London's Number One Dog-Walking Agency

A Memoir

By: Kate MacDougall

Narrated by: Anna Popplewell

Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's Summary

"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. 

©2021 Kate MacDougall (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

Entertaining light read

This was just what I needed to get through a stressful week, a funny and well written tale about a dog walker. I love the London accents and their way of speaking, so it makes a great listening experience. Two enthusiastic paws up!

More Memoir than Comedy

Well, it wasn’t quite what I’d hoped for. It was definitely about dogs, and the walkers and the business which is what was described. I guess I was hoping for more frivolity. But it was a memoir, not a comedy.

I LOVED IT!!!!

I have been listening to books for many years. This book is special. I laughed, I cried, and I learned a lot. Thank you, Kate MacDougall for writing such wonderful book.

A must read for all dog lovers!

A young twenty something has graduated university. She is excited to enter the working world with her newly minted art history degree but becomes quickly disillusioned by days of drudgery cataloging pieces waiting to be auctioned. That is when she takes stock of her life and heads into an entirely different career path altogether... dog walking.

We follow Kate along on her new adventure and find great joy in getting to know not only the wonderful dogs she walks but also the quirky and sometimes exasperating humans who employ her. Funny. Insightful. Even philosophical. I loved this book and think that you will too!

fun listen

listened to this while hiking with my Golden. good story about business ownership while juggling a relationship and family. oh, and it's also about dogs!!