How far Do I Go?

On New Year’s Day I was happily walking my 4 year-old, rescued, Bichon Frise, Max, when he was attacked by two huge dogs being walked by (what I found out later) a dog-walking service. The walker left the scene in a hurry and Max limped home. He and I spent the entire day and well into the night in the ER at the University of Pennsylvania Vet School. We left at 1:30 AM, January 2nd with drains placed in the two punctures, tons of stitches, antiobiotics and pain med.

I was determined to find the owner of these two dogs and found her through our friendly mailman. There were two things the owner needed to know: One was that whoever was walking the gorgeous Great Dane and Other Huge Black Dog could not control these two mammoth animals and that other dogs and kids were at risk. The second was the cost of my vet bill. The owner, an elderly woman, was mortified and very upset, ready to write me a check but then realized that the dog-walking service was insured and bonded. Maybe we should go in that direction.

That’s where this story really begins. The owner of the service was awful! I needed her to know that her walker had no control of these dogs thereby putting, people, dogs and her business in jeopardy. Suffice to say that even her insurance company told me that she was horrible to them, making them want to work on my behalf instead of hers! Clearly she is stupid, especially since her business thrives on word of mouth.

So here is the dilemma. How far do I go with negative word of mouth? After all it is someone’s living. Do I post her business name on my blog? On all the local listserves I am a member of? Do I pitch a story to the local paper on choosing a dog-walking service? Do I paper the neighborhood with flyers stuck in doors? I’ve been thinking, eh? How far do I go to compromise someone’s livelihood?

PS—Max will be fine. He is an awesome dog.