Following yet another incident with dogs stolen from a careless dog walker, the time has surely come for much stricter controls to be brought against so-called professional dog care and walking organisations.
STOP PRESS: After writing this yesterday, another dog has disappeared whilst being walked off lead by a ‘professional’ dog waker, this time in west London.
The list of incidents is long:
Four dogs have gone missing after their walkers van was stolen…
Teddy was stolen when he was taken out by his dog walker…
“Because we are walking groups of dogs and there’s been loads of thefts going on, we are always worried about being a victim…”
White fiat transit van full of dogs has just been stolen…
Dog walker killed six dogs after locking them in hot truck for 45 minutes… then lied and said they had been stolen…
A heartless thief stole six dogs out of a parked vehicle Tuesday while the dog walker went to use the washroom….
…cockapoo went missing while out with a dog walker … what is believed to be the remains of the two-year-old cocker spaniel-poodle cross had been found severely decomposed off a public footpath…
… dog walking company has running tab at local vet…
…a specialist was injured while out walking his own dog when two dog walkers appeared with eight dogs … he suddenly found himself thrown into the air and onto the floor. When he asked the professional dog walker if he was covered by insurance he said he was not, but gave him the owners’ number. The owners said “You tripped/placed yourself down on the ground, over your own dog.”
Thieves stole a van and 11 dogs when a professional walker stopped to pick up a dog and left the keys in the ignition…
… dog killed on road after dog sitter left front door open to chase another dog that was allowed to escape…
Every morning when walking my dog I see a fleet of vans from one company and another van from a second company doing the rounds and picking up dogs.
How long do they spend in the van? How hyped up/stressed do they get? How many incidents of bites and other injuries are there?
This is a lucrative industry with no regulation whatsoever. Even if the dog walker is negligent, the owners may be found responsible in the event of an incident. How many owners check the insurance policy of the walker, their experience, qualifications, knowledge of specific breeds?
Everyone needs a little help sometimes but dumping your dog on a walker all week because you are at work is not acceptable. The chances are, most of these dogs are untrained, allowed to run riot when with the walker and, frankly, there is no guarantee that they will be safe.