About

We run because dogs love it, and it is so good for them. Most dogs need about 45 minutes of physical exercise per day and about 15 minutes of mental exercise (training) per day. Regular physical exercise keeps their joints, bones, heart, and lungs healthy. We agree with the mantra that a good dog is a tired dog. Walking is great exercise, but when it comes to burning off excess energy or shedding excess weight, running is superior to walking.

At Prairie Pet Care, we take our work very seriously; your dog’s well being is our number one priority. Our number two priority is an extremely trustworthy, reliable, and convenient service for you. We are bonded, insured, members of the National Association for Professional Pet Sitters, and are continually educating ourselves in dog behavior, psychology, physiology, training, and breeds. We build relationships with your veterinarians, we know where the emergency animal hospitals are, we are prepared for emergencies, both of the pet and home varieties. We always walk or run for the full time you have paid for. Can the kid down the street offer you all of this? We are actively involved in our community and donate our time, services, and money to local animal shelters and the United Way. We are the first and only dog running company in the Kansas City area. We are professionals to the core and love what we do!

Certain breeds are better suited for running. Most dogs love to run. It is just a matter of how long and how fast they can run, which is why we tailor our running programs to best meet the needs of your dog, ranging from a slow jog to a fast paced run. Below is a list of dogs that typically like to run, it is by no means complete and there are always exceptions:

+ Most Terriers – especially Jack (or Parsons), Rat, Pit Bull, Staffordshire, Boston, Border and Wheaten

+ Most herding dogs including Belgian Shepherd, Collie, Border Collie, German Shepherd, Shetland Sheepdog, Australian Shepherd
+ Husky
+ Doberman
+ Poodle
+ Retrievers
+ Visla
+ Spaniels
+ Irish Setter
+ Weimaraner

We would be happy to set up a regular walking schedule for your dog.

Absolutely. We can email you a list or we will bring a list with us to the initial consultation.

Yes, we carry General Liability insurance and a Crime bond with an A-rated insurance carrier.

We take Visa, Master Card, American Express, and Discover. We will bill your credit card (on file with Prairie Pet Care) every other Friday for services rendered the two weeks prior. We will then email you a “paid” itemized invoice. We understand you are busy and the last thing you want is to get another bill in the mail, write out another check, address and mail another envelope, and accrue late fees if you forget to pay an invoice, which is why we have completely automated the credit card process. Our goal is to have the most convenient service possible.

If your regularly scheduled runner is ill or unable to make their scheduled run, we have designated back-up runners who will be happy to take your dog for his scheduled run. We will let you know if a back-up runner ran your dog that day via our daily report we leave at your home. Our goal is a 100% reliable service. We know your dog looks forward to his run and we aim to please.

We will never take your dog to an off leash park. There are many reasons we do not go to off leash parks, but in short, we do not feel they are in the best interest of your dog. Again, our number one concern is the safety and well being of your dog; we cannot predict or control other dogs at the off-leash parks. Go to Leerburg.com for a good article on off-leash dog parks. Dogs will be on leash and under the supervision of their runner at all times while outside your home.

We walk and run in all weather conditions, but if the safety of your dog or runner is in question, we will either reschedule or not charge you for that day’s run. If your dog needs a relief break, we will stop by to let him out. Extremely icy conditions, extreme cold temperatures (depending on breed of dog), or severe thunder storms are really the only conditions we will avoid running in.

Unless you will be home during our scheduled services, or provide access via garage key pad, we ask that you provide two copies of your house keys. One will be kept by Jeff Graves, and the other will be given to your regularly scheduled dog runner. This helps for times when Jeff or another staff member sub for your regular person. For security reasons, we prefer this method versus utilizing a “hide-a-key” on your premises.

Prior to working with your dog our employees will have completed training with Jeff Graves, covering the following: leash handling procedures, safety measures while out with your dog, warning signs for fatigue, overheating, and injury, general client home security, and key handling protocols. We make sure our runners are in top shape, so they can focus on your dog while out for a run. We educate all employees on basic positive reinforcement dog training and dog behavior/body language. Our employees go through at least two interviews. We check all references. We prefer to hire athletes who have a Bachelor’s degree at least. Jeff Graves will attend the first two runs with each new client and runner to ensure compatibility and client safety measures/instructions are clear and being followed.

Generally we will accept any breed of dog as long as they are sociable (good around other dogs and people) and in good health. We do not expect perfection, but we do not want to put our runners or the public at risk if a dog is aggressive towards people or other dogs. During our initial consultation, we will discuss and evaluate your dog’s history, temperament, and needs. We reserve the right to decline service to anyone at our sole discretion.

Fortunately, most dogs are not aggressive to the point that they will attack unprovoked. They generally just want to come up and say hi, sniff, and make sure everything is OK. If we sense true aggression we will tell the owner to call back their dog. If they do not, cannot, or no owner is present, we will aggressively yell at that dog to get away. If that does not work we will pull your dog behind us, and are prepared to do what is necessary to keep your dog safe. We take protecting the dogs and puppies in our care very seriously.