You booked your first walk. How exciting!
Somewhere in your apartment right now, your best friend has no idea what's coming. More sidewalk. More sniffing. More of the world on a Wednesday afternoon that the two of you would otherwise have spent inside. That's what you just signed your dog up for, and we're glad you did it.
The first walk is on us, and it's up to 30 minutes. Here's everything that happens between now and your dog coming home, plus the handful of things we need from you to make it a good one.
First, download the app
If you booked on the website, the app is the next step, and it's where the good part lives. During the walk you'll see your dog on live GPS, moving block by block. Photos come in while they're out. At the end you get the full walk report.
The app is also where the in-app chat sits, right on your home screen. That's a real human, not a chatbot, and it's how you change a time, ask a question, or flag something at 6am.
Download the app
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Then tell us everything about your dog
This is the part people skip, and it's the part that makes the difference between a fine walk and a great one. Open your dog's profile and put it all in. Nothing is too small.
The pulling, the flinching, the lunging. What sets your dog off, and what to cross the street for.
The routine at the door. Some dogs bolt. Some take a beat at the threshold before they're ready.
Where they like to go. The tree they always stop at. The block they refuse. The stretch of sidewalk that gets too hot.
Treats. Yes or no, which ones, and any allergies. Your Woofer checks the profile before every walk. If it says no treats, there are no treats.
Health, meds, age, hips, recovery from surgery. Anything that changes the pace.
Harness or collar, and how it goes on. Including the trick that makes it easier.
A photo. So your walker recognizes your dog on sight.
There's also the PAWS Profile, a short read on your dog's personality. It's optional, and it takes a few minutes. It's how we match by temperament instead of by who happens to be free.
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Sort out how we get in
Four ways this works, and any of them is fine:
Be home. For a first walk, this is the one we'd pick. You get to meet your Woofer, ask whatever you want, and watch them with your dog.
Your doorman. Leave clear written instructions in the app: which desk, what name, where the key lives.
A lockbox or keypad code. Store it in the app and your Woofer will use it.
A spare key. Hand it over at the meet-and-greet and your Woofer holds it for future walks.
If you won't be home, leave the leash somewhere obvious. A hook by the door, a hall table. Not the bottom of a closet.
The other things to have ready: harness or collar, poop bags, and any treats you've approved.
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On the day, you'll know we're coming
You'll get an email confirming your walk when you book. Then, before the walk, a message and an email: your Woofer is on their way to meet your dog. They'll arrive inside the window you booked, and they'll buzz or text when they get there.
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At the door, ask for the code
Every walk gets a randomly generated code in the app. Your Woofer has the same one. Ask for it before you hand over the leash. That way you're never guessing whether the person at your door is the right person.
If you're home, this is the good part. Your Woofer will meet your dog first, then you. They'll ask a few questions, the kind you can't put in a form: how she is with other dogs, whether he'll take water, what you want out of the next 30 minutes. Tell them more than you think they need. Nobody has ever complained about too much information about a dog.
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Then it's your call: come along, or hand over the leash
Walk the first block with them and show them your route. Point out the spots your dog always uses and the ones to avoid. Or hand over the leash, close the door, and get your morning back. Both are normal. It's your 30 minutes, and it's free.
The walk is solo. One dog, one Woofer, on-leash, the whole time. No group, no shared leash, no dog parks.
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While they're out, watch the whole thing
Open the app. You'll see the route as it happens, and photos landing while your dog is still out there. Most people watch the first one all the way through. We would too.
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When they come back, you get the story
Your Woofer brings your dog home and does the handoff in the app: where they went, what your dog got up to, the pees and the poops and roughly where, anything worth flagging, any treats given, and the photos. Written by the person who was there, the way a friend would text you about your dog.
If you're home, they'll tell you in person as well.
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After that, it's whatever your week needs
There's no contract and no commitment. A single walk when you need one is a completely normal way to use us. If the first one goes well, book your Woofer again from your dog's Team, so your dog keeps getting faces they know instead of a new stranger every Tuesday.
When you're ready: $35 for 30 minutes, $48 for an hour, or $400 for ten hour-long walks, which works out to $40 each.
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A few last things worth knowing
Every walk is backed by $2M of insurance, no deductibles. If something goes wrong, you're not the one absorbing it.
Book up to 2 hours before. That's the floor. A good walk isn't a scramble.
Cancel more than 2 hours out and it's a full refund. Inside that window, your Woofer has already set the time aside for your dog.
Bad weather: we'll send a notification before anything severe and you can cancel for a full refund. Your Woofer always makes the call that keeps your dog safe.
Walking hours are 7am to about 8pm.
Tips are cash, in person. No in-app tipping yet.
Every walk feeds a shelter dog for a day at AMA.
Thank you for trusting us with your dog. We know that every dog is the best dog in the world and a member of the family, and we don't take that lightly.
Yours included.
