In-Shape Professional Dog Walker Helps Nab Burglar

Jolienne Antonino couldn't let the big one get away (Image: NECU.com)

Hire Jolienne Antonino to walk your dog, and you could end up with your very own built-in crime fighter.

Antonino, who runs New Leash on Life in West Roxbury, Mass., walked into a client’s home to take a dog to an afternoon play group and noticed a second door was open. She walked in and said “Hello?” just as she saw a man running out the back door with a duffel bag over his shoulder.

Many people at that point would call 911. Not Antonino. She instinctively ran after him, yelling “Police! Police!” (She didn’t have her cellphone on her.)

“He was slowing down from time to time and he kept dropping stuff on the ground and I was picking up her jewelry,” Antonino told WHDH. “When he really started slowing down his pace, I didn’t want to get too close to him so I told him if he dropped the bag I’ll just let him go: ‘If you drop the bag I won’t follow you anymore.’”

She says she wasn’t planning on tackling the thief, so it was fortunate that Boston police happened to be driving up the block as she got really close. She flagged them down, and they took over and arrested the man.

“They went right through the yard, one of them jumped a fence and they went and they tackled him and they got him,” she told NECN.com.

Antonino’s clients got back all their stolen goods, including a laptop, and were very grateful.

Police and Antonino’s dad told her she shouldn’t have done what she did. What if the thief had a gun, or turned on her? She promised she wouldn’t do it again, but something tells me this instinctive crime fighter would have a hard time letting the big one get away.

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New Service Lets You Track Your Dog Walker

Walkies have never been so high tech

Ever wonder if your dog walker really gets to your house when she’s supposed to, or if your dog gets the kind of walks you’re paying for? With a new high-tech service, you can track your dog-walker’s every move – or lack thereof.

In other words, Big Brother is now in the business of watching walkies.

While most dog walkers are responsible, hard-working people, there are some lazy ones who take advantage of the fact that dogs can walk, not talk. If they’re super late for a walk (or miss one), who’s going to tell? If they take Fido to that bedraggled flea-filled dog park instead of the tree-filled haven you’d agreed on, how will you find out (besides fleas setting up camp on your dog)? And even the most well-meaning walker can make a mistake or be stuck dealing with an emergency.

The people behind Pet Check Technology aim to put dog lovers at ease by providing them with real-time evidence that their dogs are going where they’re supposed to, when they’re supposed to. Here’s how it works: Your dog walker gets to your house, swipes your QR code (a type of barcode) once there, and goes on her way with your dog. If she’s late, you’ll be notified immediately by email.

Then GPS technology takes over, and your dog walker’s movements are tracked until she swipes the QR code again at the end of the walk. You’ll be able to get a report of start and end times, and the route the walker took during the outing. About the only thing you won’t see are where your dog did his leg lifts.

The technology is available only to dog-walking businesses, and not to dog owners. The idea is that dog-walking companies will want to make sure their employees are doing what they’re supposed be doing, and if they’re not, they want to know right away.

What do you think, Dogsters? A step in the right direction, or a bit over the top? Have you had bad experiences with dog walkers that would make you value a service like this? I know we have some fine professional dog walkers in our midst, so I’d love to hear from you, too.

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Dog Walker Charged With Stealing Jewelry — How Can You Tell the Good Ones From the Bad?

A former dog walker in the San Francisco area has been charged with stealing $5,500 worth of jewelry from his clients in the two months he was walking their dogs in fall of 2009. He is scheduled to appear in court today.

Prosecutors say Nicolas Barbanica, 32, was given keys to homes in San Mateo, and stole jewelry on multiple occasions. He remains in jail on $500,000 bail, reports the San Francisco Examiner.

This brings up a question that has been on my mind for a while. How do you know who’s honest in the dog-walking business these days? Many companies are bonded and insured, but even reliable companies with upstanding proprietors can’t always necessarily hire people who are completely trustworthy, try as they may.

And I think some try harder than others to make sure they hire good people. Dog-walking companies around here often put out ads on Craigslist looking for dog walkers. It’s a pretty general mosh pit, but many companies probably have very good screening methods. I’ve seen several that do criminal background checks. But what about those not-so-savory dog walkers who slip through the cracks because they haven’t had any priors? Or people who have their own small dog-walking business? How can you be extra safe and make sure that your dog gets a good walk and your jewelry and computers don’t?

Here’s an odd case: A woman I met at a dog event in San Francisco told me she was sure that her dog walker had been poking around her underwear drawer. Her jewelry was untouched, but her underthings were often out of place on dog-walking days, she said. She was about to blow the whistle, but I think she was trying to line up a nanny cam. How weird is that, if she was right?

If any dog walkers reading this have suggestions on what to look for in a trustworthy company or dog walker, please leave a comment. Likewise, of course, anyone who uses dog walkers. I imagine that one key is to know the person who is walking your dog, or be sure to get great recommendations. I realize the huge majority of dog walkers are good, honest folks. This is not meant to be an alarmist post, but one that helps educate readers. Letting someone have the key to your home entails a huge act of trust. We just want to make sure Dogster readers’ keys go into the right hands, and not to sticky fingers.

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