Workouts and house calls
Going to work every day, Ms Yap arms herself with a good pair of running shoes, a hat, sunglasses, towels, an umbrella and drinking water.

Ms Yap and her two assistants, one of whom is her sister, set off in a van at about 9am daily to take up to four dogs for a jaunt in the park or a swim at Sentosa's Tanjong Beach.

With the morning batch of dogs safely back in their kennels, she goes for lunch and resumes her afternoon work at about 3pm. This time, she walks another three dogs separately and in the vicinity of their homes.

Following that, she zips off with a new group of dogs to Bishan Park or Turf City, where there is a grassy area for the dogs to run and loll around.

Besides walking dogs, Ms Yap also conducts house visits to check on pets whose owners are away.

She will feed the pets food, medicine and, when necessary, take them to the vet or pet groomer.

At the end of the day, both her human and canine clients are happy and satisfied.

The tanned and sporty 40-something Ms Yap says: "My job enables me to help dog owners to keep their pets contented through conducting pet visits, swims and regular mid-day walks and dog-run outings. These activities also help improve the dogs' social skills."

This may sound like a free-and-easy job, but she actually customises her services to meet the various needs of her clients.

"We have dogs that need daily walks from Monday to Friday, and those that need one to two park outings per week. We also have dogs that need a weekly swim," says Ms Yap, who owns two Chocolate Labradors and a Golden Retriever.

Her company currently services some 20 to 30 clients in Clementi, Bukit Timah, Toa Payoh and Braddell.

Every dog has its day
Ms Yap's frisky canine clientele runs the gamut of dog breeds - from Chinese Crested Dog, Lakeland Terrier and Briard to Bouvier des Flandres, Portuguese Water Dog and Belgian Malinois.

But whatever the breed, she always asks the owners for a history of their pets' behaviours before taking them out. She also finds out if the dogs have attended obedience classes before.

Dogs' personalities can be as varied as their breeds, she says.

"Some dogs are afraid of the sound of water. Some do not like sand, and some paddle in the water with only their front legs.

"I have a particular dog that likes to 'sing' to me at 6am outside my bedroom to wake me up!"

Then, there are the naughty ones that put on "false pretences".

Once, she noticed a client's dog, which was on a leash, looking listless. Concerned about its behaviour, she sent an SMS message to its owner.

The owner warned her not to be fooled: "It's just trying to get you to release the leash."

Sometimes, with the owners' consent, she takes several dogs out together after having observed their temperaments and gauged their compatibility over a period of time.

Challenges and payoffs
Except for the odd moments when her clients' dogs encounter snakes in the open field or disappear from sight - only to resurface from their "hideout" hours later - Ms Yap's challenges at work revolve around ensuring pet safety, keeping tabs on the weather and traffic, and answering clients' inquiries.

She says: "As dogwalkers and pet sitters, not only do we go on daily outings and assignments, we also take calls from new clients. We make time to meet them and go through an orientation session with both the clients and doggies."

With dogs pulling her in all directions, Ms Yap has also suffered the occasional muscle strain, ankle sprain and cuts.

Having been in her job for four and a half years, even her vacation plans are influenced by where her former clients have relocated to with their dogs.

So far, she has been to Japan and the United States - for sightseeing and to visit her furry friends.

When asked what she likes about her job, she says: "It is not an 8-to-5 job. Also, I am able to provide a service to help pet owners take care of their pets, which are a joy to be with."

For details about Dogwalkies, e-mail Ms Yap at dogwalkies2003@yahoo.com.sg

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