It’s Adopt-A-Dog month and you can help a dog get adopted by simply going for a walk.  In NYC you can volunteer to walk a shelter dog, or bring them to any of the numerous fun events happening around the city, to get them noticed and possibly into a new forever home.

Thanks to the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals orange vests that say ‘Adopt Me’ are given to the animals, making the pups hard to miss. The vests are distributed to rescue groups free of charge. What a great idea.

Here are the details from the NY Daily  News.

“Walking a dog from a shelter is easy to do and doesn’t require any long-term commitment,” said animal lover Lisa Alexander, whose recent volunteer stroll with Batman, a Pomeranian from the Sean Casey Animal Rescue group, resulted in a match made in heaven.

Batman was adopted by Becca Goebel, a model who spotted the orange vest-wearing mutt walking in SoHo and is now spoiling him silly. Read the rest of this entry »

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Taking your dog for a daily walk is a great way for both you and your best friend to keep fit.

I’m sure those of you who do get to the park regularly have seen dog owners riding a bike with their dogs, on leash, running besides them. No doubt some think it’s cute, while others an accident waiting to happen.

If San Jose this exact scenario played out at the Los Alamitos Creek Trail, but this time ended in tragedy. A man on a bike with his two Siberian Huskies in tow were out riding when they passed Beverly Head on the trail, their leash  got tangled around her. The 62-year-old woman fell and died the next day.

Head, who walked in the park daily, had always been uncomfortable about bicyclists riding with their dogs running leashed besides them.  However, there is no law against it, no crime being committed.

Here are the details from the Mercury News.

Now, two weeks later, Bob Head is mourning his wife’s death and wondering why there wasn’t a way to prevent it. He is desperate to find the cyclist, who stayed to help the mother of three known for her deviled eggs and Halloween decorations, but left once paramedics came. Propelled by Head’s frustration. Read the rest of this entry »

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Ann Silverman,  writer for the examiner.com in NYC, posted an article on finding a professional dog walker.  She shares some good information that every dog owner should know.

I’ve never had to hire a dog walker, since I work from home, but if I ever do now I’ll know what to ask. And so will you.

When interviewing a perspective dog walker, the dog owner should ask him or her several standard questions that will reveal how good of a professional the person is.

It’s important to find out how long he or she has been doing this for a living, and if this is his or her sole profession. Does the dog walker own a dog? How many dogs does he walk at any given time?

With a small breed, it’s important that the dog walker specializes in walking small breeds and does not walk more than three at any given time.

An owner should also be certain that the dog walker will be available for walking the dog at the number of times promised, and if he or she cannot walk the dog, that there is always a substitute available. References are also of great importance.

You should always get references from any perspective dog walker, and make sure to call them. Keep in mind any referrals given are obviously going to be positive. No one is going to give you a client that was dissatisfied as a referral. It’s always a good idea to look online and see if you can find any unbiased opinions on the business or person you’re considering hiring.

*Angel and friends

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In San Francisco, CA there is a debate going on. Should dog walkers be licensed? It would be a way to regulate the industry plus a way to generate some much needed income for the city.

In 2007 politicians looked into the matter due to reports of lost dogs, verbal abuse, dogs being left in vehicles in the heat, all while being under the care of dog walkers. Unfortunately the issue fell by the wayside, as many issues do.

Due to major budgetary cuts to San Francisco’s Recreation and Park Department the issue is back on the table.

As an industry that has long operated with little oversight, there is considerable debate over what regulations would have the most positive impact and who should enforce them. According to Nancy Stafford, co-director of Pro Dog, many dog walkers would prefer to be licensed through Animal Care and Control, which is already responsible for issuing canine licenses as well as providing guidelines for professional walkers.

Rec and Park owns the majority of land that dog walkers use and profit from (with fees that average $15 to $25 per walk) and sees the potential licensing proposal as a way to recoup some of its routine maintenance expenses. The details of how it would be enforced have not yet been fully worked out, says Lisa Seitz Gruwell, department spokesperson.

Seeing as anyone can call themselves a dog walker having some regulation for the dog walking industry does seem like a good idea. If someone is going to be walking your beloved pup wouldn’t you want to know they have some credentials besides the ad they posted on Craig’s List ? That there are certain rules to conform to in order to keep their license.

As I read this article I wonder if the issue of licensing is money motivated or a concern for the dogs?  Should they be licensed through the Rec and Park Department or Animal Care and Control? Give me a bark, let me know what you think.

* Voltas waiting for the dog walker.

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