Aimée Lou McAvoy started occasional dogsitting, escaping London in country homes, and caring for adorable pets while their owners were away.
With more people returning to the office after the end of the government’s advice to work from home because of the Covid pandemic, the business of looking after dogs has been booming.
New customer inquiries at Barking Mad, which offers local dog home-boarding services, are up by 1144.36%, in the year to date for 2022 against the same period last year, and up by 482.75% compared with pre-pandemic demand in 2019.
While McAvoy’s short breaks are hard work and unpaid, it means she can work from the countryside homes she stays in, and the dogs give her a welcome sense of routine as well as a mood boost.
“They all love me and even after a week it’s really hard to leave them,” she said. “It’s a relief if you’re anxious to have animals around. They follow me around the house and come sit by me when I’m working, they wake me up in the morning – it’s really cheerful.”
Even for many existing dog owners, their pets had grown so used to them being at home that the changes have led to similar difficulties, including separation anxiety.
Meanwhile, McAvoy says most of the owners she helps out need their dogs looked after while they visit holiday homes or go on business trips abroad.
She will continue dog sitting taking the opportunity to stay in lovely places she wouldn’t normally visit and enjoy the unconditional love of dogs.
“It’s like going on holiday, it’s short-term relief, but it’s good for when you really need to get away from everything and just roam the fields with a dog,” she said.
