The booming dog walking industry lacks sufficient training and education, and it’s leading to major headaches, a local animal control officer says.
It may seem like a fun and easy way to make some extra money.
But unqualified dogwalkers are causing major headaches, says Dedham, Massachusetts, Animal Control Officer Deni Goldman.
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"There has been an exorbitant amount of incidents not just here in Dedham but all across the state with dogs at the hands of dog walkers," Goldman said. "We have had dogs go missing. We have a dog that’s still missing after two months. We’ve had dogs injured. We’ve had dog fights. We've had people bitten."
On Wednesday night, Goldman worked with Boston Dog Lawyers to hold an information forum for dogwalkers and pet owners, addressing best practices and responsibilities that walkers may not be aware of.
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"So that we could come up with the regulations that we believe that dog walkers and dog walking businesses need to follow so that they can conform to the standards that keep our pets safe, keep our public safety in a better position, respects the environment," Goldman said. "This business is just growing and lucrative and its unregulated."
Goldman said that the industry is growing in response to the spike in dog ownership since the pandemic. Now, she said, people are returning to in-person jobs and other responsibilities, which often prompts the need for dog walking or boarding services. She urged pet owners to question service providers, to ensure their animal is in good hands.
MSPCA-Angell had 270 dog adoptions at its four shelters in 2020, compared to 2,319 so far in 2023, as of Dec. 8. A spokesperson noted, though, that while that number illustrates a major spike in adoptions, MSPCA acquired the Northeast Animal Shelter in 2021, greatly increasing the number of dogs it is importing from the South to be adopted.
A bill called Ollie's Law is aimed at creating statewide regulations for doggie daycares, an industry that currently lacks statewide oversights, according to the MSPCA. The bill, as currently written, does not address dogwalkers.
The bill is named after Ollie, a seven-month-old Labradoodle, who died after being hurt in a dogfight that happened at a care facility in 2020 in western Massachusetts, according to the MSPCA.
"We’re looking to see at some point this entire industry become something that’s state regulated so we can bring all aspects of it under some point of umbrella and make it safer for our pets," Goldman said.
