New System for Dog Walking?????

[pinkandfluffy]

Hi everyone

It seems the home has introduced a new system for dog walking this weekend whereby you are given a dog in the numerical order of the kennels.

I wondered what you all thought of this system? Do you think its a better system or not?

I think it would be good to have some opinions for the staff at the home, who continue to do a great job

[Baglady]

Feb 19, 2012 16:24:09 GMT pinkandfluffy said:

Hi everyone

It seems the home has introduced a new system for dog walking this weekend whereby you are given a dog in the numerical order of the kennels.

I wondered what you all thought of this system? Do you think its a better system or not?

I think it would be good to have some opinions for the staff at the home, who continue to do a great job

I've heard quite a few walkers say they don't like it If this is the general feeling, then I think it's maybe a good idea to let the Home know.

I do understand that if at half past two in the afternoon, some dogs have been out twice and some not at all, that it's reasonable for the staff to suggest alternative dogs, but part of the enjoyment is getting to know the dogs, we are all bound to have our 'favourites'

Alicia - what you you and Brodie think?

S xxx

[Kara Collie-Cross]

Hmmm...

Interesting one this... I see both benefits and drawbacks.

I have both walked favourites that I had a chance to get to know.
I have also gone in and just asked for a "lucky dip" and let them pick a dog.

I enjoy getting to know a dog and think they benefit from getting to know people who like walking them regularly.
I also enjoy taking out a dog that otherwise I may have never picked. I'm the first to admit I had prejudices about bullbreeds and I now love Staffies and ABDs etc.

The thing is that perhaps some people feel they have a particular 'affinity' with certain breeds, whatever they may be... I love semi-working breeds like collie-xs, springers... some folks love terriers, some love staffies. It would be a shame to lose walkers because they can no longer have regular contact with the kind of pooches they really connect with.

On the other hand, if the Home felt that some dogs are left to fester and never get asked to be walked because they're nobody's favourite then that would be very sad and I would agree that a system to avoid that would have to be put in place.

I kind of had the perception that it was all balancing out quite nicely but perhaps it's not?

[pinkandfluffy]

Personally, I dont like it. Bridie and I started dog walking at the begining of the year and whilst we dont generally request certain dogs to walk, we may go and ask for a small dog or one that is easy to manage on a lead so that Bridie can really experience dog walking.

Yesterday, we were told that there was no option so they brought Malibu out for us. Now, dont get me wrong, I absolutely love him and I know there are lots of walkers involved in trying to socialise Malibu with other dogs and try to teach him a few more manners whilst out and about. But to give him to someone with a child (and possibly young children) is not really benefitting him or the walker (not because he is not good around children but because he needs that one to one consistency).

As they handed Malibu over, Becky was stood outside the reception area (and we all know, there is a love story there), she asked if she could walk him so Myself and Bridie had the dog in the next kennel (Casey).

We didnt know Casey at all and she was a lovely girl but there was no way Bridie could have managed her on the lead.

I can fully understand that all dogs need to be walked, but I was under the impression that over the last few weekends, all dogs were getting out. It makes me wonder if someone wilth children turned up and it just so happened to be a bigger dogs 'turn' would they be given the dog regardless?

I think there has to be an element of common sense, and didnt feel this was the case yesterday. It made me think twice about going down today and we decided against it in the hope that by next weekend things may be back to normal

Sorry for the long winded response (you did ask ) I know ultimately we volunteer for dog walking to help all the dogs at the home, but the walkers also need to feel the benefit of walking them too and if they feel that a dog is too much to handle it could put them off from giving up their time in the future.

On another note, there are walkers who very much walk the dogs for their own therapeutic activity, perhaps as part of an occupational therapy programme or recreational activity with a support worker, I would hope these individuals are matched with an appropriate dog to ensure there is a benefit to this activity for both them and the dog.

I will shut up now

[Kara Collie-Cross]

Something else I was pondering about...

I have on occasions gone on the forum first and had a look at who hasn't had any outside pictures taken yet, and then asked for those dogs and taken the DSLR with me, so I could put some piccies on their thread.

