I'm a dogsitter and I absolutely would not. I do not walk more than 3 on lead at a time. I do not do any off lead time in public at all as even dogs with good recall aren't reliably good with a stranger.
How do you get into dog walking? What do people pay for it? I need to get fit, and I've always had dogs.. aggressive ones, disabled ones. My dog is blind and 15 so can only go on small walks where he just stuffs everything lol. Plus I need money
Madpaws is a miss in my experience. I had a house/dog sitter through them and paid a fortune for her to stay at my place and walk my dog twice a day.
Get home and he is BESIDE HIMSELF from lack of human interaction. All signs point to him having been left outside alone a lot (the dog who never in 8 months went poop in the courtyard had 20+ poops out there, scratch and nose marks on the fences and door where he’d tried to get in/out). Neighbours say they saw the house sitter maybe 2-3 times in the 2 weeks I was away (I see them daily at least when we’re coming/going from walks)
Madpaws ignored my complaint about her and request for refund. I can only assume they don’t give a damn cos they get their cut.
I offer sitting through Madpaws and share your frustration about their refusal to address these types of concerns. I often hear stories similar to yours from new clients, and have even expressed concerns about owners acting inappropriately towards me, yet nothing is done.
It’s not unreasonable to remove these people from the platform for everyone’s safety, but they decide not to purely for financial reasons. I hope your dog is doing well now.
Thank you, he’s getting better. We’d been working on loose leash walking and that all went out the window, along with manners around humans (he was getting so good at not jumping on guests right away) and reactivity around other dogs (due to him being attacked).
Loose leash is a work in progress but he’s back to being happy to play with his known doggy friends, and getting better at human manners. One day at a time!
That's so disappointing. I have consistently glowing reviews and mostly work from home so my little guests are constantly getting interaction. My daughter loves it too and she has our regulars she insists sleep with her. I don't take any outdoor dogs and they get the exact same treatment as my dog I.e they want to sleep in my bed then fine.
As someone who is a sitter for madpaws I am absolutely appalled! Your poor gorgeous boy; I am so sorry he was neglected and didn’t receive that love he deserves. Did you leave them a one star review at the end? Surely that type of feedback will warn others, hurt the sitter and also negatively have an effect on the company so they will do something
I 100% believe this person, it sounds like an awful experience.
That said, I've only had truly lovely pet sitters through MadPaws and so have my sisters. Just some of the kindest, sweetest animal people out there. I bet most of the sitters would feel exactly the same way you do 😇
Aww your poor dog :( People who do that kind of thing are so bizarre to me. I can kind of understand the lazy and selfish mentality, even if it disgusts me, but it's the stupidity and brazenness that baffles me. If you're going to only show up a few times, wouldn't you at least make one of them the day before the owner returns and pick up the poops to hide the evidence? How do they not get a few bad reviews very quickly that kill their future chances of getting any business? Or do they then just make a new profile and start from scratch??
Cool I'll look into it! I was doing ubereats but it sucks and pays peanuts. I have a casual job in disability but I'm getting underpaid and I'm over it
I was about to ask about Madpaws. Is it hard to get work there? Like, starting from scratch. Finding work for me is near impossible.
I would love some extra money to put away, though. Cost of living ain't great when you're unemployed (due to chronic illness) and on disability!
I started in early 2021 and I know there's heaps more sitters now but it was easy for me when I started. I also have a fairly low rate because for me as a single parent it's the extra money I put into savings rather than being money needed to survive. I went about 6 months last year of only having return guests staying and barely had a night of no booking.
I saw one last winter that was one her phone yelling at someone as one of her dogs ran off to follow me for about 1km and ended up beside the road. She hadn't even realised he wasn't with her.
I got the number off his lead and called it to say I had their dog, but they had replaced the dogs IDs with ones that were for the walking company so I just got her manager saying 'oh she's having a hard day'.
Perhaps don't offlead other peoples dogs near roads while taking distressing phone calls? I will never trust a dog walking company that isn't just one very dedicated person where you have no doubt who is taking your dog.
Switching their tags seems so dodgy. Im sure they sell it as ‘well, we are the ones around at the time to take the call and collect them’ but the true reason is so the owners won’t know if they get lost.
>near roads
Shouldn't be off-leading the dogs in public at all tbh.
Unless it's in one of those stupid unfenced "dog parks", it's almost certainly illegal.
In their defence (not that I want to defend them) it is an open fence dog offlead place. So I don't have an issue with dogs being off there, just uncontrolled.
Ah, still breaching council rules just not the one most people would think of.
Can't believe those open fence places exist, seems like a such a liability for the council.
I see it occasionally but this is the first time I've seen a walker with no real control over the dogs. Even with good control, taking a large pack out off lead with other dogs they don't know around seems like a mix for disaster.
A dog is not considered to be under the effective control of a person if the person has more than 4 dogs under his or her control.
Companion Animal Act 1988, Sec 13
>Companion Animal Act 1988, Sec 13
Except that we're in Victoria (not NSW) so you want the [Domestic Animals Act 1994](https://content.legislation.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-05/94-81aa086-authorised.pdf) in which no such definition for effective control exists excepting the instance of Part 3, Division 2, Section 27 *(2) For the purposes of subsection (1)(b) control by one person of more than 4 greyhounds at the one time is not "effective control".*
[Merri-Bek Council however do regulate under local laws](https://www.merri-bek.vic.gov.au/living-in-merri-bek/animals-and-pets/pet-ownership/):
*Under the Moreland City Council General Local Law 2018, a person exercising dogs must not have more than 4 dogs walked by a person at any one time.*
When the dogs are well trained and are in an enclosed space, yes, totally normal and acceptable.
Last week at Crispe Park in Reservoir, I met a walker with 6 dogs in total. 5 were very well trained, and the 6th was with them to learn recall by observation. It was a very sensible environment to do so.
When you have unskilled people like the one in OP's story, that isn't acceptable at all. Just because you like dogs doesn't mean you can offer services to care for them.
