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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Are my DH DS wrong/unreasonable re dog walker

92 replies

2dogs2kids1cat · 17/02/2017 13:08

Hi first world problem I know but still a little annoying. I use a dog walker on an ad hoc basis. She is meant to walk my dogs for 1 hour a day. Last year I used to pay her in advance because it was easier say 5-6 walks and then txt her the night before I wanted them walked but for no particular reason I wondered if they were being walked; so on two occasions I left the leads in an odd arrangement and they obviously hadn't moved but when I casually mentioned this she said she always uses her own. So I now pay her on the day, I leave the money on the side so I know she definitely comes to the house. Yesterday she was meant to walk them, my DH and DS got home from work first the money had gone but both dogs were busting to do a pee and more importantly weren't muddy, and there was no mud on the kitchen floor, we live in the countryside and it's currently very muddy here. When I got home from work they both started saying the dog walker is just taking the money and not walking the dogs etc. I defended her saying maybe she walked them round the roads.
I have tried to find other dog walkers but I work shifts and I often have to change at very short notice and therefore need a walker who is happy about this. The only other one I could find who would even remotely consider it wanted £35 for 1/2 an hour she promised me she was very reliable I'd be reliable for that kind of money.
The dogs are monumentally lazy by nature don't seem fussed, she doesn't charge a fortune and when I meet her when I'm out they rush over to see her wagging their tails so maybe my DH/DS are unnecessarily suspicious

OP posts:

LegsLikeGiblets · 17/02/2017 20:00

You can video someone in your home without them knowing but not the bathroom or toilet.

RTKangaMummy · 17/02/2017 20:00

IMHO that is really horrible to take money but not take them out for a decent walk and even worse to not even let them in garden to do wee

That is really cruel to your poor dogs

WanderLustingLane · 18/02/2017 10:34

I would really have to book a day at home BD wait upstairs....But I'm sad like that haha

Blondeshavemorefun · 18/02/2017 11:30

Agree only sure way of finding out is to hide upstairs and see what they do

Does seem weird to collect money and not even open the door for dogs to wee

CorporalNobbyNobbs · 18/02/2017 11:37

God do people really do this? I'd love to be a dog walker and would definitely actually walk the dogs!

ElspethFlashman · 18/02/2017 11:43

Actually at all these stories!

RTKangaMummy · 18/02/2017 11:52

Or park your car in neighbours drive (with their permission obviously) and sit in it and wait and watch

Our dog would run upstairs to tell me someone had come to the door and so give the game away

nothruroad · 18/02/2017 12:04

I like Owllady's style, no messing about.

Catsick36 · 18/02/2017 19:57

Our dog walker used to shower our lab off, she had a porta shower in the van lol. Ours would always be busting for a wee cos he was run so much he would drink loads. It's more than her business is worth to be not walking the dogs

Catsick36 · 18/02/2017 19:58

Oh and she would come straight in with her own lead straight on the dog

Foxesarefriends · 18/02/2017 20:08

But catsick, it's clear from this thread that some dogwalkers don't walk the dogs?
My neighbour's one didn't.

Athome77 · 18/02/2017 21:10

I had a cleaner who didn't have time to mop- so I parked up the road, she stayed for 1 hr 15 mins instead of 2 hours. I don't trust anyone now- we have cameras to monitor all hall movement now.

Blodplod · 18/02/2017 23:21

Not sure if anyone else has suggested this but buy a clip on pedometer and attach it to your dogs collar. Jawbone make tiny clip on ones that stay on easily for a long walk! Whilst the data won't be accurate 'steps' wise you will be able to collate an average number of steps for say an hours walk, then review the steps counted after dog walker has taken the dog out for its walk. The Jawbone is cheap and you can review the data on your smartphone. If you get a blending colour to the dogs collar I bet the dog walker won't even realise it's on there. Or if they notice, it's not obvious it's even a pedometer as it just looks like a plastic disc.

Blodplod · 18/02/2017 23:30

And to be honest 1 instance of not walking your dog is enough proof you need to decide next course of action... I guarantee they won't notice it on a collar for the first walk or five... especially if they aren't taking the dog out! I walk a few dogs (not a big business but regularly enough). I do try and clean dogs down before returning home or take them to a drier, sandier Heath if it's really muddy. But, at this time of year there's always residue dirt, and I post pics of our walks on what's app, and use gps tracking (endomondo or map my walk) for every walk I do. Sadly, it'll never be big business for me because they pay for an hour and dogs are generally out for 2 hours plus! Good luck! I've heard about and seen so many dog walkers either not walking dogs are popping out for a quick 15 mins.. shameful really.. but most owners remain totally ignorant to the truth sadly.

