Dog Walkers

Dog walkers aren't really a thing around here, but I wouldn't let anyone walk more than one of mine per person on lead and certainly wouldn't let anyone let them off lead. Dad occasionally takes one of mine for an on lead walk. He's unlikely to meet anyone and is strong enough to control my dog if he does. He never walks both together, as he can't manage without getting tangled in the leads.
If I'm away for whatever reason, the dogs get let out into my garden and sometimes field by mum, dad or my neighbours. I would rather they didn't get a walk than risk anything happening.
I'm planning to clean out a small shed in the future and install a small outdoor run on it, so that if I'm away all day (rare) and nobody can come to let out, the dogs can at least relieve themselves. They will have to be exercised either end of the day.
There would be carnage if my two were chucked loose into a van with other excited dogs.
 
HorsesRule2009 said:
How does everyone feel about Dog walkers, I mean those that have a business doing this.

Sadly we have alot around our way who generally have little control over the dogs they are walking.

I met one today while riding in the forestry he had 6 or 7 dogs of varying sizes including a St Bernard and a very large labradoodle/poodle x along with multiple small dogs.
He tried to recall them when he seen us but sadly none of them listed and continued to come towards us some barking.
He kept trying to grab the one but was unsuccessful.

By this point I had dismounted as I know my boy responds better with me on the ground next to him and this way I could also keep them back from him.

The guy never managed to recall them at one point they were stood around us, he kept walking and called them with him, I think because my horse and I were stationary they eventually followed the guy, the labradoodle ran back straight behind my horse sniffing his hocks!! Luckily he's super happy with dogs around his legs (thanks to living at kennels for a season) do didn't react.

But I am sooo cross that this happened how can people take money of owners and have so little regard for the dogs 😫
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I wish I could say I'm surprised but I'm not. I haven't seen one so-called professional dog walkers that I would employ. We get them here, they walk through fields where there are no paths, if they do find a path the dogs are all over the field it goes through. They have no control over the dogs they are 'in charge' of. And they park in the way of residents.
 
Titchy Pony said:
There would be carnage if my two were chucked loose into a van with other excited dogs.
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We walk regularly and see a dog walker's van in the car park where we park our own car. He walks several dogs at once. I think the local limit is 4 dogs but the van has stacked cages inside so once in transit the dogs are separately caged. Commercial dog walkers are permitted in the Park but are required to have a licence.
In order to protect new born deer and breeding, there are times of year when regardless of who is walking them, all dogs must be kept on a lead.
 
Recently on fb, a lady dropped her dog off for training. She had a funny feeling when she dropped him off so waited. A few mins later he loaded dog into the car and parked up at the gym! Needles to say she was furious. I wouldn't use one, but there is one near me that's grown and grown, owners get videos of what their dog is doing throughout the day. Perhaps people need to start asking for evidence their dog is actually being walked.

As an aside, it blew up on fb locally about a girl saying she was walking the dogs etc. One person called her out as she had mistreated this person's digs and was caught on camera. Loads and loads of people came forward with the same sort of stories, most with video evidence. Why didn't they come forward in the first place??
 
HorsesRule2009 said:
How does everyone feel about Dog walkers, I mean those that have a business doing this.

Sadly we have alot around our way who generally have little control over the dogs they are walking.

I met one today while riding in the forestry he had 6 or 7 dogs of varying sizes including a St Bernard and a very large labradoodle/poodle x along with multiple small dogs.
He tried to recall them when he seen us but sadly none of them listed and continued to come towards us some barking.
He kept trying to grab the one but was unsuccessful.

By this point I had dismounted as I know my boy responds better with me on the ground next to him and this way I could also keep them back from him.

The guy never managed to recall them at one point they were stood around us, he kept walking and called them with him, I think because my horse and I were stationary they eventually followed the guy, the labradoodle ran back straight behind my horse sniffing his hocks!! Luckily he's super happy with dogs around his legs (thanks to living at kennels for a season) do didn't react.