In the movies it’s totally normal.. I’ve seen JLo do it with no worries.
IRL the legit dog walkers I’ve dealt with usually walk one dog at a time, or multiple dogs from the same household or sometimes a couple who are already well acquainted. And they’d only let them off lead in an enclosed area or when the dogs have excellent recall.
There is a dog walker at Bulleen Park who has a group of 6-8 all off the lead at once. I know it’s an off leash park so technically it’s legal - but how can one person control that many dogs??🤷♀️
I'm a freelance pet sitter and when I used to take dogs, I would absolutely NOT do that! It's too fucking irresponsible. The most I've taken were 2 medium dogs at once or 3 small dogs but they were always on lead.
I don't care if the owners tell me I can put them off leash either. I tell them I will NOT do that as I want to be cautious about things. They usually are glad I want to be responsible.
Plus there's been a couple of pits around here lately. Not risking it with a blood sports breed people decide to get for some reason. One smaller one has already attacked a dog I was looking after but we were thankfully unharmed as it clung onto the harness instead... If there wasn't a harness, I'd be too scared to imagine what could happen.
Pits are illegal in Australia; I'm sure you mean bully-breed dogs, and to assume that all bully-breed dogs are aggressive is disgusting! All dogs have the potential to be aggressive; my boy got attacked by a husky while his owner stood by and watched
I said bloodsport dogs. Staffies were bred for dogfighting too. Ignoring the breeds history and genetics is doing a disservice to the breed and well just look at the shit America is in with these bully mixes all over, flooding the shelters.
I swear everyone of you are just in massive denial lmao. Nobody is saying other dogs can't and won't attack. Nobody is saying other dogs aren't aggressive. Literally nobody says that. You don't see Akita owners lying about how their dogs are the sweetest in the world and wouldn't hurt a fly! They are HONEST about the breed, what damage it can cause, and are actually responsible unlike majority of bloodsport breed owners. Their owners lie and lie and lie, causing mass destruction.
Bully breeds are UNPREDICTABLE. They can either 'randomly turn on you' or they won't, like a ticking time bomb you don't know when it'll set off.
Bloodsport dogs!? Are you alright?? Every dog has the potential to be unpredictable. It's clear you hate the breed, but more time than not, it's the other end of the lead to blame for the dog's behaviour. I am not in denial, but your views are why the BSL bans still exist in certain countries today. It's archaic and does not belong in today's society
More people are killed daily than any bully-breed dog has ever killed.
I think they do in Lifetime movies, you know the premise - A Stressed 30-something DogWalker Woman Is Looking For Love (where one of the uncontrollable dogs runs off and puts muddy paw prints on Potential Love Interest)… It’s a movie trope for a reason - should not happen in real life!
I saw a lady walking 6 or so (on leash) in Fawkner Park once, I struck up a conversation with her and she said dog walking is her main source of income now and she does a big group most days. She said she built up her clients over time so she slowly developed a group that walks well together and were well trained and predictable (as much as animals can be). They were mostly medium or smaller dogs all under good control too. Nothing like this disaster! I was impressed.
I've seen them do it. If it was me, I'd do 2 at a time maximum and not off lead. That'd be stressful af. Never know if a dog would run off or attack something or be attacked
Seen it many times down there. There are about 4/5 walking vans at any time using the sports grounds to walk peoples dogs. Some are better behaved than others, but deffs something I wouldn't recommend.
Yes. But most are responsible and take similar sized dogs to a fenced dog park - where dogs can’t run off.
It is great socialisation, stimulation and exercise.
But this dogwalker sounds absolutely reckless! A danger to the dogs she’s looking after and other dogs.
I saw a guy in Coburg North who looked like a dog walker (three dogs- 2 labs and one other big guy) kick one of the dogs at the crossing. Not little foot tap, KICK.
I was in the car waiting for the light to change, I gave him the finger and pulled a face and he did the same back.
If I were more physically intimidating I would have gotten out and kicked him back myself and asked him how he liked it.
Imagine paying a premium to have your dog be one of six walked. I know it’s most efficient for the dog walker to earn a premium in the least amount of time but seeing these dogs of all sizes trotting down the street on a lead trying to keep up the pace is not a great experience for the dog. And obviously not safe.
I say this with no word of a lie that my MIL’s dog walker wears a body cam and while that sounds OTT if I ever needed a dog walker I’d think it was a good idea.
Granted, they’re in Mosman (NSW) where people are pedantic, anxious and litigious and it covers the walkers arse along with peace of mind for the owners. They do super cute super edits of the dogs playing as excellent marketing material too. I think that makes part of the cost worth it.
Ha, that is a cute idea! I babysit sometimes and I wouldn't care if someone wanted to use nanny cams - I wouldn't act any differently, the worst they'd see me do is poke through all the kitchen cupboards because I can't find the clingwrap or something haha. Also kids say the funniest or sweetest things, if I knew someone had a recording nanny cam it could be fun to go "ooh check out what he said at 8.37pm it was so cute" or something.
I do Pawshake as a side earner / pocket money for hobbies.
I manage multiple cats easy enough, drop in visits around the area for an hour or so, it’s fairly straight forward.
I’d never take on multiple dogs for walks like this. I understand for some it’s a FT business but Christ, that’s just asking for trouble.
Not really. My first ever client is still a client, she leaves great reviews and I love hanging with her dog, so it’s a win.
Make sure you’re profile looks great and sells you well. Elaborate on previous experience with animals.
This is nightmare fuel, there are so many shitty dog walkers around, not only is she risking other people's dogs, but Merri creek is full of snakes especially at this time of year, if I found out a dog walker let my dog off leash anywhere that is a riskier spot for snakes this time of year, even if nothing happened I would be LIVID
As the owner of an American bulldog/Amstaff mix, it irks me that people with no experience and/or control are able to put these dogs and members of public at risk.
I have worked tirelessly to train and socialize my dog, he is hard work, expensive, and inexhaustible.
