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What is HAPPY PUPPY?
HAPPY PUPPY is a dog-sharing community that brings
together dog owners and
dog borrowers to divide up the overall
tasks of looking after a dog, or
simply to give the dog an extra opportunity to make
friends, play around and run
about.
We define dog borrowers as people who like to spend
time with dogs, but don’t have
the facilities or desire to own their own.
Once dog owners and dog borrowers have identified
each other via the website or app,
they can arrange a three-way meeting. If the owner,
borrower and dog(s) are all
happy with the chemistry, the new borrower can spend
time with the dog(s), without
the owner. Now the owner has more time available for
other obligations and
activities.
It’s a win-win-win situation all
around:
- Dog owners with lots to do and
little time can be sure their
four-legged friends are in good hands
- Dog borrowers can enjoy
spending time with a dog without the
full-time obligations of ownership
- Dogs enjoy more attention,
variety and exercise
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Why should dog owners
register for this service?
Happy Puppy is great for dog owners for lots of
reasons:
- Perhaps you feel your dog would like to go out
for an extra walk or
run, or have another opportunity to
play fetch
and meet other people
- Maybe you don’t have as much time for your
four-legged friend during the day as
you would like, as is common when heavy
workloads and family problems occur.
- You might want to go on
vacation or go away somewhere
where
dogs are not permitted – or not safe.
- You don’t have, or don’t wish to pay
money for a dogsitter.
- You need to know your dog is being
well-looked-after by someone who
really
cares, and not someone only doing
it for the money.
- Perhaps you would like to give dog enthusiasts
the pleasure of spending time
with a dog although they don’t have the
facilities or opportunities necessary to
own a dog.
- You are looking for a chance to make new
acquaintances that may
develop into solid friendships.
- Maybe you would like to become part of a large
social network for dog
enthusiasts, become friends, and
meet and get to know
like-minded people in your area.
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Why should dog borrowers
register for this service?
Happy Puppy is great for dog borrowers for lots of
reasons:
- You may love dogs but not have your own
dog. Perhaps your
apartment is too small, or pets are not allowed
to be kept there. Maybe you work
long hours and
can’t always find someone to look after your
dog.
- Some people would like to keep
fit or spend more time outdoors,
in parks or the countryside. Dogs are a good
source of motivation.
- Maybe you have a child who
would love to have a dog, but you
need to be sure it would be a long-term
commitment and not just a pre-Christmas
fixation.
- You wish to spend time with a dog and remain
flexible organizing your
timetable.
- Perhaps you would like to do dog owners (and
their dogs) a big
favor.
- You are looking for a chance to make new
acquaintances that may
develop into solid friendships.
- Maybe you would like to become part of a large
social network for dog
enthusiasts, become friends, and
meet and get to know
like-minded people in your area.
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How do dogs benefit from
HAPPY PUPPY?
HAPPY PUPPY is not just a great opportunity for dog
owners and borrowers, there are
several benefits for dogs too:
- More chances to get out and run
around in the fresh air
- More affection, attention and
time to play
- Meet new people and their dogs
and learn good behavior
First, you’ll make new friends in the company of your
owner – so there’s a chance to
sniff around and, if you’re happy, you can meet up
more often.
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Is dog-sharing good for
dogs?
The term dog-sharing is somewhat misleading, as
sharing is usually applied to
material objects. This is the ‘sharing is caring’
sense of the word – giving two
people or families the chance to share the
care of the dog in
question. It’s similar
to putting a child into the care of a kindergarten
or child-minder.
As a rule, owners tend to restrict the circle of
borrowers chosen to look after their
dogs. These acquaintances are made during initial
and follow-on 3-way meetings. Who
would put their beloved canine pet in the
hands of strangers
without a good
impression of who they are?
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Is my dog safe?
One or more 3-way meetings are the best way of
getting to know potential dog
borrowers well enough to trust them with your
four-legged friend. We recommend parks
and other verdant outdoor public spaces. If there’s
a sense of mutual trust, the
borrower can visit your home to see the dog in its
domestic environment.
It’s solely your decision about
whether to trust someone, and who
you trust to be left alone with your dog.
In general, our dog borrowers are trustworthy people.
However, if you require more
reassurance that your dog will be in good hands, ask
the dog borrower to make a copy
of his/her ID for you, or limit your search to
PREMIUM members (marked with a star
in the profile). By paying for membership, they have
already demonstrated their good
intentions. Should a matter come to legal action,
the payment record will provide
indications of the individual’s identity.
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Where are there active
HAPPY PUPPY communities?
HAPPY PUPPY would like to express a warm welcome to
dog lovers from the
USA, Canada, UK and Australia, and is
already a frequently-used and popular community in
the German-speaking regions of
Europe: Germany, Austria, Switzerland,
Liechtenstein, Luxembourg and South
Tyrol.
Users can register in any country, but we are
currently focusing our attention on
growing the user communities in these countries.
It’s easy to find like-minded dog sharers on this
platform, especially in cities. Our
community is now expanding in smaller towns too, so
it’s getting even easier to find
people wherever you are.
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Is registration free?
Register and set up a profile for yourself and your
dog (if you’re an owner), or for
yourself as a dog borrower. It’s free of
charge and allows you to
be present on the
dog-sharing platform. Check out lots of interesting
profiles and click on thousands
of images of registered dogs, follow profiles, be
contacted by them and send a
reply.
However, if you would like to make active contact
with other profiles, for just a
small fee you can become a Premium Member. This is a
contribution towards the
expensive and time-consuming tasks of compiling,
maintaining and promoting the
website. Don’t worry, if you don’t wish to pay for
Premium Member status, simply
wait until other users contact you. Once you’ve been
contacted, the reply function
is also free.
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Do I need to pay dog
borrowers for their services?
No! Dog-sharing on HAPPY PUPPY is
voluntary and
free. It’s for people who care
about dogs. Moreover, as a rule if a
dog is looked-after by a third party, dog insurance
only provides coverage if the
dog was looked-after free of charge. We recommend
you check this with your insurer.
If any member of the HAPPY PUPPY community requests
payment for their services,
please tell us. Go to the profile in question, click
the three dots symbol at the
top right of the screen – then click on report
profile!
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Who bears liability in the
case of damage?
Third-party liability dog insurance
is not obligatory in all states.
However, we expressly recommend such insurance
coverage in the case of dog-sharing.
As a rule, damages occurring during
third-party care are covered by
such a policy, as
long as care is provided on an unpaid basis, as is
the case with the dog borrowing
services provided via HAPPY PUPPY. We recommend dog
owners check up on this issue
with their insurers.
Dog owners can state whether their dogs are covered
by insurance on the dog’s
profile. To be sure, dog borrowers should make sure
they ask the owner again when
they meet.