The state-level rules every owner and walker in Newfoundland and Labrador should know. Local leash lengths, licensing and off-leash rules are set by each city — find those on the city pages below.
Newfoundland and Labrador puts strict, no-fault liability on a dog's OWNER by statute (Animal Health and Protection Act, s. 34) — but that statute reaches the owner, not you. A walker's exposure is common-law negligence: you can be personally liable for careless control of a dog you do not own, and cited under the local by-law, even though the no-fault statute targets the client.
Newfoundland and Labrador is unusual for Atlantic Canada in having a statutory strict-liability regime. Under the Animal Health and Protection Act (S.N.L. 2010, c. A-9.1), section 34, an owner is liable for damages or injury caused by their animal to a person, animal or property, and s. 34(3) expressly removes the need to show any previous propensity, knowledge of it, or negligence — a no-fault regime comparable to Ontario's. Critically, this section says an owner shall be liable, so it targets the client who owns the dog, not a hired walker. Common-law scienter and negligence continue to apply alongside the statute; and because the province has no Occupiers' Liability Act, occupier duty runs on the common law. The older provincial Dog Act (RSNL 1990, c. D-26) was repealed by the AHPA and should not be cited as current law.
Beyond the provincial welfare statute, day-to-day dog control is municipal. In the capital, the City of St. John's Animal Control Regulation (By-Law No. 1514) governs. It prohibits dogs running at large, requires licensing, and empowers officers to deal with dangerous animals — an impounded animal an officer considers dangerous to persons or animals may be humanely destroyed. Provincially, the AHPA also allows a court to order a dangerous dog destroyed. Confirm the by-law for the municipality where you actually walk, as rules differ across the province. [VERIFY: dangerous-dog procedures in by-laws outside St. John's.]
Under St. John's By-Law 1514 a dog must not run at large and, when off the owner's property, must wear a collar bearing its current licence tag; off-leash is permitted only in designated dog parks. Dogs six months and older must be licensed (the City's licence fee is about CAD $15) and the licence renewed annually. Owners must immediately remove feces from public property and others' private property. The by-law provides a ticketed penalty of CAD $100 for breaches. [VERIFY: current fee and penalty amounts, and the equivalent rules in other municipalities.]
Identification is by municipal licence tag. In St. John's a licensed dog must wear a collar with its current licence tag when off the owner's property (By-Law 1514). No province-wide microchip requirement was found in the Animal Health and Protection Act or its regulations, and the St. John's licence rules rely on the tag rather than a microchip. Outside the capital, check the local by-law for its tag and identification rules. [VERIFY: any microchip or tag requirement in the specific municipality you work in.]
This is general information about Newfoundland and Labrador law, not legal advice. Confirm current rules with the official state and municipal sources.