Dog walking is a booming business. It’s estimated that there are over 50,000 professional dog walkers employed by one or more of the 29,000 dog walking companies in the United States as of 2022, and that number is expected to grow in the years to come.
It’s not hard to see why this career is so popular. Becoming a dog walker allows you to set your own schedule while earning money by spending time with adorable puppies—what’s not to love?
On the other side of the equation, dog owners are always in need of someone they can trust to look after their beloved pets. A good dog walker is worth their weight in gold.
However, sometimes, things go wrong—or maybe you just want peace of mind in case something goes wrong. That’s why it’s always smart to have a dog walking contract agreed upon and signed before Fido goes on their first walk. It’s the best way to protect both the walker and owner from legal trouble down the line.
We go over everything that should be covered in a dog walking contract, so both parties can feel good about the arrangement.
The fact of the matter is that dogs are special animals. They have tremendous sentimental (and, therefore, monetary) value, but they can also cause damage to property and people. When dogs get lost or stolen or cause havoc, someone has to be held legally responsible.
If you wait until after the fact to determine who is responsible for what, there’s a good chance that whatever solution you come up with will be unsatisfactory for everyone involved. What’s more, an innocent party may end up on the hook for most of the damages.
Dog walkers should want contracts because they’ll spell out what, exactly, the walker is responsible for. If they provide things like training, feeding, playtime, etc., that needs to be explicitly stated in the contract. This allows everyone to know what’s expected from each session.
Owners, on the other hand, should want to know what the walker will be doing with their pup, as well as what their recourse is if they don’t. It should also spell out who’s responsible if the dog gets lost or stolen.
There’s also the elephant in the room: What if the dog attacks someone, like the dog walker or a stranger? Who’s responsible for that?
The answer is something that should be agreed upon in writing before the dog-walking services begin.
Every dog walking contract may be a little bit different, depending on the specifics of the animal and walker involved.
