There are a couple of places in my city where most dog walkers seem to take out their dogs. I'm shocked that anyone would leave their dogs with them if i'm honest, seeing what I am.
They all tend to walk in large groups, so 2-3 dog walkers and their dogs. Most dog walkers tend to walk 6+ dogs too and really don't pay much attention to the dogs they are walking, the gossip is soo much better it seems.
I've never ever seen a dog walker pick up poop either :-(
Many of these places are heavily used by children too, which makes it worse.
You often see them parked up in car parks with dogs in vehicles while they sit and smoke, or even smoke within the vans as they drive.
Some walkers are on their phone all the time or ear phones in listening to music..

Where is the attention, control and care here? We do have a code of ethics with our council, which very few walkers have signed up to, why?? It doesn't take much to be a responsible dog owner..

PROFESSIONAL?? Yeah right!! :-(
I avoid these people like the plague when they are walking dogs, changing direction if I have to

I ve heard similar stories around here to. That's what I like about my dog walker she won't walk more than when in public does a bit of training with them throws balls etc doesn't stand around ignoring her charges. Now she has her own land they have more dogs but the dogs have their full attention in secure land and no passers by

I'd get in touch with the council or dog warden, when I lived in Edinburgh many moons ago, there was a dog walker who was the bane of everyones life, she'd roll up in a white van open the side door and this uncontrolled flood of dogs would desend on the park, there could be anything from 9 to 12 dogs at a time. She had so many complaints put in about her that the council did something, not entirely sure what that was but she had to stop her activities,in that location, she then turned up at the Braids and again was moved on, I don't know where she went after that, but it shows that if there are enough complaints something can be done.

Grrrr....there is a male dog walker in the local country park & i've seen him walking 13 dogs.....1 on lead & the rest spread all over the place.  Its impossible to have that amount of dogs under control & when i see them i try to get out of the way damn fast!  esp. if i have my nervous girl with me, she would freak out.
I rang the Council to complain & they didn't want to know!  they told me to ring the country park (run by the County Council) & the manager just said they have no restrictions on the amount of dogs with one person.  I despair.
He squashes them all into a Berlingo, its disgusting.

There's one goes past our house everyday, she only walks the one dog, which is good as she spends the whole time she's walking him with her ear plastered to her phone and not taking any notice of him or what he's doing. We live down a country lane and the amount of times she's not realised there's a car behind her has been frightening.

we have one who pulls up in a van, gets out with just 3 dogs, walks round the park once allowing the dogs to run up and annoy everyone, doesnt pick up, is on the phone, then she locks the dogs in cages in the dark in the van and sits there at the front eating her lunch for half hour with the dogs locked up. i would be furious if that were my dogs

We have an "Unofficial" one who walks in our local park/field she is a bit wierd to say the least and seems to collect dogs off the local (rather rough ) council estate. Often has 6-7 dogs ranging from a tiny Yorkie to a GSD with various odds and ends thrown in. All running loose never picks up, lets them run riot, pester all other dogs, if ever there is  a skirmish she puts it down to "pack behaviour" :-O  I avoid her if possible. Not often I go there but on occasion it's quick and easy for me. I think she does it free. Her heart is in the right place but I have on more than one occasion had to help her catch a runaway !!!
The mind boggles at what could happen one day. She is very vague to say the least.
Aileen

Don't get me started.   There are more bad ones than good around Dundee.  I know a lot of them by sight now and I wouldn't use any of them, nor would I recommend any of them.

I was recently at Tentsmuir and a 'professional' dog walker came in their people carrier, saw me holding used poo bags and then asked if I had any spare I could give them.   The councils give them out free around here there's no excuse for a 'professional' to be poo bag-less.

Today a friend phoned me, she witnessed a dog walker park her estate car, let 6 dogs out and then take her baby out and carry it on the walk!    Goodness knows what she'd do if any of the dogs got into a fight with another dog.  Or took a dislike to kids.

What I find just as hard to understand, is what sort of owner allows their dog to be walked by these people?

> What I find just as hard to understand, is what sort of owner allows their dog to be walked by these people?

Perhaps they don't know? Or have been brainwashed by seeing a certain TV "trainer" with a big pack of dogs? What I'd be keen to know is does the walkers' insurance cover that many, and what happens if they aren't insured?

How can you poop pick with all those dogs running everywhere! You would need eyes on all sides of your head to catch who was pooping where!!

> What I find just as hard to understand, is what sort of owner allows their dog to be walked by these people?

They probably don't know what goes on or it doesn't interest them, they think they are paying for a 'professional' service and they probably think that's what they are getting.

I know, it's hard enough with my own 3 dogs to make sure I find all the poo! If I get my puppy in a couple of months I will have to give some serious thought to whether I could handle all 4 by myself on a walk.

> What I find just as hard to understand, is what sort of owner allows their dog to be walked by these people?

In my experience round here, the owner that has no idea it's happening :-(

I helped out a dog walker/pet sitter over summer last year - the shpiel is great, she sounds fantastic, everyone thinks she does a brilliant job with their dogs and the dogs get an hour's walk if that's what's paid for, and if they're being boarded at her home, they get 2 or 3 hours' walk a day and live as if they were in their own homes.

The reality?  The dogs being walked get half an hour if they're lucky, usually more like 10 or 15 minutes, often with other dogs they are worried about (but because she AHs any grumbles, any hint of unhappiness is hidden by the dog so she thinks they're fine).  Dogs end up spending most of the day stuck in the car (and have been left in full sun many a time).

When being boarded, the dogs end up spending a lot of their time in a cage because one of her own dogs is dog aggressive and guards her very badly (I have tried to help with this and with his unhappiness/nervousness generally but she's one of these 'I know about dogs' types and will not listen (despite asking me for advice and acknowledging that I know more about behaviour than her), even though she knows nothing).  He is miserable, the boarding dogs are fed up and ignored and the owners none the wiser.

One of them is seriously fed up with her now - from the start this owner has insisted that the walker has his lead handy and that he always has his collar on - she NEVER takes any leads with her at all when walking dogs, lets off dogs that should never be let off, and recently this particular dog was taken home to the waiting owner without his collar on - she was a bit miffed to say the least!  Never mind that it's illegal, it's safety - if he had spooked and run off (and he is a nervous dog) there'd be a heck of a lot less chance of getting him back.

That owner is about the only one who knows what goes on - all the others still think she's doing a wonderful job.

> The reality?  The dogs being walked get half an hour if they're lucky, usually more like 10 or 15 minutes, often with other dogs they are worried about (but because she AHs any grumbles, any hint of unhappiness is hidden by the dog so she thinks they're fine).  Dogs end up spending most of the day stuck in the car (and have been left in full sun many a time).
>
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Sounds like so many of the Dundee based dog walkers.    They collect a Transit van full and either let them all out together to create mayhem or take them out in batches for half an hour (If lucky) the rest of the time is spent sitting in a dark poorly ventilated van.