Dog walkers, the booming business in the 'rich' neighborhoods of Madrid: "Humanize animals? I don't pass one"
A van double stops at the corner of Serrano and Jorge Juan before 10 in the morning. Eva Ramos gets out of the vehicle, which has tinted windows. She moves the sliding door, freeing a gap that is immediately filled by several wet snouts. Inside, sitting, lying, alert or dozing, 15 dogs travel, secured with harnesses and leashes to the cargo hold fuselage of this mobile pet daycare. There are two left to pick up.
Diki is a bit of a curmudgeon.
Diki is a little lazy to leave the house so early. He is a dachshund, the fashion brand. The owner gives Eva the leash, they exchange some information about the dog, settle accounts and say goodbye until lunchtime, more or less. Why have a dog if you don't walk it? "They always ask me that question. The morning walk is the best. I make sure all the dog's needs are met. They exercise, play and socialize with other dogs. The dogs that come with me are much happier and they are not fat Obesity in dogs is very dangerous," explains the creator, owner and sole walker of The Walking Dog. It offers tours, training and accommodation services.
-When the clients need it, I take the dogs to my apartment. I have come to have seven at home.
The Walking Dog has dealt with famous dogs such as Scott, Mercedes Milá's schnauzer with which the presenter directed a program on Movistar channel 0. There are no more pets, says Eva. She turns to give orders. She recognizes the growls of each dog. "They behave depending on how you are with them. Their owners pamper them a lot, they are humanized, and with me they have certain rules. I don't give them one. The dog needs to be a dog. Some owners treat them as if they were children, they dress them, they let them get on the sofa. How are you going to allow him to growl at you for moving him off the sofa? They are spoiled. That creates a lot of problems, "he warns.
She also has no intention of hiring anyone. "I don't want to grow any more. I've been with some clients for six or seven years. I have confidence, our relationship is close and it works well for me that way."
Eva left her job as a publicist and, although she is allergic to cats and dogs, "I don't go to any more appointments with the allergist", she has been working from Monday to Saturday for ten years carrying pets. "I wanted to do something that I liked. I ended up very burned by advertising. My partner supported me and since we don't have children, I was able to take the leap. I took a training course, I trained and until today."
She charges "too little," she says as she turns onto Calle Velázquez. She bills an average of "1,500 or 1,700 euros per month. On vacation the number of dogs drops. I also take them. I'm going to raise the price to 12 euros. Gasoline is very expensive." She has also had to pay fines for parking badly. "In the Salamanca district it is impossible."
Every morning, moreover, he visits El viso, Chamartín or Chamberí, completing the appointments circuit. It's always the same tour, it always shows up at the same time. "During confinement the dogs were waiting for me at the door." Minutes before 11 in the morning she drives on the M-30 towards Conde de Orgaz. "I used to go to the Retiro Park. Many people don't like dogs. They also believe that the park is theirs. I found this place. They have plenty of space here. They run, they have a good time."
They get out of the car running over each other. A ball marks the fate of the morning in the pine forest: everyone runs behind it. Monty, a Basett hound, barks. Mia got seasick during the trip. Another has peed on the mats. There are 17 purebred animals, with papers, frolicking in the grass. "It really is a service that people hire so that the dog comes back tired."
282,318 dogs registered
The Computerized Registry of Companion Animals, dependent on the College of Veterinarians, has a census of 282,318 dogs in the city. Throughout the Community of Madrid the figure reaches half a million. There are websites that act as intermediaries between walkers and owners, promoting the growth of this market. It is becoming more and more common to run into people holding a bunch of dogs that are not theirs. "As in all professions, there is a lot of intrusiveness. It also depends on the service you offer. I don't just walk the dog. I offer an experience," defends Eva.
Camilo offers his services on Rover, the website that causes the most matches between walkers and owners. He is the only one who responds to GRAN MADRID's request. "I am 23 years old. I arrived in Spain from Colombia in the summer of 2019." The only job he has in town is walking dogs. He barely gets "300 euros" that they don't give him to live on "but they do to cover certain expenses." He studied until high school, he came to Madrid to learn English. "I would like to be a logistics operator. It is not so easy to find work."
"I started almost two years ago," he explains. "I really like animals. In my house in Colombia I had six or seven dogs. I saw that there was an opportunity in Spain." He tries to walk small dogs, which he refers to as "teacup breeds." That way I don't get in any trouble. So far he has been very quiet. The most I've ever done is take out five at a time."
He has a profile in Rover where he informs about the characteristics that dogs should have and the price of the hour. "I charge 10. When there is trust, we start talking on WhatsApp and make the deal without intermediaries. The application usually keeps a percentage." He lives in Manuel Becerra and his clients are "in Legazpi, Principe Pío or the downtown area. I have a couple of Manuel Becerra's, which I walk twice a week."
Is yours intrusive? "Possibly we are taking away a certain part of the market from professionals. I am not, but I like animals and I make some money. The sun shines for everyone. Anyone who does not adapt to Madrid is not capable of surviving and I am trying" .
90 walkers available
Jesús created El perro de Martina, "a small company of walkers", because he saw an opportunity to cover the need to leave someone the pet on the days that he was not at home. "We weren't happy with some kennels. Neither the expensive ones nor the cheap ones work well. We wanted a reputable business." He left his job, he knew the numbers of the sector because for years he dedicated himself to selling dogs, and in 2013 "we set up the business thinking about what we would like to hire us. It is one of the seventeen projects that I dedicate myself to".
He does not trust intermediary websites. "It's very cold. A dog is someone else in the family. When a client calls me, I always go to see the dog. No cost or commitment. I know the dog's needs and based on that, we agree on what they need. If a dog walk half an hour or an hour.
It works like "video stores: the customer can get a ride bonus. We offer five, 10, 15 or 20». It has a network of 16 active walkers. "In the database I have 90 people I can call ". The walkers are required to be of legal age, "because of the insurance that covers everything that happens to the walker, dog or a third party," and commitment. "Most are women. Kids tend to fail more. Obviously, you have to like dogs. Many are trainers, students of careers related to the environment." They can earn up to "400 or 500 euros a month."
His company has clients, above all, in the north of Madrid. "Pozuelo, Aravaca, Las Rozas or Boadilla. It's not a luxury, it's almost a necessity for the dog," he clarifies. "The walkers are divided by neighborhoods." They do individual walks. "We don't put them together. It would go against the business. We prefer to be aware of a single dog, offer something more than a simple walk. If the walker is close by, it is much easier to comply and that it does not cause a disturbance."
The walker must adapt to the characteristics of the dog or its owner. "Both physically and by knowledge. A client tells us that he is used to running with the dog and needs someone to run. I always have an athlete willing to go running with the client's dog."
Vallecas is the neighborhood with the most registered dogs
According to the criteria of
The Trust Project