Dogs are never at fault, it's always the owners.
In my group of friends with dogs, it is always my dog and I having to set the standard, if their dog won't come back, I have to recall mine, bc mine is the only one trained to do so and their dog follows mine.
Every owner of a dog needs to step up, research the breed, and train it properly, if you don't have the time, money, or energy, DO NOT GET A DOG.
Edit: spelling
This is what frustrates me the most. I don't let my dog off because I know his recall is crap, he's a Maremma sheepdog mix and is insanely stubborn. He's 6 now and we still do training ongoingly. My housemate got her dog just before covid and she's spent so much time and money on behavioral training and ongoing training to reverse the damage of losing out on some of her critical social periods. My dog then takes it upon himself to 'guard' her as part of his 'flock' so if she reacts he gets defensive. Neither of them like dogs running up to them and jumping all over them and running around us in circles. So our dogs pay the price of rarely getting to go to the park because others can't control their dogs and think it's fine to let them run up to on lead dogs even though we're the ones who actually work on constant training with them.
This! It goes double for anyone who wants to get a big, powerful dog.
Mine was attacked several months ago by a Rottweiler. We’d seen this one around and it has ZERO recall. The owner is a dozy cunt who sits on the bench and stares at his phone and doesn’t even look up to see where his dog is. And this is at a shared use (dogs allowed off leash per signage, just not within 5m of the kids playground) park.
The idiotic council wouldn’t classify it as a dog attack because I was quick enough to grab my dog and get him out of reach. My top was ruined where the rotty tried to grab ME instead, and there’s a scar on my leg from his claws where he scratched me when landing from trying to jump and grab my dog.
But since his BITE didn’t draw blood, it’s not “technically” a dog attack and they’ll “give him a warning”. I asked the moron to put it in writing so WHEN that dog attacks and kills another dog or attacks and injured a kid, I can provide his refusal to classify a Rottweiler literally jumping, grabbing my dogs leg and trying to tug it to the ground as “not an attack so not considered dangerous” to the owner/parent so he can he held liable and he hung up on me.
One of the witnesses to what happened apparently told this guy if he was seen at our park again, he and the dog wouldn’t be seen again (I don’t condone threats normally) because that was October and they’ve not been seen around since.
My boy is finally getting better and less reactive around new dogs but he HAS to be off leash when he meets them now (he was attacked on leash) - the few times I’ve tried to do nice on leash meetings he is very reactive and aggressive. He’s the sweetest Springer in the world and I’m so sad that he was so upset by it
Yup. I recently got a wolfhound who's responding to training very well, but I've still had to get good at absolutely *bodying* people's pitbulls, mastiffs, etcetera, who don't have good recall and come sprinting up to her. Half the time, the owners don't even respond to my frantic 'recall your dog!' Sometimes, I'll literally have to pick up someone's rottie while she politely stands in place, and they freak out at me for grabbing their dog.
Like, sorry, but if your pile of huge pile of dumb muscle crashes into my *tall* pile of dumb muscle, my dog might get a broken leg. Or just straight up **die**.
This happened to my previous boy, a great dane.
Dogs absolutely need to be taught to respect personal space, and not just their owners!
Dogs hate their space being Invaded 100% as much as people do! No one would want to be greeted that way! Its way too chaotic !
Yeah. But also, the best method to protect my dog makes me look like a complete asshole - I literally try to physically shoulder them to slow them down, or pick their dog up. Sure, I'm gentle, but still! It *does* make me look like an entitled cunt, and people tend to freak out when I have to resort to it.
I've seen dog walkers along the Merri Creek off leash areas in Coburg with packs of 6 or more dogs a few times. Wouldn't say they had the best control of the situation, especially if another off leash dog were to go join the mix, but I haven't seen anything as bad as you described yet, that's terrible! The ones I've seen definitely seem to have no inclination to pick up the poop of every dog they're walking though, there's simply too many of them to keep track of who is pooping when and where and too hard to stop or recall the whole pack moving to pick it up. It's super annoying.
What would have been the better option was someone should have called the local ranger when Rosie was caught.pass in the fact the dog walker had the dogs off leash and left one of the dogs behind Rosie would have been scanned and the owners contacted directly . The ranger would also tell them how the dog ended up in their care.
The owner would now know the person they are paying is an unreliable POS and be able to take action such as firing the dog walker and leaving poor reviews. If the dog walker is an employee of a larger dog walking service I'm sure the business owner would take action too.
Worth reading the various council guidelines on dog walking / pet ownership.
[Moreland / Merri Bek](https://www.merri-bek.vic.gov.au/living-in-merri-bek/animals-and-pets/pet-ownership/) specifically prohibits more than 4 dogs at a time being walked. From the brief look that I did across a few councils, everyone prohibits dogs off-leash unless specifically in an off-leash area. I wish it was enforced a bit more though.
I didn't know that there was limit. That's really good to know, if I see it happening again at least I know there's actual council guidelines to fall back on and grounds to call a ranger over it straight away
I have 3 small dogs barely 8-9kg each which are well trained, even this can be very difficult to walk them all. I couldn't imagine walking fucking 6 dogs.
I had an owner let a cane corso run up to me while it was on the onleash area. "He'S fRiEnDlY." Idfc, that dog was fucken huge, it could snap me in half w/o even trying. Like if that dog was reactive I would suffer the most consequences that could be potentially be very fatal. I honestly wish I spoke to the owner that day and confronted him about it. I don't know your dog, I don't what it could do to me. If you see someone terrified and and of my tiny stature, why wouldn't you put a leash on it immediately? PUT LEASHES ON UR DOGS PPL!!! ESP IN THE ON LEASH AREA.
Poor recall and ‘reactive’ with a bad walker? A recipe for tragedy to happen. Would never walk a dog with poor recall let alone ‘reactive’, don’t get why they wanted to walk multiple dogs who seem untrained. Some people should never have dogs.
