Dog walkers and other pet providers are largely unsupervised in Chicago.
Photo via chicagotribune.com
The sight of someone walking a pack of dogs, holding a handful of leashes and a plethora of plastic bags, is commplace in cities across America. But writing in the Chicago Tribune, Bill Hageman asks an important question: who regulates these small-business owners to ensure that they are held to standards that protect the dogs the care for?
What is prompting the conversation about dog walkers was a May 26 incident in a West Loop apartment building. A security video appears to show a dog walker step on and then kick a small beagle. The man was subsequently arrested and charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty.
We know from the story earlier this week that pet groomers can make grave errors, and we can only assume that bad things happen to dogs in the care of professional walkers. If something were to happen, whom could the dog owner turn to?