How a community of independent dogwalkers is like the internet

On the Internet, web pages are ranked in credibility by the numbers of other web pages that link to them, therefore indicating that they find those pages credible.

In independent dogwalking, dogwalkers are ranked in credibility (albeit informally), according to the numbers of other dogwalkers who share certain responsibilities with them. – I’ve already discussed that I have a number of mutually supportive relationships with other walkers in the Park Slope area, and the way this often works is interesting.

Most referrals from one dogwalker to another come about because of several circumstances. Of course, we would all ideally like to take whatever work comes out way, but that is not always possible. Sometimes a long-time dogwalker already has too much on his or her plate, sometimes the dog in question is an inconvenient location, and schedules shift from day to day or week to week - so one dogwalker may be able to meet the client’s needs some, but not all of the time. (This often results in time-share arrangements such as I’ve worked out with Maggie). In other instances, a ¬ regular client may need an additional service, which his or her dogwalker does not provide, and will be referred to another who does provide it.

In all of those cases, it still behooves the dogwalker to refer the client to someone else. But here, one must be careful, because if a recommendation is made carelessly it reflects directly on the recommender’s reputation. And reputation is everything in this field! Not to mention that we are all in this business for the long haul (that’s why we don’t work for services who don’t pay enough to sustain dogwalking as a career), and we all care deeply for dogs in our community and wouldn’t dream of putting them in hands with which we are less than comfortable. As well, a certain amount of training is always featured in these transfers, because no matter how much one may know about dogs in general, it’s always important to learn about a new dog in particular.

In none of these cases have I ever seen the element of competition displayed, at least in the capitalist model of securing as much market share as possible. After all, there’s only so much a body can do! Instead, the whole process seems to be aimed – almost subconsciously – at shoring up the foundation of our sector of the animal care business. Rather than fight over the proverbial pie, we seek to grow the pie through responsible, sustainable means.

I think that our practice is a marked contrast with the centrally controlled service model of dogwalking (where the walkers themselves are sometimes not as motivated as one who runs his or her own business) and in many ways exceeds the protections offered by certificates or newspaper mentions that such services may receive.

And I also think it would be interesting to start an online representation of the connections that are made in the independent dogwalking world. It may prove useful to dog owners (and potential owners) in deciding how to best provide a structure for their pets and companions, and may even convince folks that help is out there to make it easier to rescue animals from shelters.