Man opens dog-walking business

Greg Welch especially liked walking the dogs during the 2½ years he worked at the Florence Area Humane Society animal shelter as assistant manager.

So, this summer, he decided to launch a dog-walking business. He will walk dogs five days a week from 30 to 45 minutes for $60 a week per dog. And the charge is $5 for each extra dog.

Welch was caught walking Leroy and Winnie on Tuesday morning in Coward. Leroy and Winnie are brother and sister pit bull mixes who came from the FAHS. They belong to Patrick Grooms.

Leroy and Winnie look forward to the daily walks down a long country, dirt road. They live next to the double-line railroad tracks that parallel U.S. 52 toward Lake City.

The trains don’t faze them. An extra long one roared by with its horn blaring during their walk. They didn’t even turn their heads.

“My goal is to provide your dog with healthy and rewarding exercise as an alternative to being cooped up inside or in the backyard all day,” Welch said. “I know how hard it is to work and fulfill the duties of the day while still finding time to give your dog the exercise he or she needs.

“But Monday through Friday, I will give them that exercise through focused, intense and structured walks. In very little time, I believe you will notice a difference in the behavior and energy levels of your dogs.”

Welch, a Turbeville native, emphasizes the pack leader walk. He said it’s a simple but effective exercise.

“This method teaches your dog to migrate following a leader, much like he would in the wild,” he said. “Instead of walking out front with his nose in the ground, he will be walking beside his leader with his head looking straight ahead.”

Welch said this forces the dog to focus on the walk instead of the surrounding distractions.

“When your dog begins to focus in this way,” Welch said, “it will not only drain his physical energy, but exercise his mind as well.”

Welch said the main disease of dogs of all ages is obesity, which can lead to such major medical problems as arthritis, diabetes, heart and liver disease, bladder problems and many types of cancer.

He said he is convinced the weight-loss benefit derived from regular exercise can alleviate — and even prevent — many of these ailments.

And he said a bored dog is more likely to be destructive or aggressive.

Walking also brings socialization into play.

“Socialization is introducing your dog to as many different environments as possible,” Welch said. “The different smells and noises that a dog encounters on regular walks can create healthy socialization of your dog.”

Growing up in the hinterlands of Turbeville, Welch had plenty of time to spend with dogs and study their behaviors.

“I’ve learned over the years that nothing makes a dog feel more like a dog than a good, healthy walk,” he said. “I’ve tried many different methods with my own pack and quickly learned that the pack-leader style is the best.”

Welch can be reached at (843) 601-0163.

Meanwhile, he is a pillar in Horse Branch Free Will Baptist Church in Turbeville. He and his fiancée, Christy Stone, will be married there next month. They plan to live in Coward.