I’d been thinking about this little spoof tale (no pun intended) since last summer when I heard this article on BBC Radio 4’s ‘You and Yours’ entitled ‘Would you borrow someone else’s dog?’ It was a piece about borrowmydoggy.com who find great local friends for your doggy. They match doggy owners with local borrowers for walkies, play days, sleepovers and happy holidays. It’s simple, safe, and free to sign up.
Is the truth stranger than fiction? Perhaps:
The sun is shining in a blue sky and small white clouds are being pushed along by the warm breeze drifting up from the south. It is just the kind of weather to go for a walk in the countryside but you have always felt a bit embarrassed about strolling along without any apparent reason. Now you’ve got no excuse thanks to an innovative service launched in Rothbury in the heart of the beautiful Northumberland countryside.
Our strap line is ‘We bring the dogs, you do the walking,’ says Christine Defou, part owner and the brains behind Wagging Ways and their slogan says it all.
‘We see so many people come up to this area and sit in their cars, eating their picnic lunches and staring out over the hills and this is what gave me the idea. Surely people would prefer to get out from behind the wheel and take in a bit of the delightful fresh air,’ adds Christine. ‘For some reason people feel shy about walking around for no reason. They seem alright when they have a shop window to stare into or a garden to walk around but a stroll along the riverbank is beyond them. With all the stories in the press these days of the health benefits of walking, Wagging Ways gives people just the excuse they are looking for.’
Setting up the service has not been without problems however. ‘The two main issues’ continues Ms Defou ‘have been making sure that the dogs are happy to go with people they may never have met before and making sure that the walkers can keep control. This is particularly important with all the other dogs and sheep around here.’
To address these, the walkers are requested to wear scented arm bands that the dogs can recognise and to carry a whistle. Each dog is trained to respond to a different scent and whistle. In this way when dog and walker are out and about a short blast on the whistle brings the dog back and a quick sniff of the armband confirms that they are with the right party.
Christine points out that ‘It’s taken a while to perfect the system but we now have a dozen dogs available in sizes to meet all preferences from a Shiatsu to a Great Dane. The service is proving to be more and more popular and we are planning to open up similar services in other beauty spots across the region.’
So if you’ve ever wanted to go for that delightful stroll along the banks of the river Coquet in Rothbury but needed a companion to join you then here is your chance. Put on a stout pair of shoes and give Wagging Ways a ring today.
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 