Last updated: 27 October 2026
1. Who we are
Howfen Solo Paws – Private Dog Walking is a small, independent dog walking business offering private, one-to-one walks in Westhoughton, Bolton. These terms form the agreement between you and the owner of Howfen Solo Paws. In these terms, “we”, “us” and “our” mean Howfen Solo Paws, and “you” means the owner of the dog we walk.
We've kept these terms as short and plain as we can. Please read them before your first walk, and if anything is unclear, just ask: you can email us at howfensolopaws@gmail.com or use the enquiry form on our Contact page. Our Privacy Policy explains how we look after your personal information.
2. Our service
We offer private walks only. Your dog is never walked in a group or alongside dogs from other households, so they have our full attention for the whole walk. You can choose a 30-minute walk or 60-minute walk. When extreme heat, ice or snow makes walking unsafe, we may instead offer an Adverse Weather Home Visit (see Adverse weather).
What's included:
- Exclusive one-to-one attention
- Collection and return from home within the agreed service area
- A walk suited to your dog's needs
- Fresh water on return
- A photo or short update
- A free initial meet and greet
We don't offer group walks, daycare, boarding or grooming.
3. Your free meet and greet
Before any walks are booked, we'll arrange a free, no-obligation meet and greet at your home. It's a chance for your dog to get to know us, and for us to learn about their routine, needs and personality. Together, we'll agree:
- which walk suits your dog, and the days and times you'd like
- how we'll collect and return your dog, including keys or other access
- whether any off-lead time is appropriate
- how and when payment works
- your emergency contact and your vet's details
- anything we need to know about your dog's health and behaviour
Either of us can decide not to go ahead after the meet and greet. There's no charge and no obligation.
4. Bookings and availability
We're a small independent business, so bookings depend on our availability and on where you live. We currently walk dogs in Westhoughton and Daisy Hill (BL5), and nearby — just ask if you're close by and not sure.
Walk days and times are agreed with you, and a booking is confirmed once we've both agreed it. We always aim to arrive at the agreed time, but traffic or something else outside our control can occasionally make us a little early or late. We'll let you know if there's a significant delay.
If you'd like to change a regular booking, just ask. We'll do our best, subject to availability.
5. Prices and payment
Our current prices are:
- 30-Minute Private Walk: £12
- 60-Minute Private Walk: £18
- Adverse Weather Home Visit (15–20 minutes): £10, only when weather makes walking unsafe and only if agreed with you in advance
Payment is made securely online through PayPal — by debit or credit card, or with a PayPal account — so there's no cash to leave out, and we never see your card details. Prices are always agreed up front, with no hidden extras, and we'll explain when payment is due at your free meet and greet, before any walks are booked.
Online payments are processed by PayPal, an independent payment provider. Our Privacy Policy explains how payment information is handled.
If our prices change, we'll tell you before the new prices apply to your walks.
6. Cancellations
If you need to cancel
Please give us at least 24 hours' notice if you need to cancel a walk, and there's no charge. With less notice, we may charge for the walk, as we'll usually have kept that time free for your dog. If we arrive for a booked walk and can't get in or collect your dog, and we can't reach you, we may treat it as a late cancellation.
If you agree to our services away from business premises (for example, at your home) or at a distance (for example, by message or email), you may also have a legal right to cancel within 14 days without giving a reason. If you've asked us to start walks within that period, you'd pay for any walks already provided.
If we need to cancel
Occasionally we may need to cancel or rearrange a walk, for example because of illness, an emergency or unsafe conditions. We'll let you know as soon as we can and, where possible, offer another time. If we can't provide a booked walk or an alternative you've agreed to, there's no charge, or if you've already paid, we'll refund you for that walk.
7. Adverse weather
Your dog's safety comes first. If extreme heat, ice or snow makes a normal walk unsafe, we won't go ahead with it, and we'll make that judgement with your dog's welfare in mind. Instead, we may offer an Adverse Weather Home Visit: a short visit to your home (15–20 minutes, £10), but only if you agree to it in advance. A weather visit includes:
- A toilet opportunity where it's safe
- Fresh water
- Attention and company
- A welfare check
If you'd rather not have a weather visit, there's no charge for the walk that didn't go ahead. You can read the full details in our Adverse Weather Policy.
8. Our holidays
As a small independent business, we take occasional planned holidays. For a planned week-long holiday we'll normally give you 6–8 weeks' notice, so you have plenty of time to make other arrangements. You won't be charged for any walks while we're closed.