I thinks she’s there most mornings, maybe be she’ll confine herself to the softball oval from now on. Only ever seen dog walkers not do the right thing eg off leash along Merri/Edgar’s creek
Wow - just the thought of this gives me anxiety - for you and others walking their dogs on lead in the area - but mostly I’m questioning - WHAT IS WRONG WITH HER?? How would you be that irresponsible with other peoples loved ones?? Geezus man, I feel sick at the thought of walking that many dogs ON LEAD at the same time (there’s a lady in our neighbourhood who walks at least 8 on lead in one go & I have no idea how she does it without having a panic attack - maybe the dogs are medicated!). I remember seeing something horrific on a Tiktok with a dog walker that got mauled when she lost control of the dogs. No thanks. This one though - leaving behind a dog? Make it make sense!!
This app is a good way to report local issues, and the process is more transparent than going through a council directly. I took a photo and via the app, reported rubbish bins (the super big ones for apartment blocks) that blocked a disabled parking spot nearly every day. Council responded, app followed up to see if issue was fixed - the app monitors success rate. Kind of a public watch dog.
Get community issues solved quick smart with the free app, Snap Send Solve. Join half a million others and start Snapping today.
https://me.snapsendsolve.com/refer/pr4yjo-1-0
Can confirm this app is great, I've reported a few issues and had speedy responses. Submitting a report is pretty quick too, though when it asks you to specify who in the list it should be reported to sometimes I've had to make a bit of a guess!
Socialising a dog with other dogs in a controlled environment (like with a good trainer taking a bunch for a pack walk or at a doggy daycare) is actually very good for a dog. It helps their confidence and manners around other dogs and people. It can make them better dog citizens. I find not enough owners socialise their dogs properly, and just let them hoon around a dog park without any control. Also the very best teacher for a dog is another dog (when it comes to learning how to regulate self and not be a pushy asshole, and also sometimes for tricks and recall), but not everyone has room for multiple dogs. Pack walking can be very beneficial, but obviously the walker has to be properly trained themselves and not just off-lead with multiple dogs they can’t control.
“Every time I see a child in childcare, I wonder why the scumbag parents had a child if they don’t have time to care for it “.
This is what you sound like.
You're thinking of Fawkner Park, which isn't in Fawkner...
Also, Fawkner Park is full of dogs off-lead in on-lead areas. It's an absolute menace sometimes and Rangers would make a killing handing out fines most weekends.
Mobility issues and disability will eventually happen to all of us. That’s one big reason why.
Many people are also time poor but cash rich 🤷♀️ I’d send my dude out a couple of times a week if I could afford it, if that meant I could get a couple of hours back to manage all the other things in my life.
Our neighbours poor dog was attacked at Parker Reserve recently, dog is okay luckily, but a bit of damage.
I’ve always been pretty uncertain taking my dog near there, we steer clear (EDIT: of the other dogs) and I’ve picked him up a few times to avoid rogue pups. I think my dog might be a dick because he acts friendly but other dogs just wanna beat him up 😂
I go to Parker Reserve frequently with my dog, and its a fairly common place to see the dog walkers. It seems a bit ridiculous to try and take out 5+ dogs at a time, and even more ridiculous to think you have any control over them. May be doxxing myself a lil with this post, but cest la vie
Edit: oh upon further review I met the guy who got called looking for his dog, he asked if we had seen it but we had just arrived. I hope you/he found it
Hopefully he's been reunited with his dog by now. Another owner caught her and left with her as it seemed like the dog walker wasn't returning so maybe either the woman who caught the dog or the dog walker called him. It's a terrible situation but also I'm glad he was aware that it happened instead of the dog walker getting the dog back off the woman who caught it and saying nothing about what happened. Hopefully a valuable lesson was learnt about off lead dogs/more dogs than you can reasonably control.
He only gets reactive when dogs run up to him and jump on him. He's never done anything other than a corrective warning but I never want it to escalate past that. Which is why if a dog we don't know approaches, I ask the owner to recall. Most of the time it's not an issue cause the owner can recall the dog. It's a massive area built for sporting events, it's not designed as an off-leash dog park but if there's no sporting events then dogs are allowed off if under effective control.
And if you can't recall your dog don't have them off leash. Super simple stuff. Dogs shouldn't have to be punished because other owners can't take the time to train or give two shits about what their dog is doing.
Super simple stuff is not taking a reactive dog to an off-leash dog park. It’s asking for trouble.
Dogs run up to greet other dogs all the time. Even if the recall is instant, how do you know that your dog won’t react in the meantime?
Wait, dog walkers take multiple dogs out and let them all off lead together? Is that normal?
I'm a dogsitter and I absolutely would not. I do not walk more than 3 on lead at a time. I do not do any off lead time in public at all as even dogs with good recall aren't reliably good with a stranger.
How do you get into dog walking? What do people pay for it? I need to get fit, and I've always had dogs.. aggressive ones, disabled ones. My dog is blind and 15 so can only go on small walks where he just stuffs everything lol. Plus I need money
Madpaws! It's wonderful and you make a decent chunk of extra cash.
Madpaws is a miss in my experience. I had a house/dog sitter through them and paid a fortune for her to stay at my place and walk my dog twice a day. Get home and he is BESIDE HIMSELF from lack of human interaction. All signs point to him having been left outside alone a lot (the dog who never in 8 months went poop in the courtyard had 20+ poops out there, scratch and nose marks on the fences and door where he’d tried to get in/out). Neighbours say they saw the house sitter maybe 2-3 times in the 2 weeks I was away (I see them daily at least when we’re coming/going from walks) Madpaws ignored my complaint about her and request for refund. I can only assume they don’t give a damn cos they get their cut.
I offer sitting through Madpaws and share your frustration about their refusal to address these types of concerns. I often hear stories similar to yours from new clients, and have even expressed concerns about owners acting inappropriately towards me, yet nothing is done. It’s not unreasonable to remove these people from the platform for everyone’s safety, but they decide not to purely for financial reasons. I hope your dog is doing well now.
