Contractor agreement for a dog walker working for an agency

A dog walking agency sends walkers into clients' homes to take responsibility for their animals, and the agreement has to deal with the trust that involves: keys and alarm codes, the welfare of the dogs, what happens when a dog is injured or lost, the walker's own insurance and vehicle, and the clients who, when the walker leaves, may follow. It also has to reflect a self-employed engagement, which it does where the walker takes the jobs they want and declines the rest. I draft that agreement, for the agency or for the walker, for a fixed fee of £595, delivered in five working days. Status turns on the facts, is checked with HMRC's Check Employment Status for Tax tool for each engagement, and cannot be guaranteed by any agreement.

Who this is for

Dog walking, pet sitting and pet care agencies and platforms in England and Wales engaging self-employed walkers and sitters, and walkers working through an agency who want to understand their position.

What matters in a dog walker's agreement

Jobs, clients and the freedom to decline

The agreement should say that the agency offers walks and visits (client, dogs, address, time window, rate) which the walker may accept or decline, that the walker may work for other agencies and their own clients, that an accepted booking is a commitment with notice for withdrawing and cover the agency approves, that the walker decides the route and the handling within the client's instructions, and that recurring bookings are offered rather than imposed; a walker on the agency's weekly rota with no freedom to decline is on a rota.

The duty of care to the animals and the law on welfare

The walker takes responsibility for the dogs in their care under section 9 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which requires a person responsible for an animal to meet its needs, and the agreement should require the walker to follow the client's instructions on leads, recall, other dogs and medical needs, to walk no more dogs at once than the agency's limit and the local authority's rules allow, to keep dogs under control in public, to comply with the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and local dog control orders, and to report any incident; where the agency or the walker boards dogs or provides day care, licensing under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 applies and the agreement should say who holds the licence.

Keys, homes and security

The agreement should set rules for keys and alarm codes (held securely, never labelled with addresses, not copied, returned on ending the client relationship), the walker's conduct in clients' homes (no admitting others, locking up, reporting damage), confidentiality about clients and their homes, the agency's checks on walkers (identity, references and, where the agency chooses, criminal record checks), and the handling of clients' personal data under the UK GDPR, with the agency as controller of bookings and the walker holding only what each job needs.

Insurance, vehicles and incidents

The walker should hold public liability insurance covering dog walking and pet care, including care, custody and control of animals and loss of keys, and the agreement should say whether the agency's policy covers walkers as well; a walker transporting dogs needs a vehicle insured for business use with the dogs restrained as the Highway Code requires. The agreement should set the procedure for an injured, ill or lost dog (immediate action, contacting the client and the agency, veterinary treatment with the client's consent or in an emergency without it, and who pays), and the walker's liability for loss caused by their negligence, within the insurance.

Pay per walk and cancellations

The agreement should state the rate per walk or visit by duration and number of dogs, additional rates for weekends, bank holidays and extra dogs, the client cancellation notice and the fee the walker receives where a client cancels late, the position where the walker cancels (no fee, cover arranged), travel where paid, and the invoicing cycle with interest under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998; where the agency collects client payments and pays the walker a share, the agreement should say so and state the split.

Status, clients and leaving

A walker with several agencies and their own clients, their own vehicle and equipment, the freedom to decline bookings and the right to send cover is self-employed, and the agreement should say so; a walker on a fixed rota, in the agency's uniform as a condition, supervised and paid by the hour is likely to be a worker under section 230 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 with rights under the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 and the Working Time Regulations 1998. Clients the agency introduced are the agency's, with a non-solicitation for a reasonable period and a stated fee where a client engages the walker directly within it, and the agreement runs on short mutual notice without exclusivity.

What it costs

Consultancy or contractor agreement, £595. Drafted for your business. Five working days.

Template set for repeat use, £895. One master agreement plus a short-form schedule you can reuse for every engagement. Five working days.

Buying online forms the engagement on payment. The scope is what the consultancy and contractor agreements page describes, you accept the Terms of Service at checkout, and I email you within four working hours to get started. If you would rather ask something first, email me.

What you get

• A clear, express assignment of intellectual property to your business
• Confidentiality provisions that protect your business information
• Restrictive covenants drafted at a scope a court will uphold
• Clear treatment of status, so the arrangement is not accidentally something else
• Payment, deliverables and termination provisions that match how you work
• A reusable structure, so the next engagement costs you nothing

What is not included

• Employment status determinations and off-payroll working assessments, which need your accountant
• Tax advice
• Disputes with a contractor you have already engaged
• Immigration and right to work compliance

Questions I am often asked

A dog was injured on a walk. Who pays the vet?

The walker's insurance where the injury was caused by the walker's negligence, and the client otherwise, with the agency's policy as the agreement says. The agreement sets the procedure so that the dog is treated first and the money sorted afterwards.

Can we require walkers to wear our branded clothing?

You can offer it; requiring it as a condition is a factor pointing to employment. The agreement offers branding and keeps the walker free to work for others.

A client has started booking our walker directly. What can we do?

The agreement provides a fee where a client the agency introduced engages the walker directly within a stated period. A ban on the walker ever working for the client is unlikely to be enforceable.

Related guidance and services

• Consultancy and contractor agreements, £595, the service this page describes
• Contract review, £495
• Employment contracts and handbooks, £595
• Contractor agreement for a cleaner working through a cleaning company

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: October 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.