What do we owe our dogs when we put them in someone else’s care? | Opinion

Meredith Perdue and Michael Cain live in South Portland.

When we hand our dogs over to a dog walker, groomer, trainer or pet sitter, we are entrusting someone with a member of our family. We ask ourselves whether that person is kind, experienced and trustworthy. But how often do we ask the harder questions about exactly how they operate?

In June, our 6-year-old dog, Thatcher, was lost while in the care of a professional pack-style dog walker. After nearly 24 hours of searching, we found his body on I-95.

Since then, we have thought often about the questions we wish we had asked before handing over his leash. We hope other Maine dog owners will ask these questions in order to prevent a similar tragedy. Likewise, we would urge professional pet-care providers to use these questions and develop a plan for when the unexpected happens.

We were aware of some of the trails our dog would be visiting, but we did not know that he would be taken to a specific location surrounded by busy roads and so close to I-95. Had we known, we would not have agreed to it. We believe owners should know which trails and locations their dogs will visit, particularly when dogs are allowed off leash.

The day our dog went missing, the walker had eight dogs in their care at a land trust where posted signs indicated that only two off-leash dogs were permitted at a time. Dog owners should know not only how many dogs a walker is handling, but whether the size of that group is appropriate for the location and permitted by the property.

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When our dog disappeared, we were told that his absence was not noticed until a head count was conducted. That leaves questions about supervision we wish we had thought to ask beforehand: When dogs are off leash, where is the person responsible for them? Are they positioned to see the dogs? What happens when a dog falls behind or runs ahead?

We were not notified that our dog was missing for multiple hours after he disappeared. We cannot know what might have happened if we had been called immediately. A missing dog is an emergency and hours matter. A lost dog has a much better chance of being found when the people who know him best are searching immediately and calling their name.

These are not unreasonable questions. They are basic questions about safety.

We tend to evaluate pet-care providers by how much our dogs like them, how happy they appear in photographs and whether other people recommend them. Those things matter. But they are not enough. A beautiful photograph of a pack of dogs running through the woods tells us very little about how those dogs are supervised, what happens when one disappears, or whether the environment itself is appropriate for off-leash dogs.

As dog owners, we have a responsibility. We need to ask questions before we hand over the leash. What are your credentials? Where will my dog go? How many dogs will be there? How are they supervised? What happens if one gets lost? How quickly will you call me? What happens if there is an injury or an accident?

Thatcher was a beloved member of our family. Like so many Maine dogs, he trusted the people around him completely.

We cannot change what happened to Thatcher. But perhaps we can use what happened to encourage other dog owners to ask more questions, and to encourage the people who care for our dogs to welcome those questions and have a plan.

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