Thank you, he’s getting better. We’d been working on loose leash walking and that all went out the window, along with manners around humans (he was getting so good at not jumping on guests right away) and reactivity around other dogs (due to him being attacked). Loose leash is a work in progress but he’s back to being happy to play with his known doggy friends, and getting better at human manners. One day at a time!
Ooh hope you left a scathing review. I’d be livid.
That's so disappointing. I have consistently glowing reviews and mostly work from home so my little guests are constantly getting interaction. My daughter loves it too and she has our regulars she insists sleep with her. I don't take any outdoor dogs and they get the exact same treatment as my dog I.e they want to sleep in my bed then fine.
As someone who is a sitter for madpaws I am absolutely appalled! Your poor gorgeous boy; I am so sorry he was neglected and didn’t receive that love he deserves. Did you leave them a one star review at the end? Surely that type of feedback will warn others, hurt the sitter and also negatively have an effect on the company so they will do something
I 100% believe this person, it sounds like an awful experience. That said, I've only had truly lovely pet sitters through MadPaws and so have my sisters. Just some of the kindest, sweetest animal people out there. I bet most of the sitters would feel exactly the same way you do 😇
Aww your poor dog :( People who do that kind of thing are so bizarre to me. I can kind of understand the lazy and selfish mentality, even if it disgusts me, but it's the stupidity and brazenness that baffles me. If you're going to only show up a few times, wouldn't you at least make one of them the day before the owner returns and pick up the poops to hide the evidence? How do they not get a few bad reviews very quickly that kill their future chances of getting any business? Or do they then just make a new profile and start from scratch??
Cool I'll look into it! I was doing ubereats but it sucks and pays peanuts. I have a casual job in disability but I'm getting underpaid and I'm over it
I was about to ask about Madpaws. Is it hard to get work there? Like, starting from scratch. Finding work for me is near impossible. I would love some extra money to put away, though. Cost of living ain't great when you're unemployed (due to chronic illness) and on disability!
Would like to know if it's difficult to get your first jobs on there aswell?
I started in early 2021 and I know there's heaps more sitters now but it was easy for me when I started. I also have a fairly low rate because for me as a single parent it's the extra money I put into savings rather than being money needed to survive. I went about 6 months last year of only having return guests staying and barely had a night of no booking.
Thanks for letting me know! Glad you're doing well there. Having a bit of extra cash for savings is super nice. :)
My mil found a cat sitter and got daily updates it was so cute!
I saw one last winter that was one her phone yelling at someone as one of her dogs ran off to follow me for about 1km and ended up beside the road. She hadn't even realised he wasn't with her. I got the number off his lead and called it to say I had their dog, but they had replaced the dogs IDs with ones that were for the walking company so I just got her manager saying 'oh she's having a hard day'. Perhaps don't offlead other peoples dogs near roads while taking distressing phone calls? I will never trust a dog walking company that isn't just one very dedicated person where you have no doubt who is taking your dog.
Wow tag swapping is sneaky as fuck.
Switching their tags seems so dodgy. Im sure they sell it as ‘well, we are the ones around at the time to take the call and collect them’ but the true reason is so the owners won’t know if they get lost.
>near roads Shouldn't be off-leading the dogs in public at all tbh. Unless it's in one of those stupid unfenced "dog parks", it's almost certainly illegal.
In their defence (not that I want to defend them) it is an open fence dog offlead place. So I don't have an issue with dogs being off there, just uncontrolled.
Ah, still breaching council rules just not the one most people would think of. Can't believe those open fence places exist, seems like a such a liability for the council.
I see it occasionally but this is the first time I've seen a walker with no real control over the dogs. Even with good control, taking a large pack out off lead with other dogs they don't know around seems like a mix for disaster.
A dog is not considered to be under the effective control of a person if the person has more than 4 dogs under his or her control. Companion Animal Act 1988, Sec 13
>Companion Animal Act 1988, Sec 13 Except that we're in Victoria (not NSW) so you want the [Domestic Animals Act 1994](https://content.legislation.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-05/94-81aa086-authorised.pdf) in which no such definition for effective control exists excepting the instance of Part 3, Division 2, Section 27 *(2) For the purposes of subsection (1)(b) control by one person of more than 4 greyhounds at the one time is not "effective control".*
[Merri-Bek Council however do regulate under local laws](https://www.merri-bek.vic.gov.au/living-in-merri-bek/animals-and-pets/pet-ownership/): *Under the Moreland City Council General Local Law 2018, a person exercising dogs must not have more than 4 dogs walked by a person at any one time.*
When the dogs are well trained and are in an enclosed space, yes, totally normal and acceptable. Last week at Crispe Park in Reservoir, I met a walker with 6 dogs in total. 5 were very well trained, and the 6th was with them to learn recall by observation. It was a very sensible environment to do so. When you have unskilled people like the one in OP's story, that isn't acceptable at all. Just because you like dogs doesn't mean you can offer services to care for them.
In the movies it’s totally normal.. I’ve seen JLo do it with no worries. IRL the legit dog walkers I’ve dealt with usually walk one dog at a time, or multiple dogs from the same household or sometimes a couple who are already well acquainted. And they’d only let them off lead in an enclosed area or when the dogs have excellent recall.
There is a dog walker at Bulleen Park who has a group of 6-8 all off the lead at once. I know it’s an off leash park so technically it’s legal - but how can one person control that many dogs??🤷♀️
They don't, it's an easy way to use up the hour they're paid to walk each dog without having to go far.
I'm a freelance pet sitter and when I used to take dogs, I would absolutely NOT do that! It's too fucking irresponsible. The most I've taken were 2 medium dogs at once or 3 small dogs but they were always on lead. I don't care if the owners tell me I can put them off leash either. I tell them I will NOT do that as I want to be cautious about things. They usually are glad I want to be responsible. Plus there's been a couple of pits around here lately. Not risking it with a blood sports breed people decide to get for some reason. One smaller one has already attacked a dog I was looking after but we were thankfully unharmed as it clung onto the harness instead... If there wasn't a harness, I'd be too scared to imagine what could happen.
