The DoggyDesk blog
Help, guides and news for dog people
How-to guides and help files for dog sitters, dog walkers and dog owners, plus news from the DoggyDesk team.
Who is The DoggyDesk?
How The DoggyDesk started, who is behind it, and how we make our money, explained plainly by the people who built it.
Why your Stripe balance is a little lower after a refund
When a card booking is refunded, Stripe keeps its fee. What you will see, why your next payout can be slightly lower, and why a released hold costs nothing.
Guest booking vs Regular Booking
The two types of booking on The DoggyDesk: regular online bookings your clients make, and guest bookings you add yourself. How each one works.
What card payments can cost you: cancellations and chargebacks
Check a booking before you accept it, what happens to the fees if it is cancelled, and what to do about chargebacks. The honest costs of card payments.
The booking calendar - Private & Public Days
Open weekdays to everyone and keep weekends for regulars whose account you have set to “Trusted” status. How private and public days work for dog sitters and walkers.
Booking months ahead: why your card is saved, not charged
Booking a stay more than three months ahead? Your card is saved, not charged, and the deposit is taken closer to the date. Here is how it works.
What do the deposit labels on your bookings mean?
Every deposit label you can see on a booking, in plain English: what it means, why it appears, and whether you need to do anything.
Deposits and cancellations: how a card booking works
From the owner’s request to your payout: how card deposits, the 72-hour reply window, balances and cancellations work on The DoggyDesk.
What happens after you send a booking request
Booking a dog sitter or walker on The DoggyDesk: what you pay, when your card is charged, how long they have to reply, and what if plans change.
Add existing bookings you have with Guest Booking Feature
Add your regulars’ bookings in minutes with guest bookings: no account needed for them, a message ready to send, and a payment link if you want one.
How your booking calendar stops double bookings
How The DoggyDesk splits every day into before 2pm and after 2pm, why requests never block your calendar, and how same-day handovers work.
How to block off a holiday without pausing your bookings
Going away? Mark those days Unavailable instead of pausing your booking link. Here is the difference between Open, Paused and Unavailable.
Set up your profile and get your booking link
From signing up to sharing your booking link: what to fill in, in what order, and why your profile needs a few details before it goes live.
Keep card fees low: charge once, not every time
Stripe charges a fixed amount plus a percentage on every card charge. Here is how charging once, not every time, keeps the fixed part to one.
A dog walking or dog sitting booking calendar you can use anywhere
Stop answering “when do you have space?” messages. Send your booking link, share it anywhere, or show your calendar on your own website.
Founding member offer: 0% platform fee during the beta
Founding members pay 0% on card payments during the beta, then keep a permanent founder discount. Here is how the offer works and how to start.
Control your own card payments
How card payments work on The DoggyDesk: what merchant of record means, what it costs, how money is protected, and how to set it up.
