After the terrible news in the UK about profesional dog walker killed whilst walking 8 dogs, just heard on news now being proposed a law change limiting the amount of max walked to 1 or 2 and applying for license. Views please
1 Like
I thought there was an existing law for five dogs. Personally I think five would be too much for one person and of course it would depend on the size. If you have say three on the lead and two walking free it would be very difficult to control all five in an emergency situation.
My heart goes out to the poor woman and her family.
2 Likes
Its so sad, feel for her family. From what i heard the proposed law could affect anyone who walks other peoples dogs. Not just professional dog walkers
What a shocking piece of news. I think the fact the dogs let out by dog walkers may not all know each other and are deciding on who is leader adds to the stresses of walking more than one or two dogs.
I’ve stopped taking my mini JR on Doggy dating meetings as she gets stressed out with large (in number) groups of dogs whereas with one on one contact with dogs she is totally fine.
While not wanting to undermine the tragedy of this, I’m sure there are plenty of conscientious dog-walkers letting dogs out daily and getting along fine. Of course the media furore will highlight a tragedy like this. But it’s also a stark reminder to us all that dogs are pack animals and can act in ways that are terrifying when not fully under control.
2 Likes
Obviously this was a tragedy, but I think that any new law should be aimed at dog walkers, ie that a professional dog walker should not be allowed to walk more than say 3 dogs at a time, as they do not know the dogs as intimately as an owner would. Also as stated the dogs themselves may not know each other well enough to be walked together. There is a park not far from me that already restricts the number of dogs walked by one person to 3. I think a law restricting everyone to walking only 1 or 2 dogs would be devastating….we have 3 dogs who are extremely well behaved and who I can easily walk by myself without any worries and yet I’ve met people out walking with one dog who are unable to control it. If I wasn’t allowed to walk our three together that would cause a lot of distress to whichever dog wasn’t allowed to walk and play with the other two in addition to forcing me to spend twice the time and fuel money to do two dog walking trips for every one that I do now……
1 Like
@Foldor13 I think the proposed change is not for owners and their dogs but for walking other peoples dogs. It was a discussion on BBC. I’m wondering how this may affect THS sitters especially if they are a solo sitter?
@Sarah22 Ah that makes more sense, hopefully if they actually do anything it will be to licence and restrict professional dog walkers and if that’s what they do it wouldn’t affect THS sitters I wouldn’t have thought.
I think that professional dog walkers should be licensed and have proof of insurance. But one tragic incident should not create a draconian law that will put a lot of dog walkers out of business or mean that they will have to charge a lot more if they’re earnings are restricted. This will cause problems for conscientious dog owners who can no longer afford extra costs.
I’ve employed dog walkers in the past and know that it’s hard for them to earn a reasonable amount if you include travel time between pets, insurance and fuel costs. A reduction in dogs walked could mean shorter walks and a rush between pick ups. There are literally thousands of dogs walked every day in the UK, I hope it can continue with reasonable rules as lots of people and dogs would be badly affected.
My heart goes out also the families of the dog walkers and the dog owners whose pets may not be returned to them.
3 Likes