Dog Walkers & Pet Sitters in Soddy Daisy, Tennessee

How to hire a dog walker in Soddy Daisy

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).

Tennessee state dog laws

Tennessee (Dianna Acklen Act, T.C.A. § 44-8-413) is strict-liability when a dog isn't under reasonable control or is running at large and injures someone in public — but a residential exclusion flips it back to one-bite on the owner's own property.

These state-level rules apply across Tennessee; the local rules that govern day-to-day walking are on the Local bylaws tab.

Dog bites: strict liability for lost control or running at large (§ 44-8-413(a))

Tennessee (T.C.A. § 44-8-413, the Dianna Acklen Act of 2007) imposes strict liability with a specific trigger: an owner has a duty to keep the dog under reasonable control at all times and not running at large. Breach that duty and the dog injures someone in a public place or lawfully on another's private property, and the owner is liable regardless of the dog's history or the owner's knowledge. No one-bite required — the public walk is squarely in the strict-liability zone.

🏠 The residential exclusion (§ 44-8-413(c))

If the injury happens on the dog owner's own residential, farm, or noncommercial property (or where they are a lawful tenant), strict liability does not apply — the victim must instead prove one-bite scienter, that the owner knew or should have known of the dog's dangerous propensities. So the standard flips based on where the injury happens: the sidewalk and the park are strict liability; the owner's own yard is not.

Who counts as owner, and the exceptions (§ 44-8-413(b))

The statute defines owner as one who regularly harbors, keeps, or controls the dog — and Tennessee firms confirm that dog sitters, walkers, and caretakers may be held responsible if they fail to keep the animal under reasonable control. There is no liability where the injured person was a trespasser on nonresidential property, provoked the dog, was subject to the dog protecting its owner, or where the dog was securely confined in a kennel or crate, or was a police or military dog doing its work.

Leash, licensing, fault & the short time limit

There is no statewide leash law — local ordinances govern, where running at large means off the property and unleashed, and a violation supports negligence / negligence per se. Rabies vaccination is required statewide with local licensing; dangerous dogs fall under § 44-17-117. Tennessee uses modified comparative fault with a 50% bar, and the personal-injury statute of limitations is just one year (§ 28-3-104) — among the shortest in the country.