But I am sooo cross that this happened how can people take money of owners and have so little regard for the dogs 😫
Click to expand...
In a nutshell, they get on my t*ts, big time. We have a couple round us that have 6 at a time and are mostly off lead. I had a run in with one last year as she had two massive German Shepherds that were out of control bounding towards me, to the point I leapt off. When she finally got them on leads, as soon as we were past she let the sodding things off again. I actually shouted at her, "You don't f***ing learn, do you?" I was so furious. There's another who does 'doggy day care' (vomit emoji) and collects from a neighbour next to the yard. Last year we had trouble with her using the yard as a cut through (the drive comes out in two places on the lane) and the cheeky bint was also parking next to our hay field to let all the dogs crap on it. We had to start locking the gates just to stop her from driving in. If I had my way I would limit all dog walkers to 3 dogs and two have to be on leads. Any one with an ounce of sense would appreciate that 6 dogs not belonging to you are never going to be under full control. There is a third, lovely but dim lady who I see, that has a dog on a stupidly long luminous lead - we're talking 30 feet. Said dog is also quite large. She pulls them off into the shrubbery when she sees us, which is nice, but she never seems fully in control of that dog and it would be disastrous if he caught her unawares. We'd all be doing stunt falls in the ensuing carnage!
 
I've come across some dog walking businesses and on the whole I've been quite lucky, but I did have a run in with one once.

They had a pack of dogs of mixed ages and breeds (think Chihuahua to Saint Bernard!) all running along the pathway I was also riding on.

As a matter of politeness, I said with a raised voice so they could hear me, that there were some horses, one of which was a young horse learning to hack and that they might get a fright if the dogs appear out of nowhere, so please can they be leashed until we go past for everyone's safety, and that we'd be out of their way as soon as we could be. The dog walker replied back that the dogs were all fine with horses as they use this route often. I replied that's lovely but the horses might not take kindly to being surprised and please can the dogs be rounded up and leashed whilst we go past for everyone's safety.

Low and behold a massive dog yeets itself out the bushes, and begins to snap at the hooves of the young horse. Young horse goes nuts, rider hits the deck, horse bolts off into the distance, dog chases after the horse, and the rider is on the floor in an absolute state of panic. Dog walker begins to moan about horse riders and I cut them short by saying "I told you politely that we were coming along and I asked that the dogs be leashed for everyone's safety, either you chose to ignore me, or didn't hear me, but either way we now have a situation that needs to be solved. Leash the rest of the dogs so that we can check on our friend, I will go in the direction that the horse bolted and see if I can locate them and the massive dog of yours. Please can I have your number in the event that I find the animals?" Ignorant dog walker refused to give me their number, so when I found my friend's horse and the massive dog, I ended up calling the dog warden to collect the dog.
 
My dog walker never walks more than 4 dogs at a time. She won't let them off the lead unless she has permission from the dog's owner.
Unless dog walkers are wonderful trainers, I don't know how they can control 10+ dogs off leash. If they use a secure field, that's OK as the dogs can't disappear chasing rabbits.
 
This 'paying pastime' seemed to erupt massively along with the covid puppy scenario. With what I have seen around me, I have been horrified, disgusted and upset.
While I am not expecting total responsibility as that would be a miracle nowadays, I have seen a level of irresponsibility, uncaring and downright idiocy that makes me totally agree with a previous poster. I would sooner pts my dogs than let them anywhere near these people.

Apart from the obvious that others have mentioned I once watched a totally out of control pack gallivanting up the road - cars stopping and trying to weave in and out of the dogs - walker never lifting head from phone the entire time.
One of the dogs, an elderly and lame labrador got confused and set off down the road the wrong way. Walker didn't notice and ignored all cries to retrieve it. I tried to drive back down hill and turn it around but it just kept going. Someone else tried and failed to get walker to go back for it. I dont know what happened but that poor dogs owner obviously couldnt have cared less about its welfare to let it be in that situation anyway.
I am at the stage when I am relieved to see the ones that just park up and read the paper at least the dogs aren't chasing the sheep! Thankfully they are so noisy that once I hear one arrive I can exit rapidly for somewhere else!
 
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