TruePath Safety Standards — How We Vet Walkers and Protect Your Dog

TruePath vets every walker through six stages before they can take a booking — and rejects roughly 35% of applicants who apply. Here is what each stage involves and what it is designed to catch.

Why the 35% rejection rate matters

A platform's rejection rate is the simplest signal of whether its vetting process is genuine. If almost everyone who applies is accepted, the process is a formality — a checkbox that creates the impression of vetting without the substance.

TruePath rejects approximately 35 in every 100 applicants. That means walkers you find on TruePath have cleared a filter that eliminated more than a third of the people who tried to join. The reasons for rejection range from criminal history checks that returned disclosed outcomes, to reference checks that raised concerns, to in-person assessments where a candidate's handling instincts were not adequate.

The rejection rate is not something to be proud of in isolation — it is evidence that the upstream standards are real.

Stage 1: Online application with experience history

The application asks for a detailed account of experience with dogs: breeds worked with, experience managing reactive or large-breed dogs, professional history in pet care or adjacent fields (veterinary nursing, animal shelter work, grooming), and personal dog ownership history.

This stage is not a pass/fail filter on its own — it is a screening tool that flags gaps between the role requirements and the applicant's background. Applications that indicate minimal experience with dogs are reviewed more carefully in the assessment stage.

The application also captures availability, service areas, and service types (solo walks, group walks, boarding, drop-ins) — which shapes what a walker can offer on the platform once active.

Stage 2: Identity verification

Before a criminal check can mean anything, the person's identity has to be confirmed. TruePath requires document upload as part of onboarding: a government-issued photo ID (passport or driver's licence) plus a secondary document.

Document verification is processed against identity verification tooling — not manually reviewed by a staff member, but validated programmatically. This is standard practice for financial services and regulated sectors in Australia; for pet care platforms, it remains uncommon.

Identity verification closes a simple but important loophole: a criminal check that is not matched to a verified identity does not confirm anything about the person you are actually meeting.

Stage 3: ACIC national criminal background check

TruePath requires every walker to complete an ACIC-accredited national criminal history check before being activated on the platform.

The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) is the federal body that manages national criminal checking in Australia. An ACIC check draws on criminal records from all states and territories — it is not limited to the state where the walker currently lives. This matters: a person with a conviction in Queensland who has since moved to NSW would not appear on a NSW-only check.

TruePath reviews the check result, not just the fact that a check was completed. Disclosed outcomes are assessed individually — the nature of the offence and its relevance to the role are considered.

Stage 4: Reference checks

Two professional or personal references are required from every applicant. Referees are contacted directly — they are not simply nominated names that sit in an applicant's file.

Reference checks are designed to surface:

• Patterns of behaviour that would not appear on a criminal check (unreliability, issues with animals, poor judgment in previous roles)
• Inconsistencies between what an applicant claims and what referees describe
• Red flags that only emerge through direct conversation

For applicants with professional pet care history, referees are typically previous employers or clients. For those applying with personal experience only, referees who can speak to the applicant's character and their relationships with animals are accepted.

Stage 5: Knowledge assessment

Before the meet-and-greet stage, applicants complete an in-app knowledge assessment covering:

• Dog handling fundamentals — reading dog body language, managing leads and harnesses for different breeds, appropriate group sizes and compatibilities
• Emergency response — what to do if a dog escapes, collapses, is attacked, or shows signs of heat distress; the correct order of actions
• Heat safety — understanding heat stress in dogs, the conditions under which outdoor exercise should be modified or cancelled (relevant for Sydney and Perth summers where surface temperatures can exceed 50°C on hot days), hydration requirements
• Vaccination and disease awareness — understanding why C5 vaccination requirements exist, what Bordetella and parvovirus are, why unvaccinated dogs in group settings create risk

This is not a rote quiz — it tests applied knowledge. Applicants who score below the required threshold do not proceed to the meet-and-greet.

Stage 6: Supervised meet-and-greet

The final stage before a walker is activated is an in-person meet-and-greet. This serves two purposes:

For TruePath: An in-person assessment of how the applicant handles an actual dog, whether their practical manner matches their application, and whether their first-time interaction with an animal they do not know shows appropriate instincts — letting the dog approach rather than forcing contact, reading body language, managing a lead correctly.

For owners: When a TruePath walker is matched with a new owner, a meet-and-greet before the first paid booking is also offered. This is the owner's opportunity to see how the walker interacts with their specific dog before handing over the lead.