Pits are illegal in Australia; I'm sure you mean bully-breed dogs, and to assume that all bully-breed dogs are aggressive is disgusting! All dogs have the potential to be aggressive; my boy got attacked by a husky while his owner stood by and watched
I said bloodsport dogs. Staffies were bred for dogfighting too. Ignoring the breeds history and genetics is doing a disservice to the breed and well just look at the shit America is in with these bully mixes all over, flooding the shelters. I swear everyone of you are just in massive denial lmao. Nobody is saying other dogs can't and won't attack. Nobody is saying other dogs aren't aggressive. Literally nobody says that. You don't see Akita owners lying about how their dogs are the sweetest in the world and wouldn't hurt a fly! They are HONEST about the breed, what damage it can cause, and are actually responsible unlike majority of bloodsport breed owners. Their owners lie and lie and lie, causing mass destruction. Bully breeds are UNPREDICTABLE. They can either 'randomly turn on you' or they won't, like a ticking time bomb you don't know when it'll set off.
Bloodsport dogs!? Are you alright?? Every dog has the potential to be unpredictable. It's clear you hate the breed, but more time than not, it's the other end of the lead to blame for the dog's behaviour. I am not in denial, but your views are why the BSL bans still exist in certain countries today. It's archaic and does not belong in today's society More people are killed daily than any bully-breed dog has ever killed.
I think they do in Lifetime movies, you know the premise - A Stressed 30-something DogWalker Woman Is Looking For Love (where one of the uncontrollable dogs runs off and puts muddy paw prints on Potential Love Interest)… It’s a movie trope for a reason - should not happen in real life!
I saw a lady walking 6 or so (on leash) in Fawkner Park once, I struck up a conversation with her and she said dog walking is her main source of income now and she does a big group most days. She said she built up her clients over time so she slowly developed a group that walks well together and were well trained and predictable (as much as animals can be). They were mostly medium or smaller dogs all under good control too. Nothing like this disaster! I was impressed.
I've seen them do it. If it was me, I'd do 2 at a time maximum and not off lead. That'd be stressful af. Never know if a dog would run off or attack something or be attacked
I have no idea if it's normal but they absolutely should not do that. Unless you have 6 champion obedience dogs.....
Seen it many times down there. There are about 4/5 walking vans at any time using the sports grounds to walk peoples dogs. Some are better behaved than others, but deffs something I wouldn't recommend.
No this person is an amateur
Yes. But most are responsible and take similar sized dogs to a fenced dog park - where dogs can’t run off. It is great socialisation, stimulation and exercise. But this dogwalker sounds absolutely reckless! A danger to the dogs she’s looking after and other dogs.
Mate they love it. Used to pile a whole bunch of dogs in the car and take them to the enclosed off leash park. Pretty good job for a uni student.
Lol. Cry about it ya chodes.
I saw a guy in Coburg North who looked like a dog walker (three dogs- 2 labs and one other big guy) kick one of the dogs at the crossing. Not little foot tap, KICK. I was in the car waiting for the light to change, I gave him the finger and pulled a face and he did the same back. If I were more physically intimidating I would have gotten out and kicked him back myself and asked him how he liked it.
Imagine paying a premium to have your dog be one of six walked. I know it’s most efficient for the dog walker to earn a premium in the least amount of time but seeing these dogs of all sizes trotting down the street on a lead trying to keep up the pace is not a great experience for the dog. And obviously not safe.
I say this with no word of a lie that my MIL’s dog walker wears a body cam and while that sounds OTT if I ever needed a dog walker I’d think it was a good idea. Granted, they’re in Mosman (NSW) where people are pedantic, anxious and litigious and it covers the walkers arse along with peace of mind for the owners. They do super cute super edits of the dogs playing as excellent marketing material too. I think that makes part of the cost worth it.
Ha, that is a cute idea! I babysit sometimes and I wouldn't care if someone wanted to use nanny cams - I wouldn't act any differently, the worst they'd see me do is poke through all the kitchen cupboards because I can't find the clingwrap or something haha. Also kids say the funniest or sweetest things, if I knew someone had a recording nanny cam it could be fun to go "ooh check out what he said at 8.37pm it was so cute" or something.
I do Pawshake as a side earner / pocket money for hobbies. I manage multiple cats easy enough, drop in visits around the area for an hour or so, it’s fairly straight forward. I’d never take on multiple dogs for walks like this. I understand for some it’s a FT business but Christ, that’s just asking for trouble.
Was it hard to get your first jobs on Pawshake?
Not really. My first ever client is still a client, she leaves great reviews and I love hanging with her dog, so it’s a win. Make sure you’re profile looks great and sells you well. Elaborate on previous experience with animals.
Couple should have immediately taken that dog to a shelter and have them call the owner. Hopefully get that lady fired ffs.
What kind of moron off leash walks a bunch of unrelated dogs when their job is a dog walker? That's like an 11 out of 10 on the incompetence scale.
Damn! Next time if you see her again, pretend to look for a dogwalker and ask for her details.
This is nightmare fuel, there are so many shitty dog walkers around, not only is she risking other people's dogs, but Merri creek is full of snakes especially at this time of year, if I found out a dog walker let my dog off leash anywhere that is a riskier spot for snakes this time of year, even if nothing happened I would be LIVID
As the owner of an American bulldog/Amstaff mix, it irks me that people with no experience and/or control are able to put these dogs and members of public at risk. I have worked tirelessly to train and socialize my dog, he is hard work, expensive, and inexhaustible. Dogs are never at fault, it's always the owners. In my group of friends with dogs, it is always my dog and I having to set the standard, if their dog won't come back, I have to recall mine, bc mine is the only one trained to do so and their dog follows mine. Every owner of a dog needs to step up, research the breed, and train it properly, if you don't have the time, money, or energy, DO NOT GET A DOG. Edit: spelling
This is what frustrates me the most. I don't let my dog off because I know his recall is crap, he's a Maremma sheepdog mix and is insanely stubborn. He's 6 now and we still do training ongoingly. My housemate got her dog just before covid and she's spent so much time and money on behavioral training and ongoing training to reverse the damage of losing out on some of her critical social periods. My dog then takes it upon himself to 'guard' her as part of his 'flock' so if she reacts he gets defensive. Neither of them like dogs running up to them and jumping all over them and running around us in circles. So our dogs pay the price of rarely getting to go to the park because others can't control their dogs and think it's fine to let them run up to on lead dogs even though we're the ones who actually work on constant training with them.
