Dogs. Advice please

Dianne, there is good advice here and I support the suggestion that next time you see this woman, take a photograph of her vehicle, including the registration. Give the information to your local dog warden along with copies of your vet bill. Also give the information to your local community support officer they're the ones who tend to be asked to look into incidents like this.
I'm sorry but not surprised your dog was injured, just relieved the rest of her pack didn't join in the attack.

My local council has no limit on the number of dogs one person can walk. Our lovely park is becoming a no go area for 'ordinary' dog walkers as its dominated by 'professional' dog walkers. they arrive, open their van doors and let up to 7 dogs loose. Walks should always start calmly, on lead, no matter how many dogs you have with you. Dogs usually toilet soon into a walk, so as well as ensuring the dog knows you're in charge and its to walk well, you can pick up any deposits.
No one can control 7 dogs who don't live together, they'll form an unstable pack.
grannhy4hugs - why do you suggest these so called professional dog walkers are less irresponsible than households with 3 dogs. I currently have two, often we have our daughter's dog here, so I walk three. Our three are used to living, sharing together. Out on walks, recall is excellent, even the 12 month old pup races back with the older 2 if I call them.
I wish councils would get a grip, introduce by laws saying only 4 can be walked. Evidently, that's the limit set by Guide Dogs for their well trained, experienced workers.

People just don't care do they Anja It's a big problem here in French towns where dog poo is all over the place. Our dogs are such a big part of our lives, I expect you get a lot of pleasure seeing yours happy and settled as we do.

sodapop all three of mine are rescues. Of course ours don’t leave a mess behind them but I feel sorry for those who live in such bad neighbourhoods where is is apparently the norm.

I own 3 dogs..all off lead..none have ever bitten another dog that badly..worst has been ear pulling after being jumped on...however IF my dogs ever bit another dog that badly i would be mortified and I would insist on paying the vets bill and from there on it the dog in question would be muzzled. A lady once spoke to my female dog and she jumped up and made her light beige coat dirty. The dog immediately got put in the car (we had finished our walk) and i offered all my details to pay for the cleaning...very nicely she declined as she had encouraged my dog. I felt terrible

Why do you think owning three dogs is irresponsible Granny4hugs. I don't follow your logic. Two of my three dogs are rescues, they were badly treated previously and now lead a happy life in the country. They are reasonably well trained, non agressive and give us a lot of love and pleasure. I fail to see how that is irresponsible.

A friend’s greyhound grabbed a little puppy and injured her. They paid the vet’s bill and have always muzzled their greyhound and kept him on a lead since then.
Whoever is in charge of a dog that bites must be informed and made to pay the bill. This will also encourage people to muzzle dangerous dogs.

Walking 7 dogs is irresponsible but not as irresponsible as one house hold having 3.
I love pets of all descriptions but am heartily sick of not being able to walk 20 yards without having to sidestep the 'pile' and frankly - in this day and age - putting it in a plastic bag is actually much much worse (we wont go into the folk who then hang it on a bush!!)
Like all forms of consumerism, folk need to exercise - not their dogs but a bit more control.
I am sorry your dog got bitten. The woman should have apologised. That is not nice but I've been jumped on by muddy dogs while their owners smile indulgently on, snarled and snapped at while owners explain how 'friendly' their dogs are and I am scared to walk on my favorite local beach by myself because folk with the largest most out of control dogs seem to think that is their domain...

Definitely say something. No way she should have dogs off lead if they've hurt others. Give her an opportunity to make it right but do not allow this to continue as humans and dogs will no doubt get hurt.

I am certain you can only walk 4 dogs max year law

follow her home take pictures of the dog and the scene of the incident- write down all the facts , time and date it
photocopy vet bills -
Find out who the owner is and claim from their insurance- And if this person is a registered dog walker they should have insurance too
This will be a civil matter I should think,but call the police anyway and get the incident reordered-
No dog should be off the lead in a public place-

Good luck-

As far as the law stands a professional dog walker can walk up to 6 dogs where I live. That said, the walker has to be in control. That is the same everywhere in a public place. As one of their dogs bit yours then clearly they were not in control. I would get the registration number of her vehicle or name of the dog walker company and report them. You could approach the person yourself but if they walked off I doubt you would get anywhere. As time has passed I do wonder if you would find it difficult to prove the case now. However, if you report her I am sure she will be spoken to and warned. She will b more careful in future then. She will not want to lose her licence.

