Can I get a refund on the walk if my dog was injured?

Contact TruePath support with your incident report and documentation. Refund outcomes depend on the circumstances of the incident and whether the walker fulfilled their obligations. TruePath's support team handles these on a case-by-case basis. A refund of the walk fee is a separate matter from any liability or insurance claim for vet costs.

What documentation do I need for an insurance claim?

You will need: vet records and receipts from the date of the incident, the TruePath GPS walk record (from your booking history), the incident report filed through the app, photos of the injury, and your communication history with the walker. Your insurer will advise on any additional requirements specific to your policy.

How do I report a walker on TruePath?

File an incident report through the TruePath app — this is the formal record within the platform. You can also contact TruePath support directly with your booking ID and a description of the incident. TruePath support handles walker conduct reviews; serious breaches of platform standards can result in walker suspension or removal.

My dog was injured by another dog during a group walk. Who is responsible?

This depends on the circumstances. If the walker placed incompatible dogs in a group, failed to supervise adequately, or did not intervene when escalation was visible, the walker may be negligent. The other dog's owner also has potential liability under state companion animal legislation. In NSW the Companion Animals Act 1998, in Victoria the Domestic Animals Act 1994, and in Queensland the Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008 all establish keeper liability for dog attacks. Your pet insurance is the most direct route to covering vet costs while these questions are resolved.

The walker says the injury was my dog's fault. What do I do?

Document everything and do not accept this claim at face value. The GPS record, incident report, and any witness information are objective evidence. If there is a genuine dispute about the facts, TruePath's incident review process is the right channel. If the walker was negligent and disputes it, a formal liability assessment — which can involve an insurer or, in serious cases, a tribunal — is the mechanism for resolution.

Trust & safety

What Happens If Your Dog Is Injured on a Walk?

If your dog is injured on a walk, the walker's first job is to act — not wait for platform protocol. Here's the correct immediate response, how TruePath handles injuries, and how liability and costs are resolved.

By atticus · 9 min read · Last updated 18 May 2026

If your dog is injured during a walk, the walker's immediate job is to assess the injury and get your dog to a vet if needed — not to wait for platform authorisation or sort out paperwork first.

What a responsible walker should do immediately

A professional walker's response to a dog injury should follow this sequence — in this order:

1. Stop the walk. Not after finishing the street, not at the next junction — immediately. A dog that has been injured should not continue walking.

2. Assess the injury. Is the dog bearing weight? Is there visible bleeding? Is the dog in distress, shaking, or showing signs of pain on touch? Is the breathing normal? This assessment determines the urgency of what comes next.

3. Call the owner immediately. By phone — not a message, not an app notification. The owner needs to know now, in real time, so they can direct what happens next: whether they want the dog taken to a specific vet, whether they can come to the location, whether they have a vet preference.

4. Get to a vet if needed — without waiting. If the injury is serious (deep laceration, suspected fracture, difficulty breathing, loss of consciousness, suspected internal trauma), the walker should head to the nearest vet immediately. Do not wait for owner confirmation if the owner cannot be reached. Do not delay treatment for platform documentation. Act first.

5. Document everything. Once the dog is safe — photos of the injury, note of the exact location and what happened, note of any other animals or people involved.

Heads up

If your walker does not contact you immediately after an incident — not after the walk ends, not hours later — that is a significant red flag regardless of which platform you used. Prompt notification is a basic professional standard. A walker who completes a walk after a dog is injured without contacting the owner, or who waits to see if the dog "seems okay" before reporting, has failed in their duty of care. Document the communication gap and report it.

How TruePath walkers are required to handle an injury

TruePath walkers have specific obligations when an injury occurs during a booking:

Immediate owner notification. The owner must be contacted in the same session — not after the walk officially ends, not the following day.

In-app incident report. An incident report is filed through the TruePath app during or immediately after the walk. The report captures: what happened, time, location (corroborated by the GPS walk record), actions taken, and whether vet treatment was sought.

