Help re out of control dogs

trolleyrun

I'll try to keep this short.

A man who calls himself a dog walker comes to the local playing field with a minimum of 6 dogs every day. He has great difficulty in controlling these dogs and last week, the dogs attacked a friend of mine's puppy. These dogs have allegedly attacked other dogs in the past. They were on leads, but the walker couldn't hold on to them. 5 are big dogs, one is a smaller terrier type.

My friend has most likely been given bogus details from him, as he claims he lives 35 miles away. Also, he's not answering the phone. My friend wants him to pay the vet bill.

My friend has contacted police, two local councils and a dog warden, but nobody is interested in dealing with this. The dogs are dangerous and many people are too scared of walking their dogs in the area in case they attack again.

Do any of you have any ideas as to who might deal with such matters? I doubt very much that this man has any form of insurance or licences. I'd be grateful for any advice.

elsien

Story in the local paper? Not only might it help identify him, it might also make the people paying him realise that he's not up to the job. Camera phone photo might help.
And if the dogs are out of control he is breaking the law, but unless you can show people are at risk then the police are unlikely to act although in theory they could.

krlyr

Could be worth sharing on some local Facebook groups (especially dog/walking groups) too. I know of a few problem walkers identified this way.

rising_from_the_ashes

that's awful .... not only for it to happen in the 1st place but for no-one to take any notice

The dog wardens here take such reports VERY seriously and always act on them (providing it is possible to identify the person - and they will certainly keep info on record in case they can be identified at a future date if not immediately)

I'd see if your friend can take some photos (without putting herself in danger) .... does he arrive by vehicle? Maybe she could snap the licence plate if so etc

Do you know any of the dogs he walks - if so, contact their owners as I'm sure they wouldn't be thrilled this sort of thing is happening when they're out

Johnny_Dangerously

Got to agree with a bit of detective work. Photo of vehicle is ideal and then any evidence you can get of the person without putting yourself at any risk. Once you have that, email the local council or police detailing the incident and ensure you get delivery receipts and follow up.

I'd personally be a little careful with facebook groups and naming individuals. I keep getting copied in on some posts with some pretty serious allegations against individuals. I can't help but think it's kinda counter productive in that at some point I swear an accused person is going to sue successfully and get protection, even if they have done what they are accused of.

Ash_McCloud

Definitely try to get some publicity - I doubt any responsible dog owners would be happy to find they were paying for this level of service from a professional dog walker.

sheramber

the dog warden or police will not try to tract this man.

Try a google search for dog walkers in the area. He may advertise and you could identify who he is.


Without evidence there is not much the authorities can do as it would be one person's word against his.

Was anybody else around in the park at the time?

Our dog warden is very good at following these things uo and as said already a few reports logged about the same person would help.

You mentioned there had been other cases but did they report them?

trolleyrun

Thanks for advice so far. Friend knows where one of the dogs live after following the man. More detective work is going on. I don't know if there were anyone else at the field, but the vet bill is part of the evidence. Dog warden say they only deal with found/lost and dangerous dogs. These dogs are dangerous though, they could've injured/mauled a human. I don't know how/if previous incidents have been reported, but others told me last year that the terrier type must always be on lead as it has attacked other dogs before.

krlyr

It would be a civil offence, as dogs are property - so the man has caused damage to friend's property. Perhaps see if her pet insurance has legal cover included, it could be a route to explore.

Katiehound

Sorry to be unhelpful but a dog attacking another dog will not be looked upon as "dangerous"- 'cos that's what some dogs do! (I'm talking from a legal point of view)

I think your friend needs to talk to other local dog walkers because they are likely to know him by sight, where he lives etc.
Something in the local paper? Yes, I think that might be helpful too

Daisychains

Call the police! X