Not saying hello to dog walker

[liferr]

My husband and I are both able to work from home a couple of times a week but we have a dog walker for consistency.

I mostly just shout hi to her or pretend I'm not in. Dh thinks I'm rude for not going up to dog walker and saying hello in person. Can't be arsed tbh. Especially if I haven't bothered to put my bra on!

Do you say hello every time?

Aibu?

Hahaha, I’d be like this (if I had a dog walker that is)
I’m a bit like that with the gardeners - I hide when they come round because if they see me I feel obliged to go and say hello/make small talk/offer them a cuppa. I just can’t be arsed!

No - you are working. I have a dog walker and I work from home. I explained to her up front that she should come in and out and collect and drop dog and ignore me as I spend most of my time on telephone meetings. I'f I'm free we have a good chin-wag but it's rare. Mostly she waves into the office.

I hire a dog walker because I'm too tied to my desk to walk the dog! I also often don't answer the door (on the phone) or answer the house phone (on the phone) or speak to my parents when they drop my DD off from school (on the phone)...

OP - I'm going to go against the grain here - you are working and it won't always be convenient to stop what you are doing and go and make small talk. She knows what she needs to do, presumably you pay her regularly and isn't there doing you a favour. I work from home, in my home office and I don't stop to say hi to the cleaner or gardener unless I happen to be passing, or want to say something specific to them. I'm usually on a call or concentrating on something and I don't have time for interruptions.

On another note though - I am usually wearing my bra

U and very rude.

I don't think it's that rude if it's a long-standing arrangement and you're technically working - I'd assume you just didn't have time/want 15 minutes of small-talk.

You could have at least told her the reason for not speaking to her when she first started walking your dog is that you're busy working from home.

I am sure she will understand that and would have no problem with you not ever talking to you again.
She's probably relieved that she doesn't have to make small talk with you anyway because you now come across as weird and rude.

Yeah I would find that rude and rather odd behaviour. Just go down and say hi, make her a brew (nice idea) and go back to work. I wouldn't mind you being braless or in pjs and in fact I'd think that was rather cute and homely!

How about leaving a notepad and pen in clear view for her with a message saying something like,

“Hi Mrs Dogwalker Lady, hope all’s well. I’m busy squirrelling away upstairs. If you need to let me know/ask anything please write it here.”

Then you can respond later in a text if you need to.

?

I have a dog walker and would often shout hi if I didn't pop down. I do try and make an effort to be polite.

You could perhaps just outright say sorry if I don't pop down when you come in but often I'm engrossed in work. That way you've acknowledged you can't always come and say hello.

I can’t imagine someone coming into my home and me not saying hello, I wouldn’t always go up to them - but I’d shout hello and always do.

Here is a key to my house but I’m not going to always talk to you, I’d think you have issues of some kind

Off thread, but I don’t get it - you’re at home and pay someone to walk your dog?

YANBU. If you work from home then the point is that you are working and you have hired her to do a job to walk the dog. You don't have time for chatting when you are working. People who don't work at home don't always understand that.

She should just let herself in and out and not disturb you.

not engaging in a long chat - fine

literally not acknowledging their presence/pretending you're not in - pretty rude and nasty imo

Just pop out in your jammies and say hi

THIS. No need to engage in conversation, but ignoring or pretending to be out..... No no no - just no.

My friend is a dog walker and I was chatting about this last week. My dog walkers don't knock before they unlock the door and I find it quite intrusive.

She explained that people get a dog walker because they're busy and don't want to be going to the door etc. If they have a key - she would always quietly and unobtrusively get the dog and fuck off. Which is nice really! Good to hear about it from their viewpoint and I now feel a bit better if I keep upstairs when they do come etc.

I only think it’s rude if you haven’t explained the situation to her, if she knows your busy working upstairs and you may not be able to chat/say hi then that’s fair enough, I personally would rather not be spoken too anyway 😂 what I do find odd though is you’ll get up and work in your pjs with no bra on. I have to get myself ready even if I’m staying in, or I’d feel like a slob!

Of course it's fine, you are working . Clean for a few people who are wfh who either shout out a quick hi or sometimes nothing at all. Im paid to do a job, not chit chat with them (while they are also being paid to do a job) and im busy

So rude.

Rude and a bit lazy to get someone to walk your dog as u can’t be arsed to get dressed. I know you work from home but bet you can spare 20mins.
Stupid comment.

I do think pretending to be out is weird, and ruder than shouting hi. I suspect dog walkers, like postal workers, have seen it all in terms of people in states of undress, so I wouldn't feel embarrassed about being seen in PJs/work-from-home clothes (I too work at home and generally look like a bag lady; no delivery/postal worker has yet run screaming from me).

I don't think it is rude. If I'm at home when our cleaner come I always have a chat with her but our dog walker normally opens the front door, dog runs out and she doesn't even come in! I'll shout hi if I'm around but rarely stop for a chat. If I'm at home during the week I'm working and she has other dogs to collect too.

I'm a dog walker and it wouldn't bother me. As much as I like a good natter I'd much rather crack on and get the dogs walked. Also I don't like leaving the dogs in the van for too long, and even a 5 min natter can throw out my day completely. So just shouting is fine for me! X

Remember OP, she is there to do a job too. Take your dog for a walk. Standing around chatting for 10 minutes probably eats into the time she's actually walking the dog or make her late for another client. How long has she been walking for you? And what is the relationship like? If it's really worrying you can you grab her for 5 minutes the next time your boobs are contained and say "I've been worrying I'm really rude by not saying hi / being too busy to chat, I hope you don't think that's my intention I'm just head down most of the day" and see what she says. She might hate small talk too so is quite glad of it!

Off thread, but I don’t get it - you’re at home and pay someone to walk your dog?
She's working. Most employers wouldn't give people a paid hour off to go walk their dog, WFH is no different.

I don’t think you’re rude!

Absolutely fine. As a dog walker myself it’s preferable. I’m there for the dog/s and my day needs to run like clockwork...small talk and any chit chat makes my job harder.