My top safety items to carry as a dog walker

Becoming a dog walker in a busy city, has made me think a lot about safety and what ifs situations. I mean, you're in charge of the well-being of someone else's dog, their baby, their whole heart! I would want a very prepared dog walker walking my dog, so I strive to the best leader for them.

Now, I'm not talking about fighting off bears, but coyotes on the other hand... hahaha just kidding. I'm talking about typical city mishaps.

What if you're walking your dog down a busy road and their collar snaps?

What if you're walking your dog down a busy road and you see another loose dog?

Take a look down below to see what I carry everyday.

1. Hands-free leash

I'm talking about my TINY HORSE leash set. #tinyhorser This is the set pictured above, it lets me be hands free and allows me to take cute photos but also grab anything I need. This set also has multiple "hoops" where you can maneuver dogs in your pack to where they fit the best. I could give some dogs more reign than the other. I can also attach the clip to a fence to hold them in place, or loop my waist leash around a tree while I have them secured on a stationary item, I'm able to address what might come our way, like an off leash dog.

2. Extra foot long leash with a handle

This is a typical leash you can find at your local dollar store. Nothing fancy, just a typical clip on one end and a loop for the handle on the other. This also makes for a cheap training leash. But what I really love about carrying an extra leash, is the potential for catching a loose dog. I had this happen to me recently, I live in a condo so buildings surround us along with houses and townhomes. I was walking a client's dog back to their building and a loose dog popped around the corner to say hi. I look over and see people running towards it, I was still super shocked to see her loose I tried to bend over to pet and do a quick grab but the dog I was walking got spooked and barked; causing the other dog to run. Now we were in panic mode, we all started to run after it because it was heading for the street- we were waving our arms just to get the attention of the drivers. Luckily she missed a car, and ran to the dog park area. I ran back to drop the dog I walked off and headed to my car to grab a leash. I never am without one anymore, with loose dogs in the city especially, they don't wear a collar indoors unless they're about to head out for a walk. So now, you got to think about attaching this leash, because you can't find a "one size fits all collar". BUT this leash, you can slip the clip end through the handle and now you got a SLIP LEAD! Perfect! Collar and leash all-in-one!

3. Treats

Most dog walkers, will have a treat pouch on them; I have loose treats hanging around in multiple pockets of multiple jackets. I use them for positive reinforcement during training, heeling and recall. I will always strengthen the recall for the dogs I walk with treats and persistent training, because if the worst happens and my leash breaks or their collar snaps or another loose dogs pops up on us out of no where. I can recall that dog to me, or I can tease and throw the treats somewhere for that other dog in an attempt to distract them while we move away to a safe area. If a loose dogs comes upon us, I can attempt to throw commands at them, like sit and stay while I figure out where their owners are and try to get a handle on them.

4. Pet First Aid Kit

I carry the whole kit when I go out for long adventures, I've taken a pet first aid course and will be undergoing another re-cert. When I do shorter walks close to home for the dogs, I carry limited items of the first aid kit in my fanny pack. This can consist of my tick key, bandage roll, one splint, and tweezers.

5.Pet Corrector

This is a compressed can of air that makes a very loud 'pssst' noise that can spook a lot of dogs, so when you have an off leash dog charging you and your dog, thinking they will attack at least this can break their focus or even startle them enough to send them running. These are available at local pet stores or you can find them online.

Will be adding more to this list, if you carry anything to make your walks safer- please email me suggestions to info@cityntails.ca