Friend asking for dog food 'compensation'

[dogbiscuitsareforlife]

What do you make of this.

One of my school mum friends, (I'll call her Mary) has a dog and we often bump into each other out for dog walks and walk along together. Not super close, but chatty and friendly

Last week Mary told me she had been let down by a dog sitter for a holiday. She couldn't find anyone so I offered to help. Our dogs get on well and I'm used to having more than one, although at the moment only have one. She asked how much I'd charge but I said no bother just provide his usual food and treats, which she did. Her dogs food is a superior top end brand to the food I give mine.

All was great whilst we had him, but when feeding, the dogs seemed to favour each others food and swapped between bowls. I didn't think too much of it but did mention it to one of the other mums at the school gates in a jokey way, saying my dog obviously preferred the more expensive brand to the supermarket stuff I provided. Whereas her dog really liked the cheaper stuff.

Mary has obviously been told and today asked me if I fed my dog her dogs food. I was a bit taken aback but explained the above and of course I did give her dog its own food but sometimes dogs want what the other dog has.

She was very cold and told me to compensate her for any tins I gave my dog as she wasn't there to provide for my animal! I'm totally bemused, I saved her £100's in dog sitting fees and although I'm not now going to charge her she must see she is totally unfair.

Or am I wrong and should I buy a pack of 4 tins to give her. My DH says ignore but I don't want bad feeling.

I’m afraid your “friend” is being totally unreasonable. It’s not as if you were keeping her dogs food solely for your dog, and also, it would have cost her a heck of a lot more to put her dog in kennels than it cost her having you look after her dog. In your position, I would plonk the 4 tins of food in her hands at the school gates and tell her, in no uncertain terms, that next time she needs a favour don’t bother asking me.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, of course, but the lesson to be learned from this is not to mention to anyone other than the owner what went off when caring for owners pet regarding food and which dog ate which food, as someone is bound to say something whether intending mischief or not.

Omg she sounds nuts. How can someone even think like that? You did her a massive favour. She should offer to pay for your dogs dinners too. How did she actually thank you for this wonderful kind deed you did? Did she give a gift or offer to pay for your dogs food? She can’t be serious that you have to pay for her dogs food.

Wow! She’s unbelievable!

I pay just over £30 a day at a local boarding kennels. They look after my dog very well and included in the price is a mid range dried dog food. They make it quite clear that their policy is; if your dog has an alternative diet, you provide it and they are happy to feed it on your behalf, but there is no discount on the daily rate because your dog is not eating the food provided by them.

My dog is on a raw diet which we find suits her, so we still have to essentially pay additionally for her food whilst we’re away.

Does this cheeky woman have any idea how much money you have saved her in the first place?! So ungrateful!

Holy Lord, humans never cease to amaze me. What an utter cheek

I'd tell the stupid mother you told this little story to what has happened since. Two dogs try each other's food once or twice and you mention it in passing as a bit of a joke. Suddenly the story is that you fed her dog cheap food and your dog her expensive food? Something has gone seriously wrong there. I presume this dog owner likes burning bridges.

Our dogs are raw fed and only get natural treats. When they go anywhere we give whoever is looking after them their food and treats and written instructions as to who gets what. Recently we had to kennel the youngest two but didn’t want to put the old one in with them. Luckily my MIL’s friend offered to have him - we were at a family wedding so MIL couldn’t. We knew the occasional ‘non natural’ treat would go his way when her dog got them and likewise, her dog got some of our dog’s treats. We warned her about the possibility of an upset stomach but she assured us she wasn’t bothered about dealing with that, she just wanted them both to be happy around each other. I wouldn’t have dreamt of asking her to compensate me for any swapping of food the two of them chose to do!

in your case OP I’d estimate how much of the expensive food your dog ate and buy her the same amount. Give it to her without saying a word and leave it at that. If she apologises for what she’s said and done, or doesn’t, you can feel smug that she’s in the wrong and you’ve been the bigger person. She sounds like a dickhead to me who should only ever be acknowledged with a nod when you’re passing her on a walk!