I guess the new system wouldn't be able to accommodate that?

[Becky]

I appreciate the idea behind the new system, it is a fair way to get all dogs walked, and the last few weekends have been pretty chaotic at the Home with the amount of volunteers, so it is probably an easier way for the staff to keep tabs on the dogs who have gone out. But like pinkandfluffy says, I think there could be an element of judgement on a "walker by walker" basis, based on the capabilities of the walker and the personality of the dog.

I admit I have a massive soft spot for Malibu and I really do look forward to walking him on the weekends. Each weekend I try to get Malibu out for a 2 hour walk and then I have a "lucky dip" dog for an hour. I'd like to think I have gotten to know Malibu, and I think this sort of connection helps the dogs, particularly the poor pooches who have been in the Home longer than they should. I can see the massive improvements this boy has made over the last couple of months and I think that helps with the feedback I can leave for him on the forum. I know other walkers have similar connections with other dogs and I really think this benefits the dogs chances of getting rehomed.

[Kara Collie-Cross]

Feb 19, 2012 19:13:21 GMT Becky said:

Each weekend I try to get Malibu out for a 2 hour walk and then I have a "lucky dip" dog for an hour. I'd like to think I have gotten to know Malibu, and I think this sort of connection helps the dogs, particularly the poor pooches who have been in the Home longer than they should. I can see the massive improvements this boy has made over the last couple of months and I think that helps with the feedback I can leave for him on the forum. I know other walkers have similar connections with other dogs and I really think this benefits the dogs chances of getting rehomed.

I wholeheartedly agree with that!!!!

I think a dog that has a chance to get to know you, they respond to you in a whole different way, there is a trust, they listen to you more, they learn better... which ultimately helps home them.

I can't see dogs benefitting hugely from being walked by someone who is slightly intimidated or even frightened of them, or feel so out of their depth that they can't wait for this walk to be over.

That's kind of like a lose-lose situation.

[cherylW]

hmmm this is a tricky one isn't it? I can also see both sides to be honest.

I know people have their favourites and of course that is lovely both for them and the dogs to go on regular walks and then be able to write up on the forum about them how they are improving and gaining confidence etc which really helps with the rehoming process. Many people would just not be comfortable walking some of the bigger or stronger dogs perhaps so they may not like this new system and would be put off going to walk the dogs.

On the other hand, personally when I go there I just ask for whoever hasn't been out that day and hence the first time I did that I got Major, who is very strong and so not everyone would feel comfortable handling him. I'm sure there must be other walkers who do the same, so it would seem to me that there must be a compromise somewhere along the line, between those who want to walk their faves and those who don't mind who they walk.

but, I realise how busy the staff are and keeping track of who's been out is very difficult. I thought their previous system seemed to work though, they just kept a 'tally' on a sheet of who'd been out and how many times so I don't know whty it's changed.

Final thought (I'll shut up in a minute ;D ) is that if some of the dogs are going out twice in one day on a weekend for long walks that means that they are not in the kennels when prospective owners come to visit, but that is mixed with the happy thought that I have that they are having such lovely walks. If them going out twice in a day means others don't get out at all, that is really sad.

Gosh, it's very hard to know what is the best way to address this so that staff have an easier time and all walkers and doggies are happy.

really don't know the answer!

[skye]

I feel it maybe not my place to comment as I have only dog walked once ( other than my Jake). However the reason I found cdh was as a teacher organising a reward trip for one of our children who loves dogs. The home obviously understood the nature of the school(special) and therefore the child and gave us a small cute puppy to walk, and this for me as the responsible member of staff was crucial. However this would also be crucial if I was the child's parent following up the visit with the child and I hope the home would be just as understanding.
From reading this forum I think most regulars would be happy to take a dog who hadn't been out rather than a favourite if the reason (ie poor pup hadn't been walked yet) bu for new walkers being given a choice is important for safety reasons and for giving a pup a chance of a home. If I hadn't have happened to see Jake that day he never would have had a home with me. If I turned up as a walker, I would have requested a spaniel or smaller dog, as I'm happy to admit larger bulls intimidate me ( I know its silly) and I'm sure given a spaniel ( although not my original intention) I would have given him home, but forced to take a big dog I wouldn't have been back.

