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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to expect her to pay the full amount?

252 replies

ameliarose78 · 08/04/2016 09:08

About a year ago I met Z through a dog club, we have the same type of dog and we met up a few times.

Z has a mental illness and as such doesn't work and relies on a pension, her DP works full time - no DC.

She put a post on FB asking if anyone could mind her dog for 2 weeks while her and dp went on holiday - I said I could, she offered to pay me but I said there was no need.

During said dog's stay at my house, she jumped onto my bedside draws from my bed and ate a piece of dark chocolate. As she is a very small dog this was a toxic level and I had to bring her to the vet for emergency treatment - total bill was 300 quid.

I asked her owner to pay me back for this. This was roughly 6 weeks ago and as yet I haven't seen any money - just saying how hard it is for them, how they can't afford it and promising to have paid it numerous times and have had it 'bounce back'.

So AIBU to ask her to pay the full sum and should I go round to her house and ask her for it?

OP posts:
Whatthefreakinwhatnow · 08/04/2016 14:50

If the dog were trained properly it wouldn't be snaffling food in the first place. Owner's fault

Now you are just being obtuse! It's a dog, not a person. It wouldn't see the chocolate and think 'oh hang on, mum doesn't let me have that, so I bet I'm not allowed it here either'. Bollocks is it the owners fault.

I feel so sorry for that poor couple, someone volunteers to dogsit, almost kills their dog and wants paying £300 for the bloody privilege.

If let the OP take me to court before I paid her a penny for her negligence.

AugustaFinkNottle · 08/04/2016 14:51

But, Kidnapped, even the best trained dog may do something unexpected, particularly out of the home environment. Would you take such a magnanimous attitude if, say, OP had walked across a busy road with it without looking and the dog had been run over? Would you still be saying "My dog so I pay"?

NeedACleverNN · 08/04/2016 14:54

If a guide dog can slip up and pinch food, any dog can.

Guide dogs are highly trained but even they slip up.

Didn't someone once post they saw a guide dog pinch a loaf of bread off the shelf in a shop?

coconutpie · 08/04/2016 14:58

No, it's her dog. She should pay the vet fees. What if you genuinely just did not have the money - £300 is an obscene amount to pay for somebody else's dog. You did her a huge favour by providing free doggy-sitting. I also wouldn't offer to mind her dog ever again. Next time she can pay the outrageous kennel fees.

Alfieisnoisy · 08/04/2016 15:06

Personally speaking OP I thibk you did a kind thing offering to carefor her dog. However in your position I would feel awful about the dog getting the chocolate. I'd have felt obliged to sort out treatmen. I would not have pursued the owner for the cost of treatment for MY mistake. It WAS a mistake but she should not have to pay for that. She offered you money for dogsitting which you declined.

PaulAnkaTheDog · 08/04/2016 15:09

Why should she pay for the op's mistake? Genuine question. The op left chocolate out, whilst knowing the dog was in the room. She made a mistake, why should the owner pay?!

Say you borrowed someone's property and damaged it, you'd pay right? Why is this any different? The op was in possession of someone else's dog and made a big mistake, the owner shouldn't pay.

newmumwithquestions · 08/04/2016 15:11

Sorry OP but whilst you did a kind thing offering to dogsit, the chocolate was your fault and therefore your responsibility.

SurroMummy13 · 08/04/2016 15:44

Not really. As much as you wouldn't want to hear this, it happened on your watch.

But you cared for the dog free of charge for two weeks, so they could at least offer to pay half.

whois · 08/04/2016 15:53

I think you should both pay 50%.

50% for you because you did leave the chocolate out (even tho it was just fora min and you weren't expecting the dog to be a food thief) and they should pay 50% because this is the type of thing that happens if you're too tight to pay for proper kennels and rely on the kindness of others.

shinynewusername · 08/04/2016 15:55

OP, imagine that you had kindly offered to drive Z's car to the airport, to pick her up after her holiday. On the way, you crash it into a tree due to a moment's inattention. Whose car insurance pays? It's yours - even though you were doing her a big favour.

