Dog walkers in U.K. town are barking mad over 4-dog-at-a-time cap
Annabel Cookson, a professional dog walker in South Ribble, England, says she feels like her business is under threat.
Recently, members of her local government voted for new limits on dogs in parks. Now, anyone caught walking more than four at once could face a fine of about $170. That decision isn't sitting well with many people.
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"They've decided as a council for our borough that they're going to ban people from walking more than four dogs at a time," Cookson told As it Happens host Carol Off from her home in Penwortham.
She described the new regulation as a "very last-minute" decision.
"We didn't know they were going to do this," she said. "It wasn't on their notes for the night they had the meeting."
Cookson said that she generally walks five dogs at a time, and on occasion, six.
"If we can only walk four dogs, we will then either have to shorten the amount of time we walk them, or charge more to make up for the money we'd lose."
The reduction from a six-dog maximum to no more than four dogs could translate to a loss of up to £1,000 ($1,700 Cdn) per month, she said.
"For me, that's my rent for the month," she said. "That's money I can spend on my daughter, on my own dogs."
A person will come along, and they've got one dog — it quickly descends into chaos, where all mine are under control.- Annabel Cookson, dog walker
Coun. Graham Walton has defended the move.
"We're not trying to stop the pleasure of people walking their dogs," he said, according to the Lancashire Post.
"It was decided for the health and safety of the borough that a limit was best."
Cookson doesn't buy it. It's not too difficult for one person to control more than four dogs at once, she said.
"I have a university degree in animal behaviour," she said. "I assess all my dogs. All the other dog walkers in the area assess their dogs. We're extra careful. We're ensured to walk up to six dogs. Our insurance trusts that that's the sensible [number] of dogs to walk."
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She said people who walk multiple dogs at a time tend to have better-trained animals. "I'll be walking my pack of dogs, and a person will come along, and they've got one dog — and they're on the phone, their dog's terrorizing all my dogs, pooing everywhere ...it quickly descends into chaos, where all mine are under control."
A protest is planned for this Thursday, ahead of a review of the new regulation by a scrutiny committee on Nov. 6.
"I'm hoping that they overturn it and it goes back to the original plan of six [dogs per person]," Cookson said.