Ben Herd

Dear Dog Lady,

I see dog walkers on the street who look like chariot racers in “Ben Hur’’ as they hold leashes of five or six powerfully pacing Labs and Retrievers. When there are smaller dogs in the group, the small fry cruise low to the ground in a thicket of limbs and tails. How many dogs do you believe a dog walker can walk and still be safe?

Dennis, Albany, N.Y

Dennis, are you a dentist? Dog Lady’s teeth ache imagining the scenario you describe. That’s why Dog Lady is a lady and not a dog walker. Thank goodness the “Ben Hur’’ extra wasn’t yakking on the cell phone while holding all those leashes.

Dog walkers don’t do it entirely for the puppy love. They want to make money. The more dogs a walker can walk, the more money a walker can make. However, the price for carelessness is great.

Dog Lady declines to throw out a number of dogs a walker can handle. It depends on the walker’s judgment, strength, and confidence, which reminds me: What is the wrangler doing with all those dogs while picking up one and dropping off another? It’s dangerous to tie up a bunch of dogs and leave them unattended.

The smart walkers figure out a pricing formula based on individualized attention. Many dog owners would pay more to secure a longer solo outing. Some walkers also divide the dogs into packs of small, medium and large. Sorting by size, however, is tricky because there are small dogs (Dog Lady’s darling, for instance) that require as much exercise as their bigger brethren.

Care of your dog is in the details. Before you hire a walker, discuss all this

Posted by Dog Lady at June 3, 2003 04:00 PM