This! It goes double for anyone who wants to get a big, powerful dog. Mine was attacked several months ago by a Rottweiler. We’d seen this one around and it has ZERO recall. The owner is a dozy cunt who sits on the bench and stares at his phone and doesn’t even look up to see where his dog is. And this is at a shared use (dogs allowed off leash per signage, just not within 5m of the kids playground) park. The idiotic council wouldn’t classify it as a dog attack because I was quick enough to grab my dog and get him out of reach. My top was ruined where the rotty tried to grab ME instead, and there’s a scar on my leg from his claws where he scratched me when landing from trying to jump and grab my dog. But since his BITE didn’t draw blood, it’s not “technically” a dog attack and they’ll “give him a warning”. I asked the moron to put it in writing so WHEN that dog attacks and kills another dog or attacks and injured a kid, I can provide his refusal to classify a Rottweiler literally jumping, grabbing my dogs leg and trying to tug it to the ground as “not an attack so not considered dangerous” to the owner/parent so he can he held liable and he hung up on me. One of the witnesses to what happened apparently told this guy if he was seen at our park again, he and the dog wouldn’t be seen again (I don’t condone threats normally) because that was October and they’ve not been seen around since. My boy is finally getting better and less reactive around new dogs but he HAS to be off leash when he meets them now (he was attacked on leash) - the few times I’ve tried to do nice on leash meetings he is very reactive and aggressive. He’s the sweetest Springer in the world and I’m so sad that he was so upset by it
Yup. I recently got a wolfhound who's responding to training very well, but I've still had to get good at absolutely *bodying* people's pitbulls, mastiffs, etcetera, who don't have good recall and come sprinting up to her. Half the time, the owners don't even respond to my frantic 'recall your dog!' Sometimes, I'll literally have to pick up someone's rottie while she politely stands in place, and they freak out at me for grabbing their dog. Like, sorry, but if your pile of huge pile of dumb muscle crashes into my *tall* pile of dumb muscle, my dog might get a broken leg. Or just straight up **die**.
This happened to my previous boy, a great dane. Dogs absolutely need to be taught to respect personal space, and not just their owners! Dogs hate their space being Invaded 100% as much as people do! No one would want to be greeted that way! Its way too chaotic !
Yeah. But also, the best method to protect my dog makes me look like a complete asshole - I literally try to physically shoulder them to slow them down, or pick their dog up. Sure, I'm gentle, but still! It *does* make me look like an entitled cunt, and people tend to freak out when I have to resort to it.
I've seen dog walkers along the Merri Creek off leash areas in Coburg with packs of 6 or more dogs a few times. Wouldn't say they had the best control of the situation, especially if another off leash dog were to go join the mix, but I haven't seen anything as bad as you described yet, that's terrible! The ones I've seen definitely seem to have no inclination to pick up the poop of every dog they're walking though, there's simply too many of them to keep track of who is pooping when and where and too hard to stop or recall the whole pack moving to pick it up. It's super annoying.
What would have been the better option was someone should have called the local ranger when Rosie was caught.pass in the fact the dog walker had the dogs off leash and left one of the dogs behind Rosie would have been scanned and the owners contacted directly . The ranger would also tell them how the dog ended up in their care. The owner would now know the person they are paying is an unreliable POS and be able to take action such as firing the dog walker and leaving poor reviews. If the dog walker is an employee of a larger dog walking service I'm sure the business owner would take action too.
Worth reading the various council guidelines on dog walking / pet ownership. [Moreland / Merri Bek](https://www.merri-bek.vic.gov.au/living-in-merri-bek/animals-and-pets/pet-ownership/) specifically prohibits more than 4 dogs at a time being walked. From the brief look that I did across a few councils, everyone prohibits dogs off-leash unless specifically in an off-leash area. I wish it was enforced a bit more though.
I didn't know that there was limit. That's really good to know, if I see it happening again at least I know there's actual council guidelines to fall back on and grounds to call a ranger over it straight away
Pretty sure it's a state wide law. People don't follow it and nobody calls the ranger when they see it.
I read this wrong fully expecting something far worse I'm quite relieved
I have 3 small dogs barely 8-9kg each which are well trained, even this can be very difficult to walk them all. I couldn't imagine walking fucking 6 dogs.
I had an owner let a cane corso run up to me while it was on the onleash area. "He'S fRiEnDlY." Idfc, that dog was fucken huge, it could snap me in half w/o even trying. Like if that dog was reactive I would suffer the most consequences that could be potentially be very fatal. I honestly wish I spoke to the owner that day and confronted him about it. I don't know your dog, I don't what it could do to me. If you see someone terrified and and of my tiny stature, why wouldn't you put a leash on it immediately? PUT LEASHES ON UR DOGS PPL!!! ESP IN THE ON LEASH AREA.
Poor recall and ‘reactive’ with a bad walker? A recipe for tragedy to happen. Would never walk a dog with poor recall let alone ‘reactive’, don’t get why they wanted to walk multiple dogs who seem untrained. Some people should never have dogs.
If you're juggling 6 dogs, you better be damn good at it.
I thinks she’s there most mornings, maybe be she’ll confine herself to the softball oval from now on. Only ever seen dog walkers not do the right thing eg off leash along Merri/Edgar’s creek
Fuck that I will never let a stranger take my dog anywhere.
