Meet Your Edmonton Pet Sitters, Dog Walkers and Dog Joggers! 

We take pride in hiring and training the best pet sitters, dog walkers, and dog joggers in Edmonton! Ever wonder what it takes to be a Dog Jogs pet care provider? Here’s a look at all the amazing things our pet sitters and dog walkers do to make sure your pet has the best care out there! Ps, we call our team Dog Joggers!

1 . How do we choose and vet our pet sitters, dog walkers, and dog joggers?!

We apparently have a decently intense hiring process. A team member was even asked if she was applying for the CIA when she was in the process of applying.

We start by having applicants fill out an application and submit their resume, if you really want to impress us off the bat, include a cover letter that addresses the posting! After sorting through resumes, candidates have to work through additional steps that include questions, tasks, two rounds of interviews, and references. 

Once we’ve offered a new dog jogger a position they have to provide a clean criminal record check before starting their training. 

2. Is there required training for every team member?

Day one of training is all about Dog Jogs Policies and Procedures! 

Yes, we have a Dog Jogger Training Manual and a company Standard Operating Procedures Manual. These are just a few things that we cover in our manuals. 

-How to access our policies at anytime

-Dog Jog Values and Mission

-Workplace safety & COVID Protocol 

-Emergency procedures 

-How to use slack for internal communication

-How to use our software Time to Pet

-A break down of what each service looks like and how to perform them

and so much more! 

Once a candidate has completed Day 1, they must complete in-field training with a head jogger. Where they shadow a head jogger, strictly observing how services are performed and seeing our procedures and protocols in action. Then, the jogger in training takes the reigns and carries out walks/jogs while being shadowed/observed by a head jogger. When both parties are confident with proceeding to the next step of independence, we require two things.
1) The jogger in training must successfully complete a training assessment signifying they understand and will execute services according to our training manual and standard of operations.
2) The head jogger must submit an evaluation of the trainee, confirming that the trainee is capable to work independently to our standards.

We also require our staff to become Walks ‘N’ Wags Pet First Aid Certified as soon as possible. Depending on how often Steph and Nikki, the owners of Dog Jogs, can teach Pet First Aid.

3. What’s a day in the life of a pet sitter, dog walker, and dog jogger at Dog Jogs? 

Check out these videos of our team to see what some days are like as a dog walker in Edmonton!

A typical day will usually include at least one Dog Jog and a combination of several 30-minute pawty breaks and 60-minute walks/pet sitting services (for dogs and cats).

Doesn’t it sound like a ton of fun? It is, but this job is not for the faint of heart! Our team usually clocks between 13-20km a day, picks up a lot of poop, cleans up vomit, and braves the weather of Edmonton. Our team is also always on the lookout for wildlife, garbage/harmful substances the dogs could eat, dangerous situations, and pets becoming ill.  

4. Ongoing training – WHY? 

It is incredibly important to us that we stay vigilant in providing continuing education for our team. We like to provide ongoing training in various forms with our team for a few reasons.

We do training exercises such as team building to strengthen the bond of our team- check us out at our last event! Miraculously, the entire Dog Jogs team made it to our event at the Snow Valley Ariel Park last month. Boy, was it fun! This opportunity allowed our team to show their trust and support for one another, while positively pushing each other outside of their comfort zones! We don’t have the pleasure of seeing/working together every day, so a strong team bond is that much more important to have.

We also send out informative videos about training, pet behaviour, and pet equipment for quick continuing education. And are always looking for courses or activities that further our knowledge and skill. Growing our knowledge helps our team to stay up to date and better equips our Joggers to deal with situations of all kinds when working with your pets!

Why do we do all of this? 

Our Mission Statement at Dog Jogs is simple:

At Dog Jogs, we believe a tired dog is a happy dog. That’s why we are committed to giving dogs attention & exercise when their owners can’t. Through reliable, high quality, and personal services, we can give dog lovers the gift of peace of mind while they are away from home.

There are no shortcuts when it comes to quality service; the only way to accomplish our goal is with a real commitment from every member of the Dog Jogs team. The English poet John Donne wrote, “No man is an island.” We believe each employee contributes to the success and growth of the company, and our values and beliefs require that, individually and collectively, we:

• Provide consistent leadership and coaching.
• Encourage involvement in creative problem-solving.
• Deliver consistent, outstanding service to our clients.
• Treat team members with respect. Dog Jogs does not tolerate discrimination of any kind.
• Maintain an open-door policy that encourages sharing ideas to make Dog Jogs a better place to work.
• Provide effective, efficient resolution to customer service issues and ensure complete client satisfaction.

Many people may not understand that caring for your pets is much more than ‘just walking a dog’. At Dog Jogs, we take the opportunity to help care for your pets incredibly seriously and consider your family as an extension of ours. To get to know more about our team, check out their bios here.