There has sadly been another fatal dog attack to start 2023. The full story is not yet known but it appears the victim was a dog walker with 8 dogs and was attacked by one or more of them. It has made the public more aware of dog walker employment but the reality is this likely could have been anyone.
See my ITV Good Morning Britain Interview HERE
I’m an expert witness for DDA cases, I assess dogs involved in incidents and report to the court. I do various media interviews, often on radio or live TV news on dog stories. In the main, bite cases are due to a momentary lapse of judgement or a genuine mistake. There can be owners who don’t make efforts to retrain or fix a behaviour problem and one day something goes wrong. I always urge owners to get help ASAP.
This tragic latest fatal attack has caused people to look closely at the profession of dog walking. A good walker should show you a copy of their insurance, have a contract, terms and conditions and a lot have a DBA check too.
A contract means you set the way that your dog is walked: equipment used, whether alone or with other dogs and how many, health and dietary needs etc. The walker has terms and conditions and should be able to assess risk, have a too hot/too cold weather policy and a clear cancellation policy.
There are numerous reasons why dogs bite. Fear, surprise, anger, frustration and more. If there is more than one dog then sometimes a dog may join in a reactive response. The risk of injury can sometimes then be higher.
A few of the cases I am expert witness for in court feature dog walkers who have been the person in charge of a dog that has caused an injury to someone. It comes as a shock to some that they are the person prosecuted, not the owner of the dog. Writing a “disclaimer” as a dog walker stating you are not responsible for things that happen on walks is not a defence.
There are some excellent dogs walkers out there. They assess risk, they have insurance and contracts, you know exactly how your dog will be transported and how many other dogs will be there. Some fill vans with dogs, have no insurance, you have no idea how your dog is being managed on the walk. There is now an interest in legislation for dog walkers. Councils offer licensing on their properties but they cannot impose conditions elsewhere. Most people who have reported dog walkers have said that nothing is done by the council.
I will add more when the fuller details of the current incident are known. Reports say that even whilst being attacked by the dogs, the brave woman was shouting at other people to keep back. Bear that in mind before condemning this 28 year old woman.
