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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

Dog injured with dog walker

8 replies

SilverShadows · 02/04/2014 21:57

I got home from work to find my hallway carpet covered in bloody paw prints. Went into the room where the dogs are kept when we are out and one of the dogs has a cut on her paw. It's quite a deep cut, and was still bleeding 3 hours after the dog walker left.

I've taken her to the vet and she needs stitches tomorrow. I don't think I'm being unreasonable to think she should have noticed. I text her to ask about it as I was surprised she hadn't let either of us know, and she said she hadn't noticed anything was wrong.

WWYD?
I'm considering changing walkers - but am not sure if I'm just being precious.

OP posts:
pigsDOfly · 03/04/2014 00:01

Her attitude sounds a bit casual if that's all she said. I suppose it's possible that the cut occurred close to your home and she really didn't notice. I was in the park a while ago and mentioned to a woman about the fact that her dog kept lifting one of its back paws and she said she hadn't noticed until I pointed it out, which I thought was a bit odd.

I've never had to use a dog walker as I'm retired and at home for walking duties, but I would hope that if I needed to use one he/she would make sure my dog was happy and well before leaving her in the house on her own.

Maybe your walker is just not very observant, in which case, in your position I'd be looking for a new one too. I don't think you're being precious. You don't need to be at work worrying about whether or not your dogs are okay. That's the whole point of having someone come to walk them for you.

Original poster
SilverShadows · 03/04/2014 09:21

Because she wasn't limping I can see how she wouldn't perhaps notice when out - my dog is only just a year old so zooms all over the place. I've not noticed previously when she has cut herself until I've out her back in the car.

It was more the fact that to exit my house she had to walk back down the long hallway which is a fawn carpet covered in red paw prints!
That sounds like I am more concerned about my carpet - I'm not at all, but that would have been hard to miss. And as you say, if she was getting them settled and making sure they were ok before leaving she would have noticed something.

It is so hard to find a decent walker - we really liked this one as she will only walk 3 dogs at a time, so my 2 plus one other. Most dog walkers we see have 5 dogs plus at any one time, and I fail to see how you can control/keep an eye on that many.

OP posts:
1MitchellMum · 03/04/2014 11:40

Sounds like she was in a bit of a rush. Any other things you're not happy with? Often a gut feel, few different things, that lead you to be unhappy with a dog walker (probably the most important person you will ever employ!) Hope your doggie will be OK.

SpicyPear · 03/04/2014 12:20

I think you are right to be concerned. She isn't telling you the truth for starters as no one would miss those prints. At the very very least she should have called you.

Daisybelleblue · 06/04/2014 20:38

I hope you have got to the bottom of this. Was there anyway the dog could have sustained the injury during its time alone ?
Talk your feelings through with your walker if there was a large amount of bleeding it would have been difficult to miss ???

Original poster
SilverShadows · 07/04/2014 11:27

No, while she was alone she was in the room we leave them in - it has been very well dog-proofed. The cut was a slice in the paw, so she must have trodden on glass or similar.

TBH, I'm not cross it happened - we allow off lead walks and something like this could happen at any time as our dog runs around like a loon. I am just disappointed it wan't noticed either when she was being brought home, or when she was being put away again.
When she gets back she has to take off leads/collars and hang them up, go to the kitchen and get frozen treats and then go to the room to put them away. During this time the dogs tend to still be a bit excitable especially once the treats are out. This is when all the bloody paw prints were being left - they were everywhere!

We've cancelled her for 2 weeks while it heals. We are thinking we might give her another chance, we've been happy up til now and just ask her to make sure the dogs are healthy before she leaves.

OP posts:
TheReturnoftheSmartArse · 07/04/2014 12:14

To be honest, when the same happened to ours (whilst walking with us), we didn't notice for a while either, until we spotted the bloody footprints on the cream floor. After a walk he often comes in and flops on his bed and doesn't walk around much anyway, so perhaps she just saw them in, closed the door and left them too it and just didn't notice. Having said that, if there was a lot of blood, then she should have!

Hope your dog is ok - it's an absolute pain having them confined to the house for a couple of weeks.

Daisybelleblue · 07/04/2014 14:49

Mmmmmm its a difficult one, I know if it happened to one of the dogs in my care I would be very concerned that I had missed something or not noticed (so you can guess what I do ? )
Like you said accidents do happen, hope it heals up quickly its no fun having less walks

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