GlitteryFluff · 18/02/2017 23:34

I think I'd do as a few pp's suggested and arrange for her to come on a day you're at home and see what she does. Easy to catch her out then, you can appear if you see her leave without the dogs and question it at the time - you could say your shifts got changed again since arranging her and you didn't want to cancel so short or something to make it look less set up. I know usually on mn doing things like this is frowned upon but when you're spending money on a person you have to trust in your home and with your pets and you have serious concerns I think it's necessary.

MermaidsTears · 21/02/2017 19:14

What did you decide to do op?
I am stuck in a similar situation but with cleaner, she is slowly stopping doing things each week... Awkward.

Blodplod · 25/02/2017 17:37

MermaidsTears... I had a similar situation with a cleaner... I paid for 4 hours a week and trusted her 100%. I started to get suspicious.. 4 hours is a LOT.. for our quite small house, no children and we're both very tidy (well, I tidied before she arrived!). To cut a very long story short I started a job 3 mins around the corner, unbeknown to her I often drove past my house when she was there.. one week I got home and really felt a sense that she had just hoovered and had a flick round and left. So, I deliberately drove past the next week. She's normally due between 9.00am-1.00pm (ish). I drove past in those 4 hours 3 times and saw her car on the drive once..... she definitely was there about an hour..

I was gutted.

I had befriended her in a sense (she wasn't my kind of friend but she was a nice person). I trusted her implicitly. And the fact she took my money without doing the job.. I'm still really hurt to be honest! I really really looked after her!

Anyhow, I simply asked her not to come back. No explanation- I didn't want to get into a row.. I do it myself now as it's left a very bad taste in my mouth.

kaitlinktm · 25/02/2017 18:13

I know this is continuing to derail the thread onto cleaners, (sorry) but I also used to employ a lady for 4 hours - she never did the full 4 hours so we agreed to reduce it to three. However, she started even skimping on that, and eventually she told me herself that it would be better for her to do two lots of 2 hours - as then she would definitely need the full time to get round the house. This worked much better - and I came home to a tidy house twice as often .

Blodplod · 25/02/2017 18:26

The problem with mine is she was quite specific that 4 hours was required - even though I found this to be a lot. The problem was she worked for us and then took a years break whilst we renovated. (We weren't living in the house). The first time I worked from home, she did 3 hours a week including the ironing. When she came back after the years break it was 4 hours as for months after renovations there was loads of residual dust etc.. in reality it should of been reduced to 2 hours a week but I felt she needed the money and was happy to pay it if she did a good job even being total overkill on the hours... that's the bit that really really pissed me off.. she in reality for months was doing 2 hours a week (approx) and getting paid for 4 and then starting doing less.. when she left, the following week I cleaned my house and timed myself. I cleaned it like I thought she would (should have rather). It took me 2 1/2 hours and I cleaned areas which I could see she hadn't been near in months! Behind sofas etc.. what a gullible fool I was. I really trusted her. Hey ho!

PoisonousSmurf · 25/02/2017 18:40

I'm a cleaner and one of my clients keeps adding extra things to do, but still wants to only pay me for 2.5 hours. It can take up to an hour extra.
No wonder the previous cleaner left.

Blodplod · 25/02/2017 18:46

PoisonousSmurf, I'm guessing you haven't read my thread correctly. I was overpaying. 4 hours a week for 2 hours work. I gave her no extra jobs, in fact I paid for an extra hour in a brand new renovated house and ditched a huge proportion of the job (the ironing). She didn't leave, I sacked her because she was doing 1 hours work and taking the money for 4.

DonttouchthatLarry · 25/02/2017 18:50

I keep bumping into the dog walker in our village while I'm riding my horse or walking my dogs - I wouldn't hesitate to use her as I see her out in all weathers at all times of day and night (she does home boarding too). It's really worrying that you try to do the best for your dogs and someone abuses that trust and lets the poor dogs suffer for their greed.

Hissy · 25/02/2017 19:21

Ah... there is nothing worse than finding out someone has lied. It's awful!

I'd demand money back too if I were you. She's a thief.

Lemondrop09 · 25/02/2017 20:06

Trust your gut instinct. I started to suspect my dog wasn't being walked for similar reasons, but didn't believe it as I trusted our llong term dog walker.

Eventually set up a web cam and discovered that he was coming in, taking the money and leaving! I was livid. I suspect he'd been doing it for over a year and had so much money out of us. And our poor poor dog :(

I don't take spying lightly, but I don't regret setting up that camera. That was a year ago and I'm still so angry with the bastard!

SissySpacekAteMyHamster · 26/02/2017 00:01

Lemondrop did you confront him? I'd have been livid!

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