A walker who passes all five prior stages but fails the in-person assessment does not proceed. This is the stage that catches applicants who present well on paper but lack the instincts and manner that safe dog handling requires.

What continues after activation

Passing the six-stage process gets a walker onto the platform. Maintaining their position requires ongoing standards:

Vaccination compliance: For boarding and group walks, TruePath requires walkers to verify that dogs in their care hold current C5 vaccination (covering distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, parainfluenza, and Bordetella). C3 minimum applies for solo walks. Walkers who accept bookings without verifying vaccination status are in breach of platform standards.

GPS-tracked walks: Every walk is GPS tracked from start to finish. Owners can watch the route in real time via the TruePath app. The full walk record — route, distance, duration, timestamps — is stored in the booking history.

Incident reporting: Any incident during a booking — injury, escape, near-miss — must be reported through the app in the same session. Walkers who fail to report incidents or fail to notify owners promptly are subject to platform review.

Platform liability coverage: All TruePath bookings include platform liability coverage. This applies to the booking relationship and is a backstop for situations involving walker negligence.

How TruePath compares to Mad Paws and Pawshake

Feature	Safety feature	TruePath	Mad Paws	Pawshake
Identity verification	Mandatory — document upload with verification	Profile required; document verification not specified in published policy	Profile required; document verification not specified in published policy
Criminal check mandatory	Yes — ACIC national check, platform-verified	Not a mandatory published requirement	Not a mandatory published requirement
Reference checks	Yes — 2 references, directly contacted	Not specified as a platform requirement	Not specified as a platform requirement
In-person assessment	Yes — before first activation	No	No
Knowledge assessment	Yes — dog handling, emergency response, heat safety	No	No
GPS-tracked walks	Yes — integrated, real-time, stored in booking	No	No
Platform booking coverage	Yes — all bookings	Listed but scope varies; review terms	Listed but scope varies; review terms
Vaccination requirements	C5 for group walks and boarding; C3 for solo	Not specified in published policy	Recommended but not specified as mandatory
Rejection rate (approx.)	~35% of applicants	Not disclosed	Not disclosed

Vaccination requirements explained

TruePath's vaccination requirements are not an arbitrary policy — they reflect disease transmission risk in shared animal environments:

C5 covers five diseases: distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, parainfluenza, and Bordetella (kennel cough). C5 is required for group walks and boarding because these settings involve contact between dogs — Bordetella and parainfluenza spread through respiratory droplets, and a single unvaccinated dog can expose an entire group.

C3 (distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus) is the minimum for solo walks, where cross-infection risk is substantially lower because the dog is not in contact with other dogs.

For a detailed look at vaccination requirements and what they mean for boarding specifically, see dog boarding vaccinations in Australia.

The incident reporting process

When a walker files an incident report through TruePath, the following happens:

1. The owner is notified through the app in the same session
2. The incident report captures: what happened, location (from GPS), time, any actions taken
3. TruePath support is automatically flagged
4. If vet treatment was sought, the walker documents the visit and provides receipts for any claim process
5. The GPS walk record is preserved and attached to the incident report

This creates a documented chain of events that is useful for insurance claims, liability assessment, and any platform review of the walker's conduct.

Frequently asked questions

Does every TruePath walker have a background check?

Can I request to see my walker's background check?

What happens if a TruePath walker does not meet standards after being activated?

Why does TruePath require C5 vaccination for group walks?

Does the meet-and-greet cost anything?

Find a TruePath walker near you

Background-checked walkers, GPS-tracked walks, and live photo updates. Most owners book their first walk within an hour.

Find a walker

Keep reading

trust

Background Checks for Pet Sitters in Australia — What to Look For

Not all pet sitter platforms require the same checks — and the differences matter. Here's what a proper background check involves, how Australian state checks vary, and how to verify a walker before you book.

trust

GPS Walk Tracking — What TruePath Shares With You in Real Time

TruePath's GPS walk tracking shows you the route, duration, and distance of your dog's walk in real time. Here's exactly what you see, how to access it, and why the data matters beyond just peace of mind.

trust

Pet Insurance and Dog Walker Liability — Who Pays If Something Goes Wrong?

If your dog is injured during a walk, multiple parties may have coverage — but which one applies depends on how the injury happened. Here's how liability and insurance interact when a dog walker is involved.