Here is the lovely story of owner Jane and her gorgeous pooch, Lily the Cockerpoo. Jane signed Lily up to BorrowMyDoggy to join a doggy-loving community and also to share Lily’s love. Lily now has 2 borrowers to help take care of her either when Jane is looking for a helping paw, or if one of the borrower wants some happy dog time. High paws!

What has been the biggest benefit of joining the BorrowMyDoggy community?

Being part of a community of fellow dog lovers and being able to share the love of my dog with other people has been great. Funnily enough, I wasn’t really a dog person before we got Lily and now I think she’s the best thing since sliced bread. It’s been so lovely to make new friends in my area who share my love of dogs.

Why did you sign up to BorrowMyDoggy?

It was my husband who first told me about BorrowMyDoggy and when I mentioned it to my Mum, it turned out she had already heard about the website too! Signing up sounded like a great way to meet new people in my area, share our lovely dog with someone else and, as we were paying for a dog walker previously, there was a financial benefit too.

How did you go about finding local friends for Lily?

I created Lily’s profile on BorrowMyDoggy fairly swiftly and waited to see what the response was. As borrowers started to add her to their favourites, I started to send out messages. I met with two different borrowers whose profiles I really liked.

Tell us about your Welcome Woof?

I’ve met with two borrowers who have since taken care of Lily. In both cases, we messaged through BorrowMyDoggy a few times before we exchanged phone numbers. We then arranged to meet locally several times to really get to know each other and make sure that everyone, including Lily, was happy. It was important to me that the borrower was getting something out of the arrangement too and that they didn’t just feel like a volunteer dog walker. If a borrower wants to take out Lily on the weekend, when it’s more convenient for them, then I have absolutely no problem with them doing so if we’re around. Our meetings went really well and we completely understood where each other was coming from. Everyone is happy which is great.

How is Lily getting on with her new friends?

Lily is getting on really well with everyone. She is such a friendly and enthusiastic dog and she’s absolutely settled with her borrower friends. The first couple of times that I met with the borrowers, I had control of Lily, then once I felt comfortable, they took the lead. She didn’t bat an eyelid, she’s such a good dog to take out. When one of the borrowers, Julie, came round to pick her up, Lily was so excited and all over her as soon as she arrived. It was really lovely to see.

What one word do you associate with BorrowMyDoggy?

Bouncy! BorrowMyDoggy is like a puppy, it’s so enthusiastic and fun.