In order to do a job right, you need the right equipment. For any professional dog walker, a customised van is a must. Precious pets need to be kept safe, secure and comfortable especially since they will have had the legs run off them for an hour and will be a bit pooped !!

My van is a very reliable VW Caddy and was purchased as new in 2018, features include :

• Air Conditioning
• Additional 240volt extract/intact roof vent
• Custom Cage System 
• Sliding access doors either side
• Tail gate to rear
• Jump Board to rear
• Fitted with high grade vet bedding
• Anti-spill water bowls
• First Aid Kit - dog and human

My van is fitted with a customised cage system designed to my specifications. It is constructed from stainless steel and hard-wearing plastic paneling. The caging comes with a lifetime guarantee and is worth every penny. The difference in my van cages compared to vans of some other companies is the extra cage door in the side of the van. This means that I can safely open the side door of the van without an eager furry friend popping out unexpectedly. It is an essential safety feature considering even the best-behaved dog can be unpredictable. Also, having a sliding door each side means I never have to worry about trying to park with the door next to the curb as I can always let my dogs out away from the road.

I don't feel that it is not a very good or safe practice to have dogs loose in the back of a van. You should be able to contain them and, in some cases, separate individual dogs. Many dogs get on well together while on a walk in open ground but can have a different attitude to their four-legged friends when confined in a smaller space.  It is not possible to properly cater to clients' dogs' needs without a proper caging set-up.

I do not carry a dog ramp simply because most dogs are not accustomed to them. Often you need to train a dog to use a ramp as a lot of dogs find the foot feel, the sound, and natural movement of the ramp when walking across quite scary. In practice, the VW caddy is lower to the ground than the average family car boot so I have no current problems for any dog to safely get in and out...and that includes my oldest dog who is very arthritic and will be celebrating her 14th birthday soon.

The jump board is a new addition as it was not on my first van. It has been so useful in getting my dogs up out of the wet to have a good towel down. The tailgate acts like a roof over our heads keeping us out of the weather