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Original poster

Friend asking for dog food 'compensation'

705 replies

dogbiscuitsareforlife · 04/11/2024 10:43

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.

OP posts:
Laloca2000 · 05/11/2024 23:32

The cheapest dog sitter around here charges £28 per day....and the rest are significantly more expensive. This 'friend' is clearly deluded and a grