Meet The Dog Walker Who's Also An Armed K9 Body Guard

A retired police sergeant has started a business to ensure her clients’ four-legged family members make it home safely from their walks in Orange and Los Angeles counties.

Carol Salvatierra, formerly of the Santa Ana Police Department, is a lifelong dog owner who is spending her retirement protecting pups with her armed dog-walking and dog-sitting business, Leash & Shield.

Salvatierra was inspired to start Leash & Shield after the 2021 dognapping of Lady Gaga’s French bulldogs, which resulted in the shooting of dog walker Ryan Fischer and a 21-year prison sentence for gunman James Howard Jackson, according to KTLA. The dogs were eventually returned to the pop star, KTLA reported, noting thieves tend to target more expensive breeds.

“Dogs give us unconditional love, and those of us who love them back can’t imagine living without them,” Salvatierra said on the Leash & Shield website. “Unfortunately, U.S. dog thefts force 2 million people each year to do just that.”

In an effort to reduce that number, Salvatierra is offering up her years of law enforcement experience to serve Southern California’s canine companions. Her standard rate is $60 per hour.

For more information, visit leashandshield.com.