100% this. Do not give her any dog food, this is ridiculous! If Mary mentions this to anyone, they will see her for the CF she is - it doesn’t reflect badly on you at all!

Like many said on here. Pay her the difference between her dogs food and yours. After all her dog ate your tins. I would also remind her that the problem won't arise again as you won't be repeating the favour.

Honestly I would actually do this. I would give her the dog food and ask her if she realises what a massive favour you did for her and while walking her dog and picking up it's shit did she honestly think you also had time to serve individual meals and police who was eating what. I would then probably ask her if she wants to go fuck herself.

Tell her to knock the price of the food off the money she owes you for looking after him.

What a bitch!

Give her the difference (your food minus hers) in loose change and then say you’re off to Australia for 4 weeks can she mind your dog or just say it was such a pleasure to see the two pups so happy together what a shame she’s ruined it for the future. She must be bonkers, knowing your pet is safe and happy when you go away is a blessing, never mind it’s for free! A friend of a friend looked after mine once and insisted on no payment. We made sure we gave several bottles of bubbly and a thank you card with £100 stashed in it. He had the time of his life with her dogs and we wanted to really show our appreciation should we need her again!

Please don't buy food for this disgusting woman! She will think she is in the right and you will feel hard done by.
I can not imagine letting someone watch my dog for free like that and not even bringing them a gift but then to get arsy over a few bites of food!?
Id very loudly be telling any school mums friends about the way she has been acting after you gave her free pet sitting

Tell her to take you to the small claims court

Buy her four tins of her dogfood. Never offer to be helpful to her again. What a stupid woman.

Love this..!! I suggest this..!!

There is that. I'd have told her myself. Still, she's being very petty considering OP had her dog for her holiday.

Don't mind her dog again.
Do you really need friends like this?

So she asked how much you would charge, to which you said nothing. Which has saved her atleast a couple hundred on boarding fees, or cancelling her holiday.

You didn't purposely feed your dog her dogs food they just had some of eachothers...... yet now she wants you to pay for the dog food she provided for the amount of time her dog was at yours. So she hasn't list ant money as that would have been the amount if food she fed her dog during that time period.

If she was that precious 1. She shouldn't leave her dog with someone she doesn't really know.

1. Dogs are dogs mine will eat the cat food if I let her...... sonif she didn't want the risk of your dog eating some of her dogs food. She should have specified they need to be fed separately 🤷‍♀️.

I wouldn't 'compensate ' and I would make sure every man and his dog knew that not only did you have her dog for free. Thus saving her money, that she is being absolutely ridiculous right now

I think it's fine to have a bit of a joke over your dog being after the posh food and can't see an issue with that whatsoever

Well one of the stupid school mums cared enough to go gossiping to the cheeky fucker telling her that the good hearted friend that was looking after her dog for free was feeding her dog the expensive food!!!
Shes as much of a stupid bitch as the cheeky fucker who's dog was getting looked after.
What a spiteful thing to do chuck a friend under the bus

All the invoicing seems unnecessary and a bit petty to me. I'd ignore what's happened so far but if she asks again I'd say, "Sorry I thought you were joking", which I'd have to charitably assume she was. If it's not a joke it's then possible to point out that you looked after her dog at short notice as a favour and didn't charge as she's a friend...isn't she? And see where that leaves it.

First post got it right again.

What an absolute tool of a woman. I have dogs, I’ve looked after friends’ dogs many times, they’ve always been grateful and that’s the end of it. But I also know it’s about leaving your dog in a safe environment and them being happy and part of a home while their family is away. That’s bloody precious but other than that a kennel will be £25 a night at least, someone’s home a lot more so you’ve saved her a bloody fortune anyway. The bigger picture is that she didn’t have to make a last minute decision to send her dog to someone she didn’t know and worry all holiday. She’s honesty very ungrateful and I’d struggle to remain friends.

Please don’t replace the dog food. I would be shaming her the ungrateful woman. How dare she, I am outraged for you.