Payment for evening dog sitting - how much?

[SirChenjins]

Friend's DC (18) is looking after our dog while we all go out. DDog can cope with about 3 hours max on his own, but we'll probably be gone for about 5 hours. He'll be fed and walked before we go, but friend's DC will be in the house and give him a quick walk to do his business before his bedtime. Friend's DC will be provided with the usual snacks, wifi password, access to Netflix etc etc. How much would you pay them?

The OP alluded to doing her a favour by 5 hours rather than 2

At least £50, seems a lot.
No wonder people don't go out anymore.

Well no need to be silly!

Indeed.

My dog sitter charges £25 per night (24 hours in her own home) so I'd offer £25 for the night TBH

We're paying our dog sitter £35 a day/night to look after our dog, its £25 if just daytime so I think £20 for the evening is fair. My teen would happy with that.

so you’ll ask your 18 year old what he’d expect in friend’s shoes? Kind of seems the person to ask really

or just mumsnet?

An evening on the sofa cuddling a dog and watching telly without any other humans?

I'd do it for free. And be grateful for the opportunity.

@BabyCatFace @Roserunner that's a good comparison - thanks for that suggestion. Just had a look at a few local registered home boarders and the going rate per day seems to be around £25 - £35 for 24 hours.

I'd meet in the middle by offering £35. I think that is fair.

Like £20-25. It’s mostly just sitting around and watching tv so hardly worth big bucks. And people getting mad about it not being minimum wage - I doubt the 18 year old is declaring the income either

What do you mean, you get what you pay for?

My dog would just fall asleep and maybe need to get let out for a wee a couple of times.

There’s not going to be a lot more to it than that.

Actually, I did do that once for a friend’s anxious dog. She made me take £20 and drove me home. It was nice of her, but all I did was sit on my phone watching YouTube while her dog slept on the other sofa. It was hardly taxing.

Yeah, did it for a friend once for an evening free from my house and children 🤣 I sat on my arse on my phone for 4 hours with no one asking me for anything. It was bliss.

I think this is exactly what she has planned! If anyone wants to provide me with snacks, the telly, the wifi password, a comfy sofa, a sleeping dog to cuddle and some cash while I escape from my family for a few hours then drop me a line - I can cover Edinburgh and the Lothians

I used to charge £25 for evening dog sit (usually 7-midnight)for one dog. (For context £40 for an overnight stay, £30 for day care, £14 for a walk-in the Home Counties -and I was considered quite cheap by comparison to other dog care providers in the area)

that's basically what babysitting is too if the kids are already in bed!

Yes but we aren’t 18!

most 18 years in summer holidays have shed loads of time doing all this… in the comfort of their own bedrooms

or they’re out with friends

So I think making this out to be the favour that it would be to a busy harassed parent is odd

I find it really odd that people seem to think it's a privilege for an 18-year-old to have an evening on the sofa with Netflix and snacks. You realise an 18-year-old can also watch Netflix and eat snacks in their room at home, right? It's not like they're a parent desperate for a night away from the kids.

Minimum wage for an 18-year-old is £10 per hour so I wouldn't be paying them any less than that.

People saying 'It's not like babysitting, they're just watching the dog and taking it for a quick walk' are also maybe not realising that babysitters get paid for when the child is in bed asleep. I did loads of babysitting as a teenager and I mostly babysat for younger kids who were already asleep when I arrived, or occasionally were bathed and in PJs ready for bed and I just had to take them up and read them a story as soon as their parents had left.

Agreed!!

We pay £25 for 24 hours with a licensed home border and including 2 walks a day. So I would pay that and consider it generous for an evening.

I just asked mine if he would do it for £20, he said yeah, it’s only what he’d be doing at home anyway, £20 for sitting with a dog and letting it out for a wee is fine.

A dog is not a child. Babysitting is much more responsibility and potentially requires a lot more work if the child wakes up and needs attention.

20-25 quid