Sorry for long response hope it makes sense...

[kirsty]

I'm not a fan of the new system I've got to be honest, for a few reasons really. Mainly because like Conny I like to look at who need their threads and pics updating and try and take them out, this wouldn't work if I can't request a pooch. Another reason is, like many of the other walkers, I like to get to know some of the long stayers to know what best suits their needs. An example of this is Bruno (now Sparkey!), he is deaf so obviously has different needs to the other dogs. He is quite nervous with new people but once he got to know me he really came out of his shell and it was lovely to see Some dogs need consistency and need to get to trust the walker to bring out the best in them. Also when myself and Becky go out together, generally on the weekend, we like to take our own dogs as we go for a few hours. We can't do this if we can't guarantee a dog friendly dog which is unfortunate really.

I think we can all agree the staff do a fantastic job and are overworked as it is so the last thing I would want to do would be to make anything more difficult for them, but maybe a check list would be more appropriate? What I mean by this is a list of the dogs could be put in the foyer, when a dog goes out then it gets ticked off and cannot be walked again unless all the others have gone out. That way all the dogs would get walked but the walkers could request a dog that is appropriate for them by taking a look at the list and seeing who has/hasn't been walked. This would literally take a minute to do and would suit everyone as far as I can tell? I for one wouldn't mind jotting down a list of the dogs in the home on a Saturday/Sunday morning as I wouldn't expect the staff to do it.

Kirsty

[jakesmum]

I've been walking dogs for a while and I think it will be really counterproductive to ask people to take dogs out that they do not feel confident to handle. I would choose not to walk, rather than take a dog out that I did not feel I could handle safely. I think the dogs will pick up the anxiety of the walkers in that situation, and being in kennels they are in a stressful situation already.
I really like the idea of having a chart or book in the lobby so the walkers can see which dog has been/not been walked, and then work with the staff to try and get all the dogs walked in the safest, most appropriate way.

Rachel

[CazDD]

I think Rachel's suggestion is a good one. I initially went along to the Home ready and willing to take any dog out. I was given Floss and unfortunately she was way too heavy for me. I literally had to hang onto the fence along the lane from the home when she wanted to go and say hello to another dog who didn't want her to say hello back. I thought afterwards how dangerous it would have been if I was standing at the pedestrian crossing on the main road and she suddenly wanted to get across regardless of whether the green man was flashing or not! So I think yes, there needs to be a rota so all the dogs get walked but there has to be some common sense attached to it to make sure that walkers get the dogs they can physically handle.
It's not important for me to get to know the dog I'm walking and having favourites that I prefer to take out. I do have favourites as we all do, but because the aim of it all is to get the dogs out I don't mind which ones I walk.
However having said that, Malibu has definitely benefited from his one to one walks so maybe some dogs need to be identified that need the extra attention and the rest can be walked as and when as long as the walker can handle them.

[peacock85]

I always get given the big awkward dogs, because I'm a big guy. I don't really mind, those are the dogs who probably don't get as many walks anyway. I think if people do want to choose which dog to walk, they should be allowed but there shouldn't be a problem with at the very least suggesting someone walk a dog that hasn't had as many walks for whatever reasons. Of course, all walkers should be free to turn down any dog they don't feel confident with.

[pinkandfluffy]

Some really great ideas in response to the system for dog walking last weekend and it was good to see Kirsty's idea implemented today.

There was a list of all the dogs in the home in reception and each one was ticked off as they were taken out. Again, all dogs were walked and there was some choice for the walkers if needed.

I personally much preferred this system today and wondered what others thought???

Also, it was great to see so many people at the home today and finally put real names to forum names ;D

[Becky]

I agree, thought it was a good and fair system for everyone. Obviously the main priority is that all of the dogs get a walk, but I think both walkers and dogs enjoy the walk much more if walker suits dog and vice versa. I hope this system stays in place