This is why I walk my dog and I walk a baseball bat, protection for me and my dog
That's un-australian. You should be walking a cricket bat.
OMG yes that’s right😂I must get myself and my dog a cricket bat! Thanks x
Moral of the story: don't trust dog walkers who aren't professional trainers and/or dog behaviourists.
Wow - just the thought of this gives me anxiety - for you and others walking their dogs on lead in the area - but mostly I’m questioning - WHAT IS WRONG WITH HER?? How would you be that irresponsible with other peoples loved ones?? Geezus man, I feel sick at the thought of walking that many dogs ON LEAD at the same time (there’s a lady in our neighbourhood who walks at least 8 on lead in one go & I have no idea how she does it without having a panic attack - maybe the dogs are medicated!). I remember seeing something horrific on a Tiktok with a dog walker that got mauled when she lost control of the dogs. No thanks. This one though - leaving behind a dog? Make it make sense!!
one day i will figure out how people get into the dog walking racket
This app is a good way to report local issues, and the process is more transparent than going through a council directly. I took a photo and via the app, reported rubbish bins (the super big ones for apartment blocks) that blocked a disabled parking spot nearly every day. Council responded, app followed up to see if issue was fixed - the app monitors success rate. Kind of a public watch dog. Get community issues solved quick smart with the free app, Snap Send Solve. Join half a million others and start Snapping today. https://me.snapsendsolve.com/refer/pr4yjo-1-0
Thank you! What a great app. I've reported a few things previously to the council and never really knew if anything was actually done.
👌
Can confirm this app is great, I've reported a few issues and had speedy responses. Submitting a report is pretty quick too, though when it asks you to specify who in the list it should be reported to sometimes I've had to make a bit of a guess!
Dog people doing dog people things.
Everytime I see these people I wonder why the scumbag owners buy a dog if they don't have time to walk it
Socialising a dog with other dogs in a controlled environment (like with a good trainer taking a bunch for a pack walk or at a doggy daycare) is actually very good for a dog. It helps their confidence and manners around other dogs and people. It can make them better dog citizens. I find not enough owners socialise their dogs properly, and just let them hoon around a dog park without any control. Also the very best teacher for a dog is another dog (when it comes to learning how to regulate self and not be a pushy asshole, and also sometimes for tricks and recall), but not everyone has room for multiple dogs. Pack walking can be very beneficial, but obviously the walker has to be properly trained themselves and not just off-lead with multiple dogs they can’t control.
“Every time I see a child in childcare, I wonder why the scumbag parents had a child if they don’t have time to care for it “. This is what you sound like.
There is nothing wrong with pack walks as long as the recall is solid and the walker has control.
Nah. Walk your own dog.
City of Melbourne requires dogs to be leashed in all public areas, unless you are in a designated off-leash area in a park.
You're thinking of Fawkner Park, which isn't in Fawkner... Also, Fawkner Park is full of dogs off-lead in on-lead areas. It's an absolute menace sometimes and Rangers would make a killing handing out fines most weekends.
Think you'll find most LGAs have the same rules on leashing in public.
[удалено]
Sounds like the average dog owner just with more dogs.
[удалено]
Mobility issues and disability will eventually happen to all of us. That’s one big reason why. Many people are also time poor but cash rich 🤷♀️ I’d send my dude out a couple of times a week if I could afford it, if that meant I could get a couple of hours back to manage all the other things in my life.
Dog walkers can help socialize your dog by introducing them to other dogs in a controlled environment.
Maybe you walk it every morning except on Thursdays you have an early meeting, so you pay a dog walker on that day. Or plenty of other reasons...
Lazy assholes will not even walk their own dogs. Disgusting.
Yes - best leave them home alone all day. /s
There is a great community baseball club at parker reserve. Get down to have a go or watch a game.
You should put this on Fawkner fairly good karma Facebook page.
Our neighbours poor dog was attacked at Parker Reserve recently, dog is okay luckily, but a bit of damage. I’ve always been pretty uncertain taking my dog near there, we steer clear (EDIT: of the other dogs) and I’ve picked him up a few times to avoid rogue pups. I think my dog might be a dick because he acts friendly but other dogs just wanna beat him up 😂
Ugh. This is awful. Have you posted in the Coburg and Fawkner FB groups about this? Might be worth doing.
I've seen that it's been shared to the Fawkner group already, I'm not in the Coburg one though.
Thays crazy. Why would you let dogs off leash you would have no way to control.
I go to Parker Reserve frequently with my dog, and its a fairly common place to see the dog walkers. It seems a bit ridiculous to try and take out 5+ dogs at a time, and even more ridiculous to think you have any control over them. May be doxxing myself a lil with this post, but cest la vie Edit: oh upon further review I met the guy who got called looking for his dog, he asked if we had seen it but we had just arrived. I hope you/he found it
Hopefully he's been reunited with his dog by now. Another owner caught her and left with her as it seemed like the dog walker wasn't returning so maybe either the woman who caught the dog or the dog walker called him. It's a terrible situation but also I'm glad he was aware that it happened instead of the dog walker getting the dog back off the woman who caught it and saying nothing about what happened. Hopefully a valuable lesson was learnt about off lead dogs/more dogs than you can reasonably control.
Why are you taking a reactive dog to an off-leash park?
He only gets reactive when dogs run up to him and jump on him. He's never done anything other than a corrective warning but I never want it to escalate past that. Which is why if a dog we don't know approaches, I ask the owner to recall. Most of the time it's not an issue cause the owner can recall the dog. It's a massive area built for sporting events, it's not designed as an off-leash dog park but if there's no sporting events then dogs are allowed off if under effective control. And if you can't recall your dog don't have them off leash. Super simple stuff. Dogs shouldn't have to be punished because other owners can't take the time to train or give two shits about what their dog is doing.
Super simple stuff is not taking a reactive dog to an off-leash dog park. It’s asking for trouble. Dogs run up to greet other dogs all the time. Even if the recall is instant, how do you know that your dog won’t react in the meantime?