Wednesday 11 January 2017

Snow / Bad weather procedures - 11 Jan 2017

Today I was asked what I would be doing if it snowed tomorrow.

So, time for a reminder / update on our Winter procedures in case of snow / bad weather.

1) 1st of all, if I can get my car out of the street, I will set out to work

2) Roads around the Consett area are known to be bad in one place but 500ms away totally clear.

3) Because of this, some roads will be slow going, so walks could / would be reduced in time to ensure all dogs are walked for dinnertime.

4)  On days with snow or bad ice, I text all customers in the morning, asking who is home. If roads are very slow going this enables me to concentrate on dogs home alone. If I do this, I really appreciate all customers replying as soon as possible to plan accordingly. Just because I ask, doesn't mean I will cancel any walks. Its purely fact finding.

5)  Occasionally roads start off clear but as the day progresses they become covered in snow very quickly. So quickly that ploughs don't have time to clear the roads. For safety reasons, on these days, all walks could / would be cut to just wee breaks only, whenever I can.

6) On rare occasions, I have had to admit defeat and cancel a day and return home. This is purely for the walkers safety. In the past I ignored this, and crashed. Something I will not be wanting to do again unnecessarily.

7) We always try to walk your dogs in whatever weather is thrown at us. But we have a plan, and use it as and when necessary. However on occasion, the plan goes wrong. Bad weather can be immediately followed by warm sun which melts the snow very quickly. But at the time the roads would look treacherous. Hindsight is a great tool after the event.

So, in a nutshell. If I can drive safely, I will walk your dog.