What happens before the first walk - more than you might think!

When someone gets in touch with Dottie PAWS, the first thing I say is always the same: before we do anything, let's have a proper meet.

Not a quick hello or a five-minute handover on the doorstep. A real conversation about your dog, their history, what they love, what worries them and what a good walk looks like for them.

So what actually happens at a meet and greet?

Before we meet, I'll send you a pre-meet form. One of the most important things for me to understand initially, is how they like to meet new people so that our first interaction gets off to a good start. It also asks about your dog's personality, their behaviour around other dogs, people and new environments, what they love, and what their triggers are. It gives me a head start and means our conversation is actually useful rather than us both trying to remember things on the spot.

When I visit, I take my time. I let your dog come to me. Some dogs are straight in for a sniff and a fuss. Others need ten minutes to decide I'm worth acknowledging. I'm completely fine with both and that response in itself tells me a lot.

We'll talk through everything properly. I want to know about their walks up to now, what's worked, what hasn't, whether they've been in group settings before and how that went. If there are any behaviour notes from a trainer or behaviourist, I want to hear about those too.

It's also a chance for you to ask me anything - about how I work, the routes I use, how I communicate during visits, how I'd handle an unexpected situation.

It's not just admin.

There's a practical side to all of this too. Before I take any dog out, I make sure I have the right paperwork in place - an emergency contact, vet authorisation, a signed service agreement, our policies.

Not because I love forms (I promise I don't), but because if something unexpected happened out on a walk, I need to be able to act quickly and confidently on your behalf.

Communication is a really important part of the Dottie PAWS service and you can expect transparency and clarity at every stage.

But beyond the paperwork, the meet and greet is really about trust. You're handing me the lead to someone you love and that matters enormously.

For the dogs who need it most

Many of the dogs I work with are nervous, reactive, anxious, or have had difficult experiences in the past. For those dogs especially, a cold start of a stranger appearing at the door with a lead and a cheerful "right, let's go!" can be genuinely unsettling.

Building in time before our first walk means they've already met me and I'm not a complete unknown. That small thing can make a real difference to how they feel about stepping out with me for the first time.

If you're thinking about getting in touch about walks or enrichment visits, I'd love to hear from you - you can fill in the contact form on our website or drop me a WhatsApp message to 0735 600 6100.