Carol's Dog Walking
Toronto, BC
Grew up with mostly dogs and cats. I watched dogs while I babysat children. I house sat for someone …
37 promeneurs de chiens disponibles à Toronto
| Service | Fourchette habituelle (CAD) |
|---|---|
| Promenade individuelle de 30 minutes | $16–$25 |
| Promenade individuelle de 60 minutes | $30–$38 |
| Promenade en groupe | $12–$18 |
| Visite à domicile | $22–$28 |
| Garde de nuit | $50–$90 |
Rates exclude HST. Toronto runs slightly above the national average — about $21 for a 30-minute walk. Five walks a week works out to roughly $104/week ($415/month), and full-day doggy daycare about $39. Downtown condo density lets walkers build efficient routes and keeps group pricing competitive; suburban routes with more driving cost more. Solo walks (for anxious, reactive, senior, or medicated dogs) cost more than group walks.
Traitez la rencontre initiale comme une entrevue. Demandez à voir une preuve d’assurance et toute certification en premiers soins pour animaux, demandez deux références de clients que vous pouvez réellement appeler, et confirmez comment les clés sont gérées (une entente écrite sur les clés est la norme professionnelle). Observez comment le promeneur accueille votre chien — un bon promeneur se met à sa hauteur et laisse le chien s’approcher. Convenez par écrit du service exact, du tarif, de la politique d’annulation et du plan d’urgence (quel vétérinaire, qui appeler).
Toronto's rules sit in the Toronto Municipal Code, Chapter 349 (Animals), alongside Ontario's Dog Owners' Liability Act.
All dogs and cats over three months old must be licensed and must wear the tag at all times. Licences run one year and renew through DocuPet, the City's partner. Failing to licence a pet carries a $240 fine, with court penalties up to $5,000 for repeat or serious cases. Confirm the current annual fee on toronto.ca.
Dogs must be leashed in all public places — parks, school yards, beaches, sidewalks, roadways — unless in a designated off-leash area.
Allowing a dog off-leash outside a designated area runs up to $615 ($500 plus a $110 victim surcharge and $5 admin fee). Report issues via 311.
Your dog must be licensed and vaccinated to use them. The City flags some off-leash areas as available to commercial dog walkers, so check the designation — and confirm current permit requirements and dog limits on toronto.ca — before building a route.
Dogs may go off-leash below the snow fence line at Kew-Balmy Beach and Woodbine Beach between November 1 and March 31.
A Toronto walker who talks fluently about elevator fobs, road salt, and ravine coyotes has actually worked this city.
Ontario's Dog Owners' Liability Act imposes STRICT liability for a dog bite or attack — no need to prove the dog was known to be dangerous or that anyone was careless — and the Act defines 'owner' to include a person who possesses or harbours the dog, so a walker in possession can be caught.
Ces règles à l’échelle de l’État s’appliquent partout au Ontario ; les règles locales qui régissent la promenade au quotidien se trouvent dans l’onglet Règlements municipaux.
Under the Dog Owners' Liability Act (DOLA), R.S.O. 1990, c. D.16, section 2, the owner of a dog is liable for damages resulting from a bite or attack by the dog on a person or a domestic animal. This is strict liability: it does not depend on knowledge that the dog was dangerous, nor on any fault or negligence. The injured person does not have to prove the dog had bitten before. Critically, §1 defines 'owner' to include a person who possesses or harbours the dog — so a walker or sitter who has the dog in their possession can be treated as an owner and pursued directly. A common-law negligence claim for careless handling can also run alongside the statutory claim.
The Public Safety Related to Dogs Statute Law Amendment Act, 2005 amended DOLA to ban pit bulls in Ontario. New pit bulls are prohibited; dogs already owned when the ban took effect (and pups born within a short window after) were grandfathered as 'restricted' pit bulls. A restricted pit bull — including a Staffordshire bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier or American pit bull terrier — must at all times be muzzled and on a leash in public (the muzzle/leash rule does not apply inside the owner's own enclosed property). Breeding and transfer are tightly restricted. A walker should confirm whether any pit-bull-type dog in their care is a lawful restricted dog and handle it strictly to the muzzle-and-leash conditions under O. Reg. 157/05 (Pit Bull Controls).
Day-to-day control is set by municipal animal-control bylaws, which vary by city. In Toronto, for example, Municipal Code Chapter 349 (Animals) requires dogs to be leashed in public (leash no more than 2 m) except in a designated off-leash area where the dog must still be under control; requires every dog to be licensed and wear a tag; and requires owners to pick up excrement. Fines apply — commonly around $240 for failing to licence and up to $500 for a dog off-leash outside a permitted area. Chapter 349 also lets the City issue a Dangerous Dog Order (§349-15) with conditions the handler must follow. Because these rules differ between municipalities, a walker must check each area's bylaw.
Ontario has no province-wide dog licence or microchip statute; identification is handled by municipal bylaws. Most cities (Toronto among them) require a current licence and visible tag, and a licence tied to up-to-date contact details is how a lost dog is reunited quickly. Many restricted pit bulls and municipally designated dangerous dogs carry extra identification, sterilization or microchip conditions. A walker should confirm each dog's licence and tag are current and that any dangerous-dog or restricted-dog conditions are met before taking it out.
A 30-minute dog walk in Toronto typically costs between $16 and $25, averaging around $20.75. A one-hour walk is roughly $33. Five walks per week works out to about $104 per week or $415 per month. Group walks cost less per dog while solo walks cost more. Rates exclude HST.
Yes. All dogs and cats over three months old must be licensed in Toronto and wear their tag at all times. Licences are valid for one year and renewed through DocuPet. Failing to licence a pet carries a $240 fine, with court penalties up to $5,000 for repeat or serious violations.
Dogs must be leashed in all public places including parks, beaches, sidewalks and roadways, unless in a designated off-leash area. The leash may be no longer than 2 metres and must be attached to a collar or harness, and you must hold it — tying a dog to a pole or bike rack is prohibited. The fine for a dog off-leash outside a designated area is up to $615.
Toronto has more than 75 designated off-leash areas, and your dog must be licensed and vaccinated to use them. Dogs are also permitted off-leash below the snow fence line at Kew-Balmy Beach and Woodbine Beach between November 1 and March 31.
The City flags certain off-leash areas as available for use by commercial dog walkers, so check the designation before building a route, and confirm current permit rules and dog limits on toronto.ca.
No. SnoutWalker charges zero commission. Walkers set their own rates and keep 100 percent of what they earn. Every walk is GPS-tracked and owners receive a photo report card.
Grew up with mostly dogs and cats. I watched dogs while I babysat children. I house sat for someone …