To find the distance between the points \((-1, -8)\) and \((-7, 0)\), we can use the distance formula, which is given by:
\[ d = \sqrt{(x_2 - x_1)^2 + (y_2 - y_1)^2} \]
Let \((x_1, y_1) = (-1, -8)\) and \((x_2, y_2) = (-7, 0)\).
Now, we can plug the coordinates into the formula:
\[ d = \sqrt{((-7) - (-1))^2 + (0 - (-8))^2} \]
Calculating the differences:
\[ x_2 - x_1 = -7 + 1 = -6 \] \[ y_2 - y_1 = 0 + 8 = 8 \]
Now substituting these values into the distance formula:
\[ d = \sqrt{(-6)^2 + (8)^2} \]
Calculating the squares:
\[ d = \sqrt{36 + 64} \] \[ d = \sqrt{100} \] \[ d = 10 \]
Thus, the distance between the points \((-1, -8)\) and \((-7, 0)\) is \( \boxed{10} \).