Our dog was attacked by a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. She was on the lead, the other dog wasn’t. It was quite a nasty attack and we struggled to get the Staffie off. I called the police as a friend who is a policeman said unprovoked dog attacks should always be reported. The dog could attack a child next. Hope your dog is ok and not too traumatised.

I am surprised that she is allowed to walk 7 dogs at a time even as a professional dog walker, I thought the upper limit was six only at any given time in a public space.
In the area in Hampshire where I live, a new by-law was introduced in 2017 under the Public Spaces Protection Order allowing people to walk no more than 4 dogs at a time in a public space. (Previously 6) Otherwise a fine of £100 will be issued. I am pleased they have introduced this rule as seeing a few people trying to manage 6 dogs, while cleaning up their messes and still keeping an eye on the others is quite a feat to attempt and not always successful. We are right on the coast, a really busy area, ideal for dog walking, unfortunately the few spoil it for the many, either not cleaning up after them or allowing them to be unruly and causing problems. Hence why we now have this new by-law and it seems to be working very well.
A dog warden also is a deterrent to enforcing these regulations

Oh, forgot to say, contact your insurance company too, and let them deal with the matter of who pays the vet's bill.

Hope your dog is better soon.

I would certainly speak to this person and tell her what you have told us. Either she or the dog's owner should be insured to cover accidents.

I would also report the incident to the police.

Imagine one of her insufficiently controlled dogs attacking a toddler!

What on earth are all these dogs doing running loose round a nature reserve? Surely there should be a “dogs only on short leads” rule? There certainly is at our local reserve, and there are signs up about adults and children keeping to paths, keeping noise down and not disturbing nesting birds, etc.

If she is a professional dog walker she should have insurance so yes definately speak to her. It always worries me when I seen one person walking several dogs together as if it all kicked off would they have full control I fear not. There is a lady near me who walks 4 very large dogs and one smaller dog who she admits is quite aggressive - she can hardly hold back the dogs, I would have to imagine what would happen if they all made a run for it - she certainly wouldnt be able to keep hold of them thats for sure.

It is an offence not to have your dog under control. Up to 6 months in prison or the dog put down. Or a fine. The dog could have bitten a child.

If she is a professional dog walker, she should be insured. If she isn’t insured, she isn’t a professional dog walker. I would investigate this and make an official complaint. Imagine if your dog had been a small child. I am a dog lover and frequently look after a friend’s dog. I dread anything like this happening.

We have a nature reserve near us. Once it was an oasis of wildlife and plants. Sadly, no more, thanks in part to the fact that it has now been taken over by dog lovers.
Any signs asking for dogs to be kept on a lead are totally ignored and the place reeks of dog excrement in warm weather.
Skylarks once nested in the long grass but have been chased away by fido wanting to "play."
Makes my blood boil.

I would speak to her, and also report her to the local council. Here dog walkers have to have a licence and are restricted to walking 4 dogs at a time due to problems with pack behaviour. She should have offered to pay for the injury her dog caused. I know if my dog caused an injury to someone else I would be mortified and offering to pay, as I would deem it my fault as my dog wasn't under control.

As a dog owner/lover, you absolutely have to take this woman to task (as a professional dog walker she will have insurance cover for just such incidents). You may be on the receiving end of some abuse, in which case, take a pic of her van & forward to local Council & Police with a description of the incident & details of your vet bills.
If one of my dogs behaved aggressively to another dog (even if provoked) I would always check on the dog and ask if any treatment was required (which I would offer to pay for). Thankfully, this hasn’t happened to me but my dogs have been on the receiving end on 3 occasions - all from dogs belonging to neighbours or near neighbours. It’s even more awkward then, because many dog owners are in complete denial about the behaviour of their own animals. My son-in-law is a vet, so I had no costs but these irresponsible people should be taken to task.

Not to mention a danger. It could be a child. It could be someone badly bitten trying to protect their dog. It could be a poor innocent dog like yours. I hope he is recovering well but I would imagine he is going to be very nervous round other dogs from now on.

Report it to the dog warden if you have one which most places do. You can find out from your council. The dogs are clearly out of control and this is an offence.

My DD is a professional Dog Walker. 7 dogs off the lead is too many!Speak to her, it is not acceptable. Dogs are pack animals and that many dogs together could be dangerous if the 'leader' of the pack turned. I agree with Dillonsgranma - present the bill! She shoudl be covered by insurance if she really is a professional.