# Dog walking and liability

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-walking-and-liability/503500>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 19, 2009, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-walking-and-liability/503500 "2009-07-19T01:57:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2009, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-walking-and-liability/503500/1 "2009-07-19T01:57:38Z")

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I’m considering seeing if I could do some freelance dog walking for income. It occurred to me to wonder what liability if any I could be held to while strangers’ dogs are in my custody. For example, what if Phydeaux suddenly attacks someone? Or if merely walking the dog exposes the dog to canine parvovirus? Can/should I insist on a signed waver?

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**Author:** ![Risha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5fc32e/32.png) [@Risha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Risha)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2009, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-walking-and-liability/503500/2 "2009-07-19T05:25:50Z")

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I’ve used a few professional dogwalkers over the years, and they all had me sign paperwork and had liability insurance.