London's Number One Dog-Walking Agency

A Memoir

Kate Macdougall

• Publisher: William Morrow
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN:
  9780063059795
• eBook ISBN:
  9780063059801
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Social Science Biographies
• Index: Social Sciences

" Sparkles with humor, joy and wit. London's Number One Dog-Walking Agency bounds along with the energy of a rambunctious pup and exudes the wisdom of a beloved canine with an old soul (you know the type)." —  BookPage

The irresistibly charming memoir of a young woman who started her own business as a dog walker for London's busy, well-heeled dog lovers. A true love letter to London, dogs, and growing up. 

Aside from the odd biter or growler, the occasional bolter and the one dog who didn't want to walk, the canines were the easy part. They were a muddy, messy joy in all shapes, sizes and breeds, from greedy Labradors to pampered pugs and everything in between. It was the owners who were the real challenge, a giddy mix of the over-protective, the clueless, the eccentrics and the perfectionists. There is no rule book on how to navigate the obsessions of the London dog owner. A degree in human psychology would have been far preferable to any sort of animal qualification. Not that I had either…

In 2006, Kate MacDougall was working a safe but dull job at the venerable auction house Sotheby's in London. After a clumsy accident nearly destroyed a precious piece of art, she quit Sotheby's and set up her own dog-walking company. Kate knew little about dogs and nothing about business, and no one thought being a professional dog walker was a good use of her university degree. Nevertheless, Kate embarked upon an entirely new and very much improvised career walking some of the city's many pampered pooches, branding her company "London's Number One Dog Walking Agency." 

With sharp wit, delightful observations, and plenty of canine affection, Kate reveals her unique and unconventional coming-of-age story, as told through the dogs, and the London homes and neighborhoods they inhabit. One walk at a time, she journeys from a haphazard twentysomething to a happily—and surprisingly—settled adult, with love, relationships, drama, and home ownership along the way. But, as Kate says, "It's all down to the dogs" and what they taught her about London—and life. 

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Frank - Jack Russell, five, Greenwich
• Winston, part one - Labrador, six months, Vauxhall
• Stanley, part one - Rescue mutt, age unknown, Clapham
• Billy - Manchester terrier, two, Bow
• Stanley, part two - Rescue mutt, age still unknown, Clapham
• Fabio - Cocker spaniel, three, Holborn
• Winston, part two - Labrador, one, Vauxhall/Wandsworth
• Stanley, part three - Rescue mutt, age still unknown, Clapham
• Cleo - Labrador, five, Oxford Street
• Zeus - Rhodesian ridgeback, one, Covent Garden
• Mabel, part one - Jack Russell, three months, Wandsworth
• Stanley, part four - Rescue mutt, age still unknown, Clapham
• Jelly and Bean - Scottish Terriers, four, Islington
• Mabel, part two - Jack Russell, two years, Wandsworth
• Huxley - West Highland terrier, five, Putney
• Winston, part three - Labrador, five, Pimlico
• Mabel, part three - Jack Russell, three, Wandsworth
• Stanley, part five - Rescue mutt, age still unknown, Clapham
• Dolly, part one - Silky terrier, one, Notting Hill
• Mabel, part four - Jack Russell, four, Wandsworth
• Dolly, part two - Silky terrier, two, Notting Hill
• Lily and Lucy - King Charles spaniels, six, Knightsbridge
• Stanley, part six - Rescue mutt, old, Clapham
• Mabel, part five - Jack Russell, six, Oxfordshire
• Afterword
• About the Author
• Copyright
• About the Publisher