Find dog care, book safely.
Dog walking, dog sitting, boarding and day care near you. Here is how booking works, what every booking includes and what applies when something goes wrong.
How booking works.
From the first search to the review, everything stays in one place: on GetDogWalkers, without an app and without an account.
- Search and compareEnter postcode, service, date and dogs. You only see providers who are free then and accept your dog, each with a price including the service fee. A shortlist and a comparison help you choose.
- Meet and askMany providers offer free meet-and-greet slots that you book right on the profile. Ask questions through messages on GetDogWalkers. Your contact details stay private until your first booking.
- Pick a slot and payTimes and periods come live from the provider’s calendar. The price breakdown and cancellation policy are fixed before you pay via Stripe. Instant bookings are confirmed right away; a request is answered by the provider within 24 hours.
- Everything by link afterwardsYour confirmation email contains your personal link: status, calendar file, messages to the provider, cancellation, payment method. After the appointment you review the provider and rebook with one tap.
What every booking includes.
The service fee is not a surcharge for nothing. It pays for payment protection, replacement and support, and from your second booking with the same provider it is waived.
GetDogWalkers guarantee
- Replacement within 24 h or your money back. If a provider drops out, we suggest suitable alternatives or refund everything, service fee included.
- Payment protection. Your money goes to the provider via Stripe, for requests only once they have accepted.
- Only when you book through GetDogWalkers. Booking around the marketplace means booking without the guarantee.
Total price up front
- No hidden costs. Base price, surcharges, discounts and service fee are fixed before you pay.
- 6% service fee, at least €0.99, at most €15, for boarding at most €19.
- €0 from your second booking with the same provider and for the first booking within 7 days after a meet and greet.
Verified providers
- Identity proven. Every provider proves their identity via Stripe Identity before they can be booked.
- Badges only with proof. Liability insurance and the German § 11 permit only appear on a profile after we have checked them.
- Real reviews. Only people who booked and paid can review.
Your privacy
- Contact details only after your first paid booking. Before that, the provider only sees your first name and postcode area.
- Masked messages. Phone numbers and email addresses are hidden until the first booking.
- No profiling. The ranking depends only on your search, not on you.
Regular appointments
- Series booking. Set weekdays and time, until further notice or for a fixed number of weeks.
- Each appointment on its own. Every appointment is its own booking with its own cancellation deadline, charged 48 hours before.
- Pause and end at any time on your booking page.
Help when something is off
- Messages to the provider straight from the booking.
- Complaints with a review. Provider did not show up, care was much shorter, an incident: you report it on the booking page and we look into it.
- Personal support through the support form, usually the same day.
Cancellation and replacement.
Every provider picks one of three cancellation tiers. Which one applies is shown on the profile, in the price breakdown and in your booking. The service fee is always refunded in full up to 24 hours after booking.
| Cancellation tier | Walks, visits, day care | Boarding and overnight sitting |
|---|---|---|
| Flexible | 100% back up to 24 hours before, no refund after that | 100% up to 3 days before, then 50% |
| Moderate | 100% up to 48 hours before, then 50% | 100% up to 14 days before, 50% up to 3 days before, no refund after that |
| Strict | 50% up to 7 days before, no refund after that | 50% up to 14 days before, no refund after that; the deposit stays with the provider |
- If the provider cancelsyou get everything back, service fee included, and within 24 hours we suggest suitable alternatives. You book the replacement with one click from the email, and the provider loses ranking points.
- If the provider does not show upyou report it from the start of the appointment directly on your booking page. Then you choose between a replacement and a refund; your money stays protected until then.
- For seriesthe cancellation tier applies per appointment. If you pause or end the series, future appointments are cancelled according to their own deadline; a cancellation fee may apply to appointments coming up soon.
An account? Only if you want one.
You do not need an account for the marketplace. Everything runs through the links in your emails. A GetDogWalkers account pays off once you are a regular client of a provider who works with the app.
Book without an account
Name, email address, phone number, done. Confirmation, booking page, messages, cancellation and review are all reached through your personal link. GetDogWalkers recognises your second booking with the same provider by your email address and waives the service fee.
Find careWith a GetDogWalkers account
Your provider’s customer portal: fill in the intake form for your dog online, sign the care agreement digitally, book packages, see invoices and appointments, watch the live walk. Your provider invites you by email, or you register yourself.
Create a GetDogWalkers accountQuestions about booking
How we rank search results and what ads have to do with it is explained on its own page.
Do I need an account to book?
No. You book with your name, email address and phone number. Everything else, from confirmation to cancellation, is reached through the personal link in your email. You only need a GetDogWalkers account for your provider’s customer portal, for example for the intake form, contract and invoices.
What does a booking cost me?
You pay the provider’s price plus a 6% service fee (at least €0.99, at most €15, for boarding at most €19). The fee covers payment protection, replacement and support. From your second booking with the same provider it is waived, as it is for the first booking within 7 days after a meet and greet. You always see the total price before you pay.
How do I pay?
Online via Stripe with card, Apple Pay or SEPA direct debit. With instant booking the amount is charged right away; with a request it is only reserved until the provider accepts. If the appointment is more than six days away, you only save a payment method and it is charged 48 hours before. For boarding you pay a 30% deposit, the rest follows 48 hours before arrival.
How do I cancel?
Through the link in your confirmation email. How much you get back depends on the provider’s cancellation tier, shown on the profile and in your booking. The service fee is always refunded in full up to 24 hours after booking. If the provider cancels, we refund everything.
What happens if the provider cancels or does not show up?
Then the GetDogWalkers guarantee applies: within 24 hours you are offered a suitable replacement or get your money back, service fee included. If the provider does not show up for the appointment, you report it directly on your booking page and then choose a replacement or a refund.
Can I book regular walks?
Yes. With providers that offer instant booking, choose “Book regularly”, set weekdays and time, and decide whether the series runs until further notice or for a set number of weeks. Every appointment is its own booking that you can cancel individually. You can pause or end the series on your booking page at any time. From the second appointment on there is no service fee.
Does the provider see my contact details?
Only after your first paid booking. Before that, including a meet and greet, the provider only sees your first name and postcode area. Questions and arrangements go through messages on GetDogWalkers, where phone numbers and email addresses are masked until the first booking.
Who can leave a review?
Only people who booked and paid through GetDogWalkers and whose appointment took place. Owner and provider review blind; the reviews become visible once both have reviewed or after 14 days. We publish positive and negative reviews alike.
Who is my contract with?
Directly with the provider who looks after your dog. GetDogWalkers arranges the booking and handles the payment. How we rank the results is explained on the “How we rank” page.
Where is the marketplace available?
It launched in the Bergstraße, Darmstadt and Rhine-Neckar region in Germany; more regions follow as providers sign up. If you cannot find anyone near you yet, try another service or date, or use the example providers to see how booking works.