9. Your dog's health and behaviour
To keep your dog, and everyone they meet, safe, we ask that you:
- keep your dog's vaccinations, flea treatment and worming up to date
- make sure your dog is fit and well enough for the walk you've booked
- let us know before a walk if your dog is unwell or injured, or is a female coming into season, so we can adjust or postpone the walk
Please tell us about anything that could affect your dog's safety or anyone else's, both at the meet and greet and whenever something changes. For example:
- health conditions, allergies, injuries or medication
- how your dog behaves around other dogs, people, children, traffic or wildlife
- any history of biting, snapping, guarding or escaping
- any legal requirement or court order, such as needing to be muzzled or kept on a lead in public
We rely on what you tell us to plan safe walks, so please keep us up to date. If something important isn't shared with us, we may not be able to keep your dog, or others, safe.
Nervous and reactive dogs
Private walks can suit nervous or reactive dogs well, and we're always happy to talk about your dog's needs. Every dog is different, so we assess suitability individually at the meet and greet. We can't guarantee we'll be able to walk every dog.
If we ever feel a walk has become unsafe for your dog, for us or for other people or animals, we may cut it short and bring your dog home. We'll always tell you why.
10. ID tags and microchips
The law in England requires dogs to be identifiable, and this applies whenever your dog is out with us:
- ID tag: under the Control of Dogs Order 1992, a dog in a public place must wear a collar with the owner's name and address (including postcode) on it, or on a tag attached to it.
- Microchip: dogs in England must be microchipped by the time they're eight weeks old, and the details on the microchip database must be kept up to date.
Please make sure your dog's collar and tag are on and secure before each walk, and that the microchip details are current. A phone number on the tag isn't required, but it can really help if your dog ever goes missing.
11. Keys and access
Key holding: Yes, if you'd like us to. Keys are kept securely and are never labelled with your name or address. Alternatively, a key safe works well — we'll agree the best arrangement at your meet and greet.
Please never send key safe codes or alarm details through our website enquiry form. We'll agree a safe way to share access details at your meet and greet. If you change your locks, key safe code or alarm, please let us know before the next walk.
12. On and off the lead
Your dog's safety comes first, so dogs stay on the lead unless you've given written permission and we're confident it's safe — for example, a reliable recall in a suitable, secure space. We'll agree this together at the meet and greet.
Even with your permission, we may keep your dog on the lead whenever we feel it's the safer choice, for example near roads or livestock, or when other dogs are around.
13. Emergencies and vet treatment
We'll ask for your vet's details and an emergency contact at the meet and greet. If your dog is taken ill or injured while in our care:
- we'll try to contact you first, and then your emergency contact
- if we can't reach either of you, or there isn't time, we'll take your dog to your usual vet or the nearest available vet, and make reasonable decisions in your dog's best interests
- we'll keep you updated as soon as we can
By booking with us, you agree that we can seek veterinary treatment for your dog in an emergency. The cost of any treatment remains your responsibility as the owner, unless it was needed because of something we did wrong (see Our responsibility to you).
In the unlikely event that your dog goes missing while with us, we'll tell you straight away and do everything we reasonably can to find them.
14. Photos and updates
After each walk we'll send you a photo or short update, so you know how it went.
We only share a photo of your dog publicly, for example on our website or social media, with your permission, and you can change your mind at any time. We'll never share anything that could show where you live.
15. Our responsibility to you
We'll provide our services with reasonable care and skill, and look after your dog carefully while they're with us.
If we break these terms or fail to use reasonable care and skill, we're responsible for loss or damage you suffer that is a foreseeable result of that. Loss or damage is foreseeable if it's obvious it would happen, or if we both knew it might happen when we made our agreement. We're not responsible for loss or damage that isn't foreseeable, or that's caused by events outside our reasonable control.
Nothing in these terms limits or excludes our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud, or for anything else that can't be limited or excluded by law. Your statutory rights, including those under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, are not affected.
16. Ending the arrangement
You can stop using our services at any time. Just let us know. The usual cancellation notice applies to any walks already booked (see Cancellations).
We may also end the arrangement, for example if we can no longer walk your dog safely, if payments aren't made, or if we can no longer offer the service in your area. We'll give you as much notice as we reasonably can and explain why, and we'll refund anything you've paid for walks we won't now provide.
Either way, we'll return any keys we hold.
17. Complaints
If you're unhappy with anything, please talk to us first. Most things can be put right quickly. You can email us at howfensolopaws@gmail.com or use the enquiry form on our Contact page, and we'll listen, look into it and do our best to put things right.
If we can't resolve it between us, Citizens Advice can give you free, independent advice about your consumer rights.
18. Changes to these terms
We may update these terms from time to time, for example if our services, prices or the law change. If a change affects walks you've booked, we'll tell you before it applies. The date at the top of this page shows when these terms were last updated.
19. The law that applies
These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales can deal with any dispute. If any part of these terms turns out not to be enforceable, the rest still applies.