Wag! – Dog Walking App Review

Walking your dog is absolutely essential if you want to keep your best friend happy and healthy, but let's face it, sometimes it can be a chore and our schedules can even make it impossible. This is why Wag! is one of the best apps ever created for dog owners. To put it simply, it's like the Uber for dog walking. All you need to do is install the app, register, get setup with your lock box for the key, and order your walk! You can order one in the spur of the moment or you can schedule it for when it's needed most. My favorite part about the app is that it tells you whether or not your dog went pee and poo by checking off a cute little pee and poo icon. For years, Wag! has been on-boarding animal lovers to build a large force of friendly trust-worthy dog walkers. The main concern people usually have is that a stranger is going to have to enter their house and be trusted with their beloved dog, and this is understandable. However, Wag! performs extensive background checks and goes through very thorough interviews with each dog walker they hire. If you do have some worries about this, just know that for recurring walks you can meet the dog walker and make sure you approve. On top of that, Wag! is so confident in their dog-walkers that they even provide a $1,000,000 insurance policy for your home.  My wife and I have been using the service for about a year now and have never had anything but positive experiences. Today Wag! is in just about every major city in the US and still growing. There are no other major competitors so it is safe to say they are the only dog in the house ;) Wag! has even expanded their services to include dog sitting and dog boarding 7 days a week. After making their dog walking service so affordable (pricing details below), they have officially made it so that people have no excuses for not walking their dogs. A lot of people think that their dog doesn't need to go for a walk everyday, but even the smallest little dogs need to get outside. Not only is it good for their mental health to feel the fresh air and smell the many scents of the outdoors, but it is critical they get proper exercise to stay healthy. Skipping a day or two is not going to do major damage by any means, but when you see the smile on your dog's face after they get back from a nice walk you will never want to skip a day again.

The thought of having to hire a dog walker the old fashioned way can be very overwhelming, so the fact that Wag! does all of the hard vetting and scheduling work for you makes things so easy. The app is so easy to use and it only takes a few minutes to get setup. Once you download the app you can register easily via Facebook or do it manually with your email. After that you just need to enter in your home address where the dog walkers will be coming to, some information about your dog/s, and then get setup with a lock box in case you are not home when they come. the dog walker comes to drop off the lock box where you will leave an extra key for them, and only you and them will know the combination to get the key. It's actually very useful to have this; we have used it for house sitters and house keepers and in general when somebody needs to get in when you are not there. After that you are setup for pure doggy pleasure!  All you need to do is order the walk like you would an Uber, or if you know exactly when you want it you can schedule it in advance. If you have a specific dog walker in mind you can request them too, that way your dog can build a relationship with the walker and get even more excited when they show up. Since Wag! was made especially for dog owners with busy schedules their hours of operation are quite vast and allow you to get a dog walk anytime between 6:00am and 11:00pm local time. If you know that getting a Wag! walk is going to be a regular thing then you can even schedule a meet and greet with your dog walker so you can introduce your dog to their new walk friend. If your dog has special needs or if you have any special requests you are even able to leave a note; that way you can make sure little fido gets to pee on his favorite fire hydrant, or that he doesn't walk down a certain street to avoid the negative bark energy of that angry yard dog that never gets walked. The best part about Wag! is when the walk is over and you receive the Report Card. It tells you how far you dog was walked, how much time was spent walking your dog, if they went poo, if they went pee, photos from the walk, a map of where your dog was walked, and a summary message from the dog walker saying how it went. Even though you are using an app, all of the different features make the experience very personal and provide for peace of mind. At least some of you were asking yourselves, "how do I know my dog was actually walked?" Well, being able to see the map of where your dog actually went along with some photos does the trick.  

Wag! is great for people who have busy work schedules and also for people that might be older or not healthy enough to take their dog on long enough walks. If you're looking for more than just dog walking then you will be happy to know that Wag! also offers dog sitting and dog boarding 7 days a week. This can be especially useful in the case your usual go-to person is busy, as we all know it can be very difficult to find somebody you can trust to watch your dog. Since Wag! dog walkers and dog sitters are trained/screened professionals they probably even do a better job then one of your random friends or family members. As mentioned, Wag! services are very affordable. You can check out the prices below, and also keep in mind that your first walk is free!

• Dog Walking  (can be booked in 30 minute blocks)
  • 30 Minute Walk - $20
  • 60 Minute Walk - $30
• Dog sitting - when a Wag! dog lover stays overnight at your home to watched your loved one
  • $39/night for one dog
  • Add $24/night for each additional dog
• Dog Boarding - when your dog spends the night at the home of a Wag! dog lover
  • $39/night for one dog
  • Add $24/night for each additional dog
  • $15 for pick-up and drop-off to make your life even easier

When my wife and I used to take our Maltese, Oliver, to doggy day care just for the day it cost about $33 depending on which one we took him to. When we purchased the packages it was a little cheaper, but it still adds up. To only pay $39/night for dog sitting and dog boarding that is so convenient and personalized is a game changer. Yes, it's the service and pricing and convenience that makes Wag! great, but it's the love and care that our little Oliver receives that makes Wag! special for us. We always wanted to pay to get Oliver walked when we did not have the time, but we could not fathom the idea of having our little Maltese walking the streets in one of those rambunctious dog gangs that your typical dog walkers usually run. If you're a true dog lover then you probably think of your k-9 friend as a child, and there is nothing wrong with that. We would not be recommending Wag! if we were not confident that you will love it, and since you get your first walk free there is nothing to lose! Once you see that cute report card come your way we are sure you will want to keep on using the app. Enjoy!