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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Au pair and dog poo

170 replies

Littleloafofbread · 01/03/2019 07:27

Dog did a poo in front of the front door during the night - very rare accident and she's never had to clean up after him in six months of being here. Au pair left for work early this morning (we don't need her to work during school holidays so she has a different babysitting job) and rather than cleaning it up, she pushed it out of the way with the door, of course getting it on the door and on the bristles under the door, which of course I have had to clean.

AIBU to say something to the au pair about this? In her defence, it isn't her job to look after or clean up after the dog, there was no other way to get out of the house and she was probably in a hurry to get to work. However, she is an adult and my gut reaction is that she should have just cleaned it up because sometimes these things happen, and by not doing it she knew she was making extra work for me.

OP posts:
babyworry2018 · 01/03/2019 10:33

I'm normally quite irate at the way most people abuse their au pairs and treat them as underpaid nannies but I find this thread mystifying and can only assume the horrified people don't own dogs. Assuming an au pair who wasn't afraid of dogs- who in that case probably wouldn't have chosen a family with dogs- asking the au pair to, say, walk the dog to the park with the kids seems a perfectly normal thing that could be part of her duties.

If you walk dogs, you pick up their poo. Even the best trained dogs will occasionally have accidents due to illness, it's grim discovering poo in the house but grabbing a bag picking it up and disposing of it takes thirty seconds.

I think the OP is right to be quietly annoyed the au pair as someone experienced with dogs didn't have the cop on to deal with it but I also think her response is probably the most appropriate.

TheNoodlesIncident · 01/03/2019 10:37

Why didn't AP just call out "Argh dog poo on the floor!" or something like that? I wouldn't expect her to clean it up (although I would if it was me, I'd rather clean up animal poo than dead mice and the like) but just opening the door and spreading it around is grim and makes the job exponentially worse.

Nobody LIKES dealing with poo, we all get that, but even without directly removing it you can still do something without making it worse, like alerting another household member.

FrancisCrawford · 01/03/2019 10:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

WhenISnappedAndFarted · 01/03/2019 10:49

I can't believe some of the responses to this thread.

I don't have a dog however I'd be annoyed and probably angry if I had an au pair or even someone over and rather than let me know there's dog poo on the floor, they opened the door and got it everywhere.

It's a simple job that has been made more difficult by that action.

I'd have personally picked it up, it's just dog poo, yes it's not pleasant however if I needed to get out of that door and there was no one else around then I'd have picked it up.

We all know it's the OP's responsibility and not the au pairs but pushing it to the side with the door is ridiculous.

outpinked · 01/03/2019 10:53

I wouldn’t willingly clean a dogs shit up either. Not really a dog person and have had to pick it up off my front lawn a couple of times which was rancid. If I was in a rush for work and presented with someone else’s dog shit I probably would leave it to them tbh.

Mia1415 · 01/03/2019 11:04

I can't believe some of the responses on here.

I would have expected a normal person to either

  • pick it up.
  • tell the home/ dog owner about it so that they could clear it up.

I don't think it's OK to smear it all over the place! Who would do that? Do some of you really think that's OK? Really?

Wellfuckmeinbothears · 01/03/2019 11:05

OP I think you also need to ask yourself how you would have reacted had you been called to deal with said dog shit. If you were asleep and the AP had woken you to let you know your dog had shit by the front door would you have been ok or would you have been just as pissed off?

PolarBearDisguisedAsAPenguin · 01/03/2019 11:17

I think we all need to forget about the dog poo and start worrying about poor WendyCope’s blood pressure! Grin

It’s a bit of poo. Yes, if the au pair saw it she should have avoided it rather than spreading it around and making more of a mess. I don’t and never have had a dog, but even I can accept that occasionally there will be a one off accident.

goodwinter · 01/03/2019 11:18

@WendyCope, did OP's dog shit in your cereal this morning?

I don't know why anyone would rather smear shit all over the floor and the bottom of a door rather than either pick it up or wake someone up to let them know it's there.

WendyCope · 01/03/2019 11:18

LOL smeared it all over the place

versus

pushed it out of the way

Poor AP being accused of smearing dog shit while the OP was tucked up in bed.

howwillwedeal · 01/03/2019 11:21

@WendyCope what is your obsession that the OP must be up the same hours as the AP? It just makes you sound madly envious the the OP has an AP, it also makes you sound very cray cray as you would say.

WendyCope · 01/03/2019 11:21

My blood pressure is amazing apparently polar and I don't eat cereal, ever.

This is AIBU and I feel strongly about Au Pairs and dog shit, having a young DD myself.

Hope it's OK to express an opinion.

WendyCope · 01/03/2019 11:22

Nope, I get up when I want!

howwillwedeal · 01/03/2019 11:23

This is AIBU and I feel strongly about Au Pairs and dog shit, having a young DD myself.

And the fact that OP was not up when the AP was up, you feel strongly about also?

WendyCope · 01/03/2019 11:27

I don't want to talk about Dog Shit any more, Au pairs job to clean it, or when the OP gets up any longer. As was asked.

I gave my opinion. An au pair should not clear dog shit. ever. Ever, ever, ever, and I am NOT alone in my opinion according to the thread.

Simple.

Bye all.

howwillwedeal · 01/03/2019 11:30

Bye @WendyCope, watch the BP though.....

SaucyJack · 01/03/2019 11:32

Oh the dramz.

It takes about 5 secs to bag up a shit (unless it’s wet).

Not the greatest fun you can have for free, but I would’ve thought any respectful decent adult would prefer doing that than deliberately smearing it all over a door.

Clearly not!

WendyCope · 01/03/2019 11:36

deliberately smearing it all over the door

RTFT who said that?

She did NO SUCH THING.

howwillwedeal · 01/03/2019 11:39

@WendyCope your the au pair aren't you? You hate your employer and that's why your reacting like this.

MaybeitsMaybelline · 01/03/2019 11:42

If I had been the Au Pair I would have woken you up and said "Hey Little, your dog has shit on the floor, can you get up an clean it up please so I can get to work"

WendyCope · 01/03/2019 11:43

you're not your.

No I am not. I am the mother of a daughter and would be horrified by this. Like many others.

She was going to babysit. Do you know what shit is on dog shit?

Really am off to work now.

Write to the OP please, not me. I just gave an opinion.

bringincrazyback · 01/03/2019 11:44

Not her dog, not her job imho.

PolarBearDisguisedAsAPenguin · 01/03/2019 12:07

@WendyCope you’re not your

Considering your incorrect use of capital letters in lots of your sentences, I don’t think you are in a position to criticise anyone!

ChardonnaysPrettySister · 01/03/2019 12:08

Do you know what shit is on dog shit?

Shit?

FrancisCrawford · 01/03/2019 12:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.