Friend asking for dog food 'compensation'

She's barking mad, OP.

Don't try to explain what happened any further, don't apologise, be confident you don't need to, just tell her the truth.

I am disappointed, shocked and actually quite upset, I offered to do you a huge favour which saved you a fortune and that is the thanks I get. You can take it off what you have saved in boarding fees. I won't make the mistake of offering to help out again.

What the hell have I just read what an ungrateful arse . I have just had to put my baby little terrier to sleep on sat so I am still very raw . She should be grateful that you did her a favour pa give your dogs a cuddle from me

give her 4 tins and then ask her for dog sitting fees 🤣

I agree with other posters that the school gates bitches have gone to town on this. I very much doubt they repeated verbatim your casual jokey comment and the opening line was probably akin to catching your husband with another woman, "it's not my place and I don't want to cause any trouble but I thought you had the right to know that Dog Biscuits has been stealing your dog food and then laughing about what a mug you are!"

Whilst I'd instinctively want to tell Mary to piss off, I'd be inclined to attempt to be the bigger person, and try and have a coffee and sort it out. She sounds a tough customer but unless your time at "the gates" is nearly over, it's worth at least trying to clear the air for the sake of your kids. Good luck!

Send her 4 tins back with a note saying "no charge has added for boarding your dog but please dont ask me again"

The person who grassed you up to her for making a jokey comment is an arsehole. Mary is also an arsehole, but may have got the wrong end of the stick through the person who can't keep their mouth shut. Deeply bizarre. Unless the dog has allergies, then why even bother buying really expensive food when the dog prefers cheap brand?

She’s being very unreasonable to ask for compensation BUT regardless of whether the dog had a special diet or not you should not have let the dogs swap food. She’s probably a bit annoyed because it could upset her dogs stomach. If you have the same thing in future feed the dogs in separate rooms.
I’d just ignore it, she may have heard a slightly different story and was annoyed so sent the text on impulse. Maybe say “hey, I’m sorry that our dogs ended up eating each others food - I didn’t do it on purpose they just kept swapping!” And ignore the part about the money/replacement.
If she asks again say that you looked after her dog for free so you’re not going to reimburse her.

I would tell her to go ahead and sue me.

Once again, this person is not a friend.

This is an ungrateful cow who lacks understanding that no-one owes her favours.

I would have given her both barrels - probably in the school playground and warned anyone and everyone of ever doing her any favours again because instead of paying for a service rendered Mary expects you to pay her.

No-one would do this to me, because everyone knows how I would react to such a ridiculous request.

It would likely end up with her wearing her expensive dog food.

My god is there really people out there who behave like this....I would be furious and spreading this all around the school that Mary is a tight arse ungrateful cow and you will no longer be dog sitting for her.

When I was young we looked after a neighbours dog for a few days. They left behind a loaf of bread and some gravy granules as food! My mum gave him the same food as our dog got and when they returned he ran behind our sofa and refused to leave with them! They eventually dragged the poor dog out but he continued to show up regularly at our house for food for a long time after!

I wonder why you weren't able to feed Mary's dog in another room with the door shut until both dogs had finished?

Why would that even matter? The dogs are friendly and neither has dietary issues that mean they have to have particular food.

Do you shut yourself off in another room to eat when you have friends there who are also eating?

I do dog swap sits with a friend, and their pooch is supplied with all food and treats.
Hilariously their dog turns her very haughty nose up at the posh treats supplied by her owners and only wants the Aldi centre aisle stuff I give my dog. I give my dog the posh stuff and Her Majesty gets the Aldi treats. Everyone's a winner,

Of course I tell the owners and they larf. Because they are not arses.

We recently looked after a dog and didn’t ask for any money for it (just food as you said) and the owner gave us a £100 restaurant voucher as a thank you as she said she’d been quoted over £400 for boarding at a dog hotel so was grateful for the money saved! The person you helped is a CF.

Wow what a cheeky fucker.

But very shorted sighted. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you!

You won't be offering free dog boarding to her again!

If anything, even though you said you didn't want payment it would have been a nice gesture for her to subtly ask in advance what food your dog eats and then drop off a supply of that along with the food for her own dog.

Kind of the pet equivalent of getting a friend a bottle of wine or a big box of chocolates to thank them for a generous favour they insist that they don't want any money for.

Outrageous! I would send her a formal invoice for dog sitting services and deduct the exact amount for the dog food that your dog ate!
Then avoid her AND the gossipy parent who dobbed you in.

I wonder why you weren't able to feed Mary's dog in another room with the door shut until both dogs had finished?

Apart from that, Mary sounds very unappreciative of your kind offer to take care of her dog, gratis, while she was away.

Surely her being able to have dog care while on holiday was worth more than 4 tins of her dog's food.

Replace the tins, and remark that hopefully, her pre-arranged dog sitter won't let her down next time, since you don't wish to fall out with Mary.

That.

However I am horrified at the school mum whom you told jokingly, repeating this. She is a gossip.

I always avoided 'pavement pow-wows' at school pick up time for that very reason and never understand why people want to 'make friends' in that way.

You did a good turn, absolutely nothing wrong, I've heard it said that no good deed goes unpunished and your opening post illustrates that very well. I am sorry, it must have been hurtful, doubly so as it was talked about.

Beware in future.

Send her the calculations with the cost of the food deducted from a typical kennel fee, please! What a bitch.

That's preposterous and very ungrateful. You were doing her a favour.
I would buy her nothing

I’m sure a similar thread was posted (& deleted) recently, however that story was about another school mum’s DD and a packed lunch instead of a dog & dog food tins

Definitely sounds like someone has been shit stirring.

It's pretty rich that she wouldn't even pay you in dog food. If anyone deserves dog food compensation, it's you.

She's a crap friend who doesn't value you firstly. Her dog ate your dog's food, benefitted from your central heating, cleaning bill, I mean this is ridiculous. You've done her a MASSIVE favour. It would really sour the friendship for me.