1 dog walker available in Downpatrick
| Service | Typical range (GBP) |
|---|---|
| 30-minute solo walk | £12–£18 |
| 60-minute solo walk | £18–£28 |
| Group walk | £10–£16 |
| Drop-in visit | £12–£18 |
| Overnight sit | £30–£55 |
These are national guideline ranges — local rates in Downpatrick vary with solo vs group walks, peak after-work times, and the number of dogs.
Treat the meet-and-greet like an interview. Ask to see proof of insurance and any pet first-aid certification, ask for two client references you can actually call, and confirm how keys are handled (a written key agreement is the professional standard). Watch how the walker greets your dog — a good one gets low and lets the dog approach. Agree in writing on the exact service, rate, cancellation policy, and the emergency plan (which vet, who they call).
Scotland runs its own dog-law regime: the criminal Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 s.3 catches the owner AND whoever is in charge of the dog, Dog Control Notices come from the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010, and civil claims run under keeper strict liability in the Animals (Scotland) Act 1987.
These state-level rules apply across Scotland; the local rules that govern day-to-day walking are on the Local bylaws tab.
The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 applies in Scotland, and section 3 makes it a criminal offence to let a dog be dangerously out of control in any place — public or private. Critically, it bites on the owner AND, if different, the person for the time being in charge of the dog: that is the walker hook. A dog is dangerously out of control where there are grounds for reasonable apprehension that it will injure a person (or an assistance dog), whether or not it actually does. If it injures someone the offence is aggravated, carrying up to 2 years imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine, plus possible disqualification from keeping dogs. Note Scots courts have read the reasonable apprehension element more strictly than England, tending to require some knowledge of the dog's prior behaviour.
Scotland has its own civil, preventative regime under the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010, distinct from England. Where a dog is out of control — the person is not keeping it under control effectively and consistently and its behaviour causes alarm or apprehensiveness — a local authority authorised officer can serve a Dog Control Notice (DCN) on the proper person in charge of it. A DCN can impose conditions such as muzzling in public, keeping the dog on a lead, neutering, microchipping, and training; the list is non-exhaustive. Breaching a DCN is a criminal offence (summary, fine up to level 3 — currently £1,000), and there is a right of appeal to a sheriff. A DCN attaches to the situation, so a walker can find a client's dog is already subject to one.
The §1 banned types under the DDA 1991 — Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro — are prohibited in Scotland as elsewhere in Great Britain. The XL Bully rules ran on different dates from England. From 23 February 2024 an XL Bully type in Scotland must be muzzled and kept on a lead in public at all times, and it became an offence to breed, sell, exchange, gift, advertise, rehome, abandon or allow to stray. The deadline to apply for a Certificate of Exemption was 31 July 2024, and from 1 August 2024 it became an offence to own an XL Bully in Scotland without an exemption (or a pending/court-authorised application). Exemption conditions include neutering and microchipping. Treat any bully-type client dog as a hard question at intake.
Civil injury claims run under the Animals (Scotland) Act 1987, which imposes strict liability on the keeper of a dog. Dogs are a listed species — deemed likely, unless controlled or restrained, to injure severely or kill by biting or otherwise savaging, attacking or harrying — so the keeper is liable for injury without proof of negligence or of any prior history. Under §5 a keeper is a person who owns the animal OR has possession of it — so a walker in possession of a client's dog can be a keeper. Microchipping is mandatory in Scotland; there is no dog licence. Dog fouling is an offence under the Dog Fouling (Scotland) Act 2003 (fixed penalty £80, rising to £100 if unpaid), and leads / park rules are set by local councils and byelaws.
