Hiring a dog walker to break up your pup’s day is an important decision you shouldn’t take lightly. In this day and age of online, on-demand dog walking it’s worrisome to see dogs picked up by strangers with little knowledge of canine safety and little or no professional dog walking experience. But another popular option Chicago dog owners lean towards are the super small, “pop up” companies of one or two dog fans that actually aren’t running their business legally.

Should your dog be allowed to say no? In a word: yes.

Is there any activity more closely associated with dog ownership, especially urban dog ownership, than walkies? If new dog owners go in knowing nothing else, they have already had it hammered into them that they must walk their dog religiously.

This might seem like a funny thing to question in a blog for a dog-walking company, but: why?

This article was written specifically for the Rover-Timers that became expectant parents this year. Here's my best advice on how to get ready and what we prioritized getting done to ensure our dog's emotional and physical well-being over the long-haul.