So wanted to like this, but when the protagonist itself tells you they're clumsy and so totally flippant about it despite all the drama and hurt that causes, and they seem completely oblivious in there or even they're the 'victim' because they're 'clumsy' and they cannot help it... Sorry, but I don't find that endearing, and as such, this one grated from the get-go with its lack of accountability and the flippant view of life it offered

Lovely feel good book to read. It was a joy to read. Lovely characters. Great plot. The book was charming. Very well written. I’d definitely recommend this book

I loved this book. I'm not really a dog person but I do love animals and this memoir was right up my street.

I fell in love with Kate, who is a lovely warm character, and the dogs in her care. There were so many laugh out loud as well as some really tender moments.

I loved all the antics of the dog and equally their owners. This was such a fun read that I would gladly recommend.

Dog walking is not a world I know much about so Ireally enjoyed reading about all the doggie and human characters especially Stanley and Tom.
I liked the snippets of the extremes of peoples life you get to see.
It's definitely one I'd recommend.

Kate MacDougall’s London’s Number One Dog Walking Agency is a beautiful, heartfelt memoir.

Kate gets candid with the reader about her struggles in starting and then, running an unconventional business- dog-walking.

She presents a no-holds-barred portrayal of the difficulties she had to encounter while establishing her business such as skepticism from her erstwhile colleagues and her mother, difficult clients with impossible demands, and being plagued with anxiety through it all.

I loved that she chose to write about her struggle with anxiety. As a business owner, she would wake up each day and worry if everything was going to run smoothly or worse if the business was going to stay afloat. However, gradually, she realizes that life rarely provides a hiccup-free path to walk upon. I also loved how, with time, she stops being a people-pleaser and starts saying “No” to irrational demands of her clients, and in some cases, even refuses to service those clients.

Through it all, her husband, Finlay, supports her 100 percent. While the memoir does share her experiences with the dogs, it also shares her experiences with the dog owners.

This memoir taught me a valuable lesson that at the end of the day, all people have the same worries. So, it’s pointless to be jealous of others and judging others. Her memoir provided me another invaluable message – life turns out to be okay in the end. You just have to keep the faith and keep going.

London’s Number One Dog Walking Agency is also a coming-of-age memoir. MacDougall made me a companion in her journey from an anxious twenty-something-year-old, single woman to a less anxious and a settled thirty-something-old married entrepreneur. I loved her self-deprecating voice poking fun at her immature view of the world.

Overall, it’s an engaging memoir. I heartily recommend Kate MacDougall’s London’s Number One Dog Walking Agency for dog-lovers and people who are looking for a delightful book about life and dogs.

Many thanks to the publisher for my copy of the book via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion on the book.

Loving all the dogs and their associated owners. Enjoyed this heartwarming and entertaining book, happily lost myself in its pages. Great first novel

Totally ( sorry, dog pun coming up) paw-some! I have a newfound respect for dog walkers all across the globe. Shamefully, I thought dog-walking was something of a hobby - more truthfully, not a real job. But Kate MacDougall has completely opened my eyes. It's a demanding business full of fussy clients and fussy dogs. This was such an enlightening, educating and entertaining read. Glorious witty and warming. For the readers out there not so keen on our furry, four-legged friends, do not despair! Despite the title, this book is not just about dog walking. Themes of love, life decisions, personal growth, insecurities and life's many dog eat dog struggles are dotted throughout the pages.

I'm onto my second re-read.

Bravo Kate MacDougall!

I really wanted to enjoy this book. Unfortunately, I had to give up.

It had the promise of a good read but it just didn't work for me.

I enjoyed this book but I did find it hard to get into to start with. The characters took a while to warm to. Charming book that I am glad I persevered with.

An enjoyable read about the perils of setting up a dog walking agency. You get to know the characters- both the owners and the dogs. Kate sees her business emerge and needs other dog walkers to help. A great read for dog lovers

What a lovely easy book this was, a smooth read, that led easily from one chapter to the next. I was led through Kates life as she grew into her business as well as her own life growing and expanding nicely. The dogs and their walkers were all fun as well.

A lovely book which at first I didn’t realise was a true story. It’s the story of Kate who leaves her job and sets up her own dog walking business with a fleet of her own walkers. The tales of the dogs were heart warming, I loved hearing of the relationships some of the walkers developed with their charges. I did shed a tear at the end as anyone who’s lost a dog would.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book.

