Promised to petsit now want the dog gone

[Janedoe95]

I’m pet sitting for my parents as they’re moving house but renting for 2 months before their new home is ready but the dog is about 17 years old and very senile and not house trained.

it’s been about a week he pee’s inside constantly even though he’s let out every 30mins/1hr

i have a young baby and although I wipe up I don’t have time to mop the entire downstairs everyday

at night we obviously can’t leave him outside and even though we wake up about 6am and my partner let’s him out at 11pm before bed there’s guaranteed to be wee downstairs every morning.

my house now stinks even after I’ve cleaned up I do understand it’s expensive for a kennel and I feel bad because he’s so old

(we’re also pet sitting a cat but she doesn’t cause any problems just eats her food sleeps and goes outside.)

So sad!
Why did you volunteer?

Can you put pads down ?

So why did you agree? Surely you knew all this beforehand?

I think all you can do is tell your DParents that it's not working out and they'll need to make other arrangements. You've tried your best, but ultimately, their dog is their responsibility.

Oh dear :(

is there any way you can gate off a tiled area of your house eg kitchen or hall and make a cosy bed for the dog there?

Dog nappies?

What do your parents say?

cpuld You contain him in the kitchen or a room?

Do you have a large kitchen? If so, you could contain the dog there, using a stair gate. Could you ask your parents to buy nappies? Must be able to buy them for incontenant dogs. Could ring your local vets.

When we were unexpectedly fostering a dog that had some issues, we ended up using some plywood to make improvised doggie gates and block off a tiled room. Baby gates would have been ideal, but we were trying to do it cheap and we had plywood in the shed.

I did know he occasionally went toilet inside their house but I thought it was their fault for not letting him out and if I was letting him out regularly it wouldn’t be a problem.

my downstairs is open plan so other than keeping him downstairs which I already do there’s not much I can do

I already have pads down but he doesn’t use them and prefers to go toilet on a rug or door mat so now everytime I’m going upstairs or out and leaving him alone I have to pick up all the doormats and rug.

As other PPs have said, keep him in a tiled floor room with puppy pads on the floor (which your DPs should pay for)

Well you can't really get rid of him so you will need to make the best of it. What about a puppy enclosure for the night? Or a crate? Is he used to a crate?

Dog nappies? We used them

Use something like this www.amazon.co.uk/Gatefor-Portable-Folding-Kitchen-Outdoor/dp/B09DFYJHMF/ref=asc_df_B09DFYJHMF/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=570372092045&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7933237502400685624&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006685&hvtargid=pla-1672323266357&psc=1

Can you gate him off? Don't put him in a crate if he's not used to it.

Its bloody hard work looking after elderly animals so I get where you are coming from but can't really see a solution. Does he have a quality of life still?

i couldn’t tolerate that tbh and if it was my dog I think rather than foster him out at that age with incontinence, I’d have given him the best possible week and then euthanised. I think your DP’s have been unfair to the dog and to your family.

Dog nappies

Thanks for the suggestions! I think I’ll try the dog nappies I will tell DM that if they don’t work we’ll have to look at kennels to warn her but then at least no one can say I haven’t tried.

Is he stressed so his peeing indoors is worse? Does he see a vet about it? Are your parents helping out at all with this?

It’s not fair to put such an old dog into kennels. Tell your parents they need to buy a dog pen, and put pads down in it, with his basket etc. At least he’s contained that way

At 17, senile and incontinent he needs to be out to sleep. It’s inhumane to let an animal struggle on like that with no dignity. Not the answer to this post per se, but I’d really be encouraging your parents to explore that avenue.

He would be very unhappy and stressed in kennels IMO, I thikn it would be very cruel to do that but I don't know why they haven't had him put down already poor thing. My ddog went senile, stopped wanting to go for walks got very confused and upset by things and we had her put down at 15, as her quality of life had gone.

Oh God get rid. Life is too short for this crap. Send him back to his owners, not your circus, not your monkeys.

Poor dog.
What a stupid idea to let you petsit knowing the dog is incontinent.
Sounds absolutely grotesque.
Dog will be sitting in pee all day at a kennel and stressed to hell.
Does it not need to go live on a farm?

You need to talk to your parents. Ask them what works, ask if one of them could come and help with the dog, ask if there is anyone else who can help. It really doesn't sound hygenic with a baby.

Maybe consider buying some offcuts of lino to save your flooring a bit.

Me too

It sounds like rather than not being ‘house trained’ he’s actually become incontinent due to age… unless he’s always done his business in the house?
At 17, kennels would be extremely stressful for him. I’m not sure I could do it. At that age he really doesn’t have long left to live so I think I’d try and keep him comfortable, cordon off an area of the kitchen and use puppy pads.