Dogs. Advice please

Meant to go on .... we reported the incident to the local dog warden plus photos who went round to their home and had a chat.

Meant to say SERIOUS!

You have a responsibility to keep your dog on a lead. The fact others do not keep theirs on a lead is only one factor but not THE factor. You have done what is called CONTRIBUTARY negligence - this means you contributed to the incident by not having your dog under control. As such you will get part of a claim for vets bills but not all. Dogs will be dogs and it is absolutely reasonable to expect that dogs will fight - this is why they must be on a lead. They are not rational creatures. You are aware that people walk their dogs in said place - you added to the risk of your dog being bitten. Its a good job a person was not bitten.

Professional is what struck me? a Professional dog walker! dogs off lead? seven of them even!!

not "professional" to my mind... perhaps you were meaning she was paid to walk dogs. i wouldn`t want her walking my dog! all dogs are different, like humans!

So sorry to hear about your dog and I hope he recovers soon.
While I'd suggest the dog walker has far too many to supervise correctly and your area could have regulations / guidance, there's also the issue of your dog not being on a lead.
I have a Rottweiler - a huge, very friendly and affectionate dog. He loves other dogs and loves to play. I keep him on a lead because; people are scared of him / his breed and also because some dogs don't want to play!

Defra says 6 dogs as a maximum.
This is what the kennel club says:
www.thekennelclub.org.uk/media/1159277/kc-dog-briefing-maximum-numbers-of-dogs.pdf

Johno, there are lots of areas where dogs don’t have to be on a lead. This is true for ordinary dog walkers as well as professionals. I’m not sure we know whether this was an area where a lead is required or not?

Do you have a Local council dog warden? Get as much information as you can and report it. She knew what happened, the dog was out of control.

Thankyou so much for the comments/advice. Our L/A only allows 4 dogs to be walked at a time buy the quarry where we were is in the nwxt L/A and there are no restrictions which is why the prof. Dog walkers go there. I think I should have called her out on ot at the time as it will be difficult now to prove one of her dogs did it. Ive let another prof. Walker know so word will spread. I think we will avoid the area as its over populated now as we do our local park just over the road from us for the same reason. All kinds of breeds off the lead there . My lurcher is called and put on lead if we see other dogs but sometimes im just not quick enough. Will have to be more careful in future. Thanks again. Its good to have the views of others. X

Yes I think that you should ask her to pay for the vet bill. Her dog was out of control so her responsibility. You may not get far but I would certainly try.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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!

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 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

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.

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.