If you like dogs you will love this book
Kate is fed up of her job at Sotheby's so leaves and decides to set up a dog walking agency where she finds out that its more complicated than she thinks dealing with some of the owners strange requests on dealing with the dogs
A fun easy to read book

Kate wasn't happy in her job at Sotheby's so decides to set up her own dog walking company. The book is all about the trials Kate has getting dogs to walk and all about the various owners.

Stories written by life are as charming as they are heartbreaking. The sweetness in all its reinvigorating guises is always slightly spoiled by a dollop of bitterness. But, as Kate MacDougall said in her furry debut, "you either get where you want to go or you don't, and the middle bit is just life."

London's No.1 Dog-Walking Agency, a 2021 debut from Kate MacDougall, is a warm account of the trials and tribulations of her life as a dog walker, a budding businesswoman, a wife, a mum, a human. It's a beautifully written account of a person on a journey of discovery.

And that discovery is indeed the motif that rolls throughout the story precisely as it does in our lives. Things happen. Things change and transform. We grow as professionals, as human beings. We discover new, rediscover the old, and we are in a constant state of flux. MacDougall captures it perfectly through the poignant stories about dogs she walked throughout her career.

Despite the setting, dogs are not as important as we are lead to believe. It's a story of humanity and what it is. As wonderful as they are, dogs in this story are a background to the perceptive look Kate MacDougall takes at the lives of others. Every story of a dog is a story of their owner intertwined with MacDougall's own struggles. It's a brave and honest account that a transition into new life is rarely comfortable and never goes as smoothly as we'd like.

The style of the book is captivating. MacDougall has a way with words and knows how to punch straight in the feels without saying much. She seamlessly combines chattiness over a cuppa with well-worded articulacy and eloquence. The language is lyrical and tinted with nostalgia whilst pleasantly readable. It's indeed a pleasurable read I would recommend wholeheartedly.

Kate had drifted into her job at Sotheby's however her heart wasn't in it & after an unfortunate accident with two porcelain pigeons she decided she needed a fresh start. Trying to decide what to do next she found herself walking dogs- at this time, unlike today, there weren't the dog walking businesses there are now. Taking a step into the unknown she begins her often hilarious journey. Being a huge dog lover, this was bound to appeal to me. I loved Kate's style of writing & the quirky characters- both human & canine!!

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this lovely book.

I do love a bit of light non-fiction. I will start this review by admitting I'm not a massive dog love - I like them enough but I don't own one and would consider myself more of a cat woman. (Don't shout at me!) I wanted to see how interesting this book would be to a typical lay person - did I have to be a dog fanatic to enjoy it? The answer is no, this is a good story in its own right.
I'm always intrigued by how people set up their own businesses, what prompts them to do it and how they go about it and this didn't disappoint.
I liked that Kate presents herself as ordinary - not particularly wealthy or poor, not particularly driven although with the same periods of worry that most of us have and making the most of the opportunities that she's offered but still has to work hard for what she gets.
I loved the tales of her family and enjoyed most of the stories behind the dog owners.
All in all, a good non-fiction real life account of a modern day woman.

London's No 1 Dog-Walking Agency is a book that will have universal appeal. It follows Kate as she leaves her job and follows her dream of setting up a dog walking agency. It has a wonderful cast of characters, the dogs are wonderful to read about( we wanted them all). Kates honest and truthful look at the struggles of setting at the business and the recession makes it an interesting read.

Yes it's a book about dogs but there are some very human and relatable elements to the story.

A really sweet, brief look at Kate MacDougall's venture into dog-walking in London. Kate gives each of her charges such well-developed descriptions that it's almost like they're people. A great book to read in the bath. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.

I absolutely adored this book! Firstly it's about dogs so what's not to love! but also it is about the humans too, a really wonderful, warm and fascinating read.
Typically it's the dogs who are sane, the humans not so much, I thoroughly enjoyed every single page, it has everything; loads of humour but also sadness and some very poignant human stories too.
Intertwined with the story of Kate setting up her business is the story of her building a family, her struggles with her relationship with her mother etc, in the midst of her clients, employees and the many wonderful dogs
I will buy a copy of this book and will be reading it again, absolutely brimming with warmth and wonderfully written.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bonnier Books and Blink Publishing for the advance copy.