Vet visit authorisation. If the walker cannot reach the owner and the dog needs immediate vet attention, the walker proceeds to the nearest vet and continues attempting to reach the owner. The platform covers this procedure under its incident protocol.

Documentation for insurance. The walker provides receipts and vet notes for any claim process. The GPS record of the walk is preserved and attached to the incident.

TruePath support is automatically flagged when an incident report is filed. This means you have a documented record within the platform, independent of anything the walker tells you directly.

How liability is determined

Whether the walker is legally liable for your dog's injury turns on negligence — did the walker fail to take the care that a reasonable, competent dog walker would have taken in the same circumstances?

What constitutes negligence in a dog walking context

Failure of equipment: Using a worn or faulty lead, an incorrectly fitted harness, or a collar that was too loose for a dog known to pull — these are failures a competent professional should have caught.

Inappropriate off-lead decisions: Taking a dog off-lead in an area where the owner had not authorised it, or in a traffic-adjacent area, when the dog had a known tendency to bolt.

Failure to supervise: Being distracted (on a phone) at a moment when a dog was at risk, or allowing a group walk situation to develop where dogs with incompatible temperaments were in close contact.

Failure to act on signs of distress: Continuing a walk when a dog was showing signs of injury, heat stress, or acute illness rather than stopping and contacting the owner.

Not negligence (usually):

A dog that lunged unexpectedly and injured itself despite correctly fitted equipment
An attack by a third-party dog that the walker could not have anticipated or prevented
A sudden medical event (collapse, seizure) with no warning signs

If the walker met a reasonable standard of care and the injury was still an unavoidable event, liability is unlikely to apply.

Who covers the vet bill in practice

In most injury incidents, multiple coverage sources exist simultaneously. Understanding which applies to your situation:

Walker's personal public liability insurance: If the walker was negligent, this is the primary coverage source for your dog's vet bills. TruePath recommends walkers hold public liability insurance with a minimum $10M cover. Some walkers hold pet care industry-specific policies through providers affiliated with the Pet Industry Association (PIA) or through insurers like BizCover.

TruePath platform liability coverage: Platform coverage applies to all TruePath bookings. This provides a coverage framework when the walker's negligence during a booked walk results in injury.

Your own pet insurance: Most Australian pet insurance policies (RSPCA Pet Insurance, Bow Wow Meow, PetSure-underwritten policies) cover accidents regardless of fault. You do not need to establish negligence to claim on your own policy. After paying your claim, your insurer may exercise its subrogation rights to recover the cost from the at-fault party — this happens behind the scenes and does not delay your reimbursement.

FYI

The fastest path to reimbursement in an injury situation is usually your own pet insurance — you file a claim, your insurer covers the vet bill, and if the walker was negligent, your insurer pursues recovery separately. Do not wait for a liability determination before seeking vet treatment or making an insurance claim. For a full breakdown, see our guide on pet insurance and dog walker liability.

What to do if your walker is unresponsive after an injury

If your dog was injured during a walk and your walker is not responding to calls or messages:

File an incident report in the TruePath app — do not wait for the walker to file it
Contact TruePath support directly — provide the booking ID, the time of the incident, and what you know about the injury
Get your dog to a vet — do not delay treatment because you cannot reach your walker
Document the communication failure — screenshot your call log and message history; a walker who goes silent after an injury is itself significant evidence for any subsequent platform review or negligence assessment

A walker who is unreachable after an incident involving your dog has failed in their professional obligations. TruePath's incident protocol requires owner notification within the same session — if this did not happen, it is a platform standards issue that TruePath support can act on.

The documentation you need for an insurance claim

Whether you are claiming through your own pet insurance or pursuing a liability claim against the walker, collect:

Vet records — the attending vet's notes, diagnosis, and treatment record from the date of the incident
Vet receipts — itemised invoices for all treatment
The GPS walk record — accessible through your TruePath booking history; shows the walk route and timing
The incident report — filed through TruePath, this is the formal record of what the walker reported
Photos of the injury — taken as close to the time of the incident as possible
Communication records — call log and message history between you and the walker
Any witness information — if anyone else was present during the incident

Frequently asked questions

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