San Francisco Dog-Walking Rules Debated

So much for the good old days, when dog-walking was a way to make money under the table and away from city regulations.

The Wild West of San Francisco dog-walking will end soon, as soon as the Board of Supervisors figures out how many dogs per walker will be allowed.

The dog-walkers have for years irritated some residents for walking dozens out-of-control canines at a time and failing to pick up their delicious doo-doo.

However, it turns out that dog-walkers not only have a posse, but they have a lobby -- one-third of San Franciscans own dogs, according to the San Francisco Examiner, and they are loathe to make it more difficult for Fido to get his stroll while they're busy at work.

So how many dogs are too many? Supervisor Scott Wiener, author of the legislation, thinks the answer is seven, while the owner of a dog-walking company swears he can handle 13 (though does he mean 13 chihuahuas or 13 Great Danes?). The federal government is chiming in, saying that Ocean Beach dog-walkers will be limited to six pooches per stroll.

The law is still in its infancy, and will underdog its first hearing Monday.