Francesca Rudkin: If you can't look after your dog, don't get one

So, there’s a dog-fight brewing in Auckland - literally - and it got me thinking.

Now I know this is potentially a controversial question - especially coming from someone who’s only had cats as an adult - but should you really have a dog in the city if you don’t have time to walk it yourself?

Recently, a dog died after being mauled by other dogs that were being walked in a pack by a dog walker, and there are worries the growing dog-walking business is attracting people without the knowledge or experience to safely walk a pack of dogs.

There’s concern it’s going to put the whole dog-walking business at risk; and it’s a growing business it seems.

It wouldn’t hurt to have some rules and regulations around ‘best practice’ for pack- walking dogs, for both dog and human safety. As expert animal behaviourist Mark Vette said in the NZ Herald this week, “pack mentality was 'dangerous' when not handled by skilled professionals”. Vette suggests “the number of dogs walked by one person be capped at 10 per person to ensure they have control over the pack at all times”.

But why do a growing number of people need someone to walk their dog for them?

I know there are good, legitimate reasons why people may need someone else to walk their dog - they physically can’t walk their dogs, they may be too elderly, they might have a barking dog that when left alone at home annoys the neighbours. In that latter case, I imagine your neighbours are very happy you are paying someone to walk your dog.

But if you don’t have time to walk your dog in the morning or evening and a member of the family isn’t around much during the day, then maybe having a dog is not a good idea.

I understand we now outsource a lot. We order meal kits, hire people to mow our lawns, do the garden, clean homes and maintain the pool, so why shouldn’t we pay someone to walk the dog?

I have one pretty good reason not to. And it’s that everyone I know with a dog will tell you that their dog just wants to spend time with them. They want companionship and undivided attention.

A romp with some mates around the neighbourhood, up a west coast beach or in a woodland sounds great - but mostly, like younger kids, they really just want you.

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