FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How many dogs do you take in your small groups?

We typically take out two or three dogs together and on occasions up to four. All dogs must get along and be generally fit and social and walk well on or off the lead. To qualify for our “Regular Ramblers” group walks, we must ensure that all dogs are good walkers with an excellent recall and do not “pull” or ''lag” on their leads.

Where do the dogs get walked?

Our doggie clients get to enjoy a good range of locations including local bush reserve, nature trails, parks and also local beaches that are not too busy with other dogs and regulations. We start and stop our app timer from the location to be walked and not from when we collected your dog at the home.

How long does my dog get walked for?

Your pooch will receive a 45 or 90 minutes outing with us. On most occasions we will safely transport your dog to a local park, or reserve or beach. We will give your dog a 30 or 60 min walk from the actual location. On rare occasions when we walk your dog directly from the property, we would start our timer from there.

Do you still walk my dog if it is raining?

Yes, we do still walk in the rain. We ask that you provide a good dry and weatherproof jacket for your dog to wear whilst out on wetter days with us. We do endeavour to walk in more sheltered spaces like thicker bush or under shop eves. The wet day walk may be a little shorter and we will often provide a slightly longer walk on the good days to make up for this.

Will my dog have the same walker every day?

You will be assigned a "Primary Walker "in your area for your dog. We will discuss who your primary walker will be in detail at the Meet & Greet.
If your Primary Walker is unable to walk your dog due to illness, injury or planned time-off, we will assign another nearby walker on our team to walk your dog that day. We understand that our clients get used to the same walker collecting their dog each time. However, we also know that it is good to change things up and be able to have a dependable second (or third) person that your dog knows and becomes familiar and comfortable with. We will endeavour to inform you of these changes, but every client can view who will be walking their dog out via their client portal.

What are my options for scheduling dog walks with you?

Lil Luka Dog Walks offers an online scheduler and each established client has a profile set up to allow the client to submit their service requests. You are welcome to set a daily, weekly, or monthly schedule or you can use us for sporadic service. Clients that use us on-call are subject to availability and are only guaranteed with a confirmation. All services are only available to customers that have met with us in-person first to establish themselves a Lil Luka Dog Walks client and have an active profile set up within our system.
We make every effort to complete each scheduled dog walk within a 2-3 hour window. If you have very specific dog walking times, please let us know and we will try (but can’t guarantee) to accommodate you.

Why do you charge the rate you do?

We recognize that this is a large investment in your pet but can assure you that we deliver top-notch care that you won’t receive with a low-cost competitor. Our clients can feel the thorough, professional onboarding and continued support we provide for each of our contractors. We also strive to pay our contractors a competitive and fair pay-out rate so that we can retain the talented pet care professionals that make up our amazing team of dog walkers.

Our customers have valued and respected our hard work since 2014. They trust us in their homes and appreciate the work we do with their family members. If at this time, you don’t have the budget for Lil Luka Dog Walks, keep us in mind. We will be here whenever you are ready. Because we are here for the long haul.

Can I track my dog's outing?

We offer GPS tracking technology on all of our walks and our Lil Luka client portal provides you with instant updates as soon as your dog’s visit is completed! Post-visit reports can include notes, pictures, and a visit report card. Messages can be sent as email, texts, or push notifications directly to your phone. You will also be able to directly message your dog’s walker for quick updates.

Why do we need Meet & Greet?

The Meet & Greet is a visit to your home that allows you to familiarize yourself with Lil Luka’s protocols, its services and policies. It is also important for us to meet your dog and assess their needs and personality. During this visit, we will also take care of introductions, pick up two sets of keys, confirm important information about how to safely work with your pet, and we can also address any additional questions you may have.
We are available to meet on weekdays between 9.30am until 6.30pm, with our last available appointment starting at 6:30pm. Weekend appointments are available as well depending on our availability. Our walking and casual / vacation care services cannot be performed without meeting first in person.

We Are Now Offering Free Meet and Greets

New clients are responsible for being serious about their commitment to having their dog walked and it helps to have any questions ready when we head out to meet with you at a time that suits our clients. This is more often in the evenings or on weekends. We ask that you let us discuss your requirements for dog walking in the allotted 30 minute timeframe please.

The meet & greet also covers:

A permanent profile in Lil Luka Dog Walks client portal.
A meeting with a member of our team who will take additional notes on your pet(s) that we will add to your online customer profile.
Ongoing support to ensure that your pet and their primary walker are highly compatible. We will work together to develop a routine that makes every visit a safe and enjoyable experience for your pet.
Key processing, nondescript key tagging, and key storage in our secure office.
Access to our mobile client portal and GPS walk technology.
A digital report card sent at the completion of each visit including detailed notes from your walker and occasional mind-blowingly adorable pictures of your pet.

* In the odd instance that Lil Luka Dog Walks determines your pet(s) will not be a good candidate for our services, we reserve the right to decline taking your pet on as a new client.

What are your office hours?

Our office hours are Monday-Friday: 7.30am-6pm Auckland time, not including holidays. While we make every effort to respond to client communications in a timely manner, we reserve the right to only respond to emails, phone calls, and texts during our office hours.

Do you walk dogs on their own?

Yes, we do walk dogs on a “Solo” basis. We have a service called “Solo Sams” specifically tailored for those that just need a more one-to-one walk without being upset or distracted by other dogs. We will offer some gentle desensitization training with this walk session as well.

What if my dog pulls hard on the lead?

We have a walk that also incorporates our hard puller friends. This is known as our “Power Pullers” walk service. We will work with you and your dog to correct this issue. This is a one-to-one walk only and training of your dog will take place. There is an expectation that the owner will also be involved in correcting this issue and work on the dog's overall leash walking manners. *This service will now be incorporated into our dog training program.

Can I cancel a booked walk?

Yes, we are flexible to you cancelling your dog's walk out with us. However, we do have a cancellation policy and set timeframes to cover these. If you are on our Regular Rambler walk service, you may cancel your scheduled walk from 6.00pm the day prior we will refund you 50% Any other services a minimum of 24 hours' notice is required. We set our schedules and contractors around booked walks. When things change last minute it can affect our whole day and it is sometimes difficult to reshuffle other clients that have been booked in to walk with your dog.
If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us.