Capricorn76 · 08/04/2016 15:59

You were doing her a favour but it happened on your watch so you should pay. However, if she was a proper friend she'd offer to pay 50/50.

Whatthefreakinwhatnow · 08/04/2016 16:00

because this is the type of thing that happens if you're too tight to pay for proper kennels and rely on the kindness of others

Utter bollocks, I regularly dogsit for family, several times a year and sometimes is for in excess of 8 weeks and never has the dog come to any harm in my care. If it had, I wouldn't then be trying to pass my negligence off onto my relative, I'd take responsibility for my own failings.

stonecircle · 08/04/2016 16:04

I think if I was the dog owner I would feel embarrassed that my dog had stolen something - especially as this led to a lot of inconvenience and expense so I would offer to pay. If I was the op I would feel absolutely mortified that a moment's carelessness on my part had resulted in a distressing time for the dog and I would offer to pay.

I would expect both to feel some degree of responsibility (but the dog sitter the most) and we'd end up splitting the bill - which would be £40 each as I have pet insurance with an £80 excess.

EveryoneElsie · 08/04/2016 16:06
  1. She should have pet health insurance. Its not expensive.
  2. If anyone dog sits you need to sort all this out beforehand and put it in writing. Have them provide the food and the phone number for their vet. They should make arrangements with the vet. If its a random illness or another dog attacks at the park, they pay from their insurance. But if its your negligence you should.
Sistersweet · 08/04/2016 16:28

Of course she shouldn't pay, the dog was ill because of you, you should be doing everything you can to apologise for that, not trying to get money from her.

EverySongbirdSays · 08/04/2016 16:58

I have still yet to see any kind of justification as to why the dog owners mental health is a factor in this issue?

Why do people bring up peoples health conditions in their posts if they aren't even relevant to the matter at hand?

Sometimes it smacks of a kind of sneering or an attempt to influence opinions about the person based on stigma or prejudice.

squashtastic · 08/04/2016 17:40

I took it to mean that the friend wasn't particularly flush as it could affect responses every.

squashtastic · 08/04/2016 17:42

She also mentions "relies on a pension, dh works and no kids". It's a financial picture.

Spandexpants007 · 08/04/2016 17:45

She should pay op the cost of full board for her dog for 2 weeks. So 17 x14 =238. Op could pay the rest

Alexa444 · 08/04/2016 17:46

Why would you leave food you know is toxic where a dog could get it? I would say you are responsible for the bill tbh

stonecircle · 08/04/2016 17:53

Oh come on Alexa - the op didn't do it on purpose. I don't believe there can be many pet owners or parents who haven't had momentary loses of concentration, some of which sometimes have unfortunate consequences. My dogs have had all sorts of things they shouldn't because I've forgotten to put them out of reach (and also because one is a rescue who seems to spend his entire time watching for such lapses). Chocolate cake, Nurofen, whole blocks of cheese, a box of jelly babies - all fair game as far as he's concerned.

But the responsibility lies with the person creating the opportunity I'm afraid.

Spandexpants007 · 08/04/2016 17:54

She should at least pay half because she's had no kennel fees at all

SuperFlyHigh · 08/04/2016 17:54

So basically all the posters are split down the middle here!

spandexpants solution sounds fair to me.

SuburbanRhonda · 08/04/2016 17:55

Utter bollocks, I regularly dogsit for family, several times a year and sometimes is for in excess of 8 weeks and never has the dog come to any harm in my care. If it had, I wouldn't then be trying to pass my negligence off onto my relative, I'd take responsibility for my own failings.

Gosh, with all that dog-sitting, how on earth do you find time to polish your halo?

PaulAnkaTheDog · 08/04/2016 18:03

What a stupid post Rhonda. That poster didn't say anything to warrant that snide, bitchy post.

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