Our Mission

Promote the well being of urban dogs

We strive to provide consistent professional pet care in a safe, friendly and fun environment.

Our goal is to adapt to the needs of dog owners to supply value based, convenient and complete pet care that enriches the lifestyle of urban dogs by providing exercise, dog walking, socialisation and the opportunity to play freely.

“Professional pet care in a safe friendly environment”.

Click here to view service areas categorised by postcode   

Pet Minding in Melbourne with Woofers Animal Care Services

Woofers World first began trading in 2005 although it had been brewing in the minds of the founders Jonathan & Penny Whitelaw for many years.

“We aimed to bring some of our experiences from overseas to Melbourne and fill the niche in the market for an affordable and truly service-orientated pet care business.  Our original aim was to open an urban dog day care centre complete with overnight facility in, what we felt was a perfect location, the inner suburbs of southeast Melbourne. 

However through numerous attempts and hours of hair pulling we conceded that restrictive licensing and the costs of an appropriate premise far outweighed any chance of offering value in our services and our ultimate goal of all round pet minding in Melbourne . 

So, we reviewed our aims and the needs of like dog owners and were reminded that dogs are a regular part of a home and family; and confinement to a warehouse or caged kennel is far from ideal for exercise, enrichment and socialising needs.

We found that dogs (and dog owners) needed fun, safe, outdoor playgroups that could be tailored to each dog as if it was a human child.  Some dogs needed one hour walking and others needed three but they all needed socialising, pats, cuddles, a brush, and most importantly human affection.

We also discovered not all boarding kennels are ideal for loved family dogs.  By depriving your dog of its regular family in exchange for a concrete cage is likened to punishing them with separation and confinement. So we searched and sifted through over a hundred applications for dog minders and screened every one to ensure that we could continue to offer a safe, friendly holiday care alternative. 

As one of our clients said “it is comforting to know that Bella is so well looked after in every way.” And that is our intention; to offer complete valuable pet care. 

Woofers World has had fantastic success and growth and an overwhelming response from loving dog owners. 

We are proud of what we have achieved and the level of care we provide.  We feel that our success has stemmed from our attentive care and that our competitors may have been able to compete with our prices but they couldn’t compete with our service.

My wife and I would like to thank everyone for their kind support and encouragement and for allowing us to be apart of the happy lives of so many furry friends.”

Jonathan Whitelaw

Co-Founder/Animal Placements

What you can expect from our staff:

We pride ourselves on caring for your dog like it was our own, we’ll never drop your dog off to you dirty or wet, and if we have been to the beach then we’ll make sure that your dog is clean, dry and free from sand.

All Woofers World handlers will be easily identifiable and willing to assist in any way, so if you see a Woofers World T-shirt in the park or on the beach please feel free to ask their advice or just have a chat.

Each handler is deemed responsible, sufficiently qualified or experienced and capable of performing his or her role diligently.  Each handler has had an Australian police record check and carries an animal first aid pack. 

As you may know our reputation for professional caring service is important to us and we can assure you that your dog will be cared for equal to, or better than, you care for them.

Rain, hail or shine!  All Woofers World animal handlers are equipped and prepared to walk and play with your dog in all weather conditions and we ask that you ensure that your dog is adequately prepared also.  We'll supply sunscreen, water, treats, toys, etc, although, if it gets really cold or wet we suggest you leave their doggy jackets out for us to put on them.

Woofers World is covered by public liability insurance according to Council and State requirements and in addition, our handlers are covered by a specialised  "Care and Custody" insurance.

We come to you;    

You can elect to be at home when we pick up and drop off, yet we understand that this is not always possible so you may elect to give us access to your property.  You can be comforted, that we always double check the gates behind us and leave a calling card so you know exactly when we were there.

We endeavour to be always on time and ask that if you are ever under time restrictions please tell us so we can ensure we don’t keep you waiting.

All Woofer Clients wear an ICE (In Case of Emergancy) dog tag, which has a 24 hr phone number. So, if your dog escapes and you’re at work we can collect and care for them until you get home.  (charges apply for lost dog pickups)

Payment is simple and hassle free;

At the end of every outing you'll receive a “receipt for service” from the handler.  Then at the end of the month you’ll receive an invoice in the mail, (or email if you prefer). Payment can be made via Bpay, credit card, EFT (electronic funds transfer), or cheque by snail mail.

Simple!  No need to count the coin jar, run to the bank, or leave a cheque on the counter and no need for our handlers to carry money.

We don’t request pre payment, yet if for any reason your pooch is not available or you wish to cancel an outing we kindly ask 48 hours notice or the full fee will still be charged to your account.

Ask our staff about how you can recieve a weeks free dogwalking by having your fees directly debited from you nominated account or credit card.

Off-leash play

We all know how important it is for dogs to play off leash, to run and jump, to dodge and weave, roll, pant, puff etc, and how important it is for them to feel free.  There are, however, certain risks when playing freely, so if you request us to exercise your dog off leash you accept that we use our best judgment when it is safe to do so.

Our goal is to supply you with complete pet care that enriches the lifestyle of your dogs and we are confident that you'll find value and professionalism with our team.

Please call or email any time if you have any concerns or questions regarding our pet minding services in Melbourne or just want a little advice about your woofer.