How many dogs in a car are OK in Hoboken?

Hoboken411 reader (and new resident) Louise spotted that “pack” dog walker in town the other day. Here is what she had to say:

“The owner is a dog walker in town and keep about 10 dogs in her car for anytime from 30 minutes or more in the car while picking up other dogs. This looks so uncomfortable as well as unsafe for all these dogs.

This dog walker charges all these people with dogs to walk them and they do eventually end up at the dog park but not until they drive around picking all of them up. I dread what will happen over the summer! She has all sizes, kinds of dogs barking and stuffed into her car – I wonder if the owners know that this is how their pups are spending their afternoons, with minimum time actually getting
any exercise or fresh air. I think this is terrible. I just moved to Hoboken and have loved everything about it until I saw this and learned that she does it daily.”

411 Note: I did see this personally myself last week – and all the dogs in the SUV were barking quite incessantly, and the walker was telling them (calmly from what I saw), to “stop barking.” Not sure if they were excited or scared. But you don’t see employees of a dog kennel telling all the canines to “stop barking” there, I feel that it’s just natural dog behavior to express themselves in certain situations – good or bad.

411 Tech Note: And for all future video submissions: Videos taken “portrait” or vertically just stink. Take them sideways, horizontally (or “landscape”). It’s not that hard.

Complaint against dog walking packs in Hoboken

2/27/2013 Update:

Back in December – we published a brief article about dog walkers in Hoboken. Specifically dog walking packs – and the walkers that really push the upper limit in terms of how many pooches should be walked at a time, by a single individual.

This particular situation seems to still be on the hot plate here in Hoboken.

Hoboken Dog Walking Packs complaint

Dog walker police report filed in Hoboken, NJ

Well, someone had enough – and filed a police report about one said dog walker in Hoboken. Took place near the Shipyard area (and that new carpeted Hoboken dog run).

Hoboken Police Officer Elias Colon’s report stated:

“I was dispatched to the area of 10th & Sinatra on an animal complaint. Upon arrival, I was met by the caller who said that she witnessed a female dog walker mistreat one of the 14 dogs she was walking by choking and placing the dog on the ground violently.

I then spoke to the dog walker who said that she did not mistreat the dog, but corrected the problem the dog had with the pack. She said that she had to maintain control of the dog by submitting him to his back, and that it’s a method used to establish dominance in the pack, and control.

The caller did not want to file a formal complaint, but wanted a report on record…” (Note report was simplified for brevity).

I can think of at least one question that I would have as an ordinary observer:

The walker mentioned “in order to establish dominance in the pack.” Would that forceful discipline have been necessary if there weren’t so many dogs? Maybe there wouldn’t be so many out of control dogs if the pack was smaller.

Anyway – this walker apparently hangs out in other areas in town from what I heard.

How many dogs does your dog walker take at once?

Dog walking packs in Hoboken – how much is too much?

12/17/2012:

Since dogs are “pack animals,” I’ve always been okay with Hoboken dog walkers in town that take multiple pooches with them. Either on walks or even to the dog run – where sometimes dozens of dogs inter-mingle with one another.

Some dog owners in town are quite against this – and yearn for their dogs to have “long, single walks” alone and away from other mutts. While I think it’s a bit anti-social, and detrimental to the dogs well-being and psychological development – to each their own, especially if the dog doesn’t get along with others, for instance.

But are some dog walkers pushing the limit of “pack walking?”

One Hoboken411 reader told me they get a little uneasy when some walkers seemingly go overboard with the number of dogs the manage at any single point. Sometimes taking 15 or even close to 20 dogs at the same time! Can they handle so many? Should they? How about the frenzy created when you let a dozen or two NEW dogs loose at the run simultaneously? “When I see someone coming with that many dogs – I get the hell out of the run,” they said.

How do you feel about over-doing the dog walks? Are they doing it because it’s a good thing? Or because they need the money?

Hoboken NJ

Technorati Tags: , , , , , , , ,