have the little monster signed up for 2-3 hour adventures to Fort Funston on Tuesdays and Thursdays at $25 a pop.  Mark comes to our house, picks Dash up, takes him out, and drops him off without a trace.  I wish we could afford to send him more days of the week, but for now with the wedding budget this is a comfortable schedule for us.  Sometimes I wonder what they do out there, but for the most part Dash seems more relaxed on those days, and it definitely gives him 2-3 fewer hours at home to destroy the house!

I still haven't met him yet, but Mark Sedgwick has become like our guardian angel in a way.  He swoops in when no one is home and takes Dash out to release some of that never ending energy!!  I'm sure he's saved at least one thing from being chewed to death... and I get to come home to a (relatively) calmer puppy!

need dog walker

Most days I'm not the first to get off work, so I'm usually saved from the horrors of coming home to our mini Aussie puppy and his "art projects".  At first we told ourselves it was just because of teething.  Now we're not sure when it will ever end!

Papa Dash has cleaned countless torn pee pads, chewed wires and shoes, broken wicker baskets, disheveled pillows, tattered DVD folders, dissected tissue boxes, mangled game controllers, shredded paper bags, gnawed furniture...  Even an unpopped bag of popcorn.  You think it, and Dash has probably chewed it up.  I realize in writing this it sounds like we're very irresponsible puppy parents who shouldn't give their unsupervised canine access to such things.  Nonetheless, it will blow your mind to know what this puppy is capable of in terms of ingenuity and physical agility!

We've been looking for a dog walker on and off for some time now, since we can't afford to send Dash to doggy day care.  Our rationale is that going out for a couple of hours to play will help burn off energy and stimulate Dash's mind, so that he no longer resorts to chewing.  There are also several great off-leash places where he could romp to his heart's desire and be nice and mellow when we come home from work.

At first we figured in a city like this, where there is the highest number of dogs per capita in the nation, finding a dog walker would be cake.  But, the crazy thing is that in San Francisco, where the entire city is about 8 miles by 8 miles, there are NO established dog walkers in our area!!  Our apartment is apparently too far into suburbia (or the avenues as the locals call it).  No in-demand professionals venture out here, since there is a higher concentration of wealthy people and penned up dogs to be had in the more metropolitan neighborhoods.

Until we find someone trustworthy and competent enough to handle spry little Dash, our daily surprises like this one will continue.  I used to keep a potted house plant on the side table next to the couch.  BADDD idea.  Papa Dash had a wonderful time cleaning this one up!  He was so (not) amused that he took a photo just to show me how hard he worked to get it clean by the time I came home.

So the search continues...  Perhaps the new year will bring new luck in the dog walker department!  Either that, or our living room will soon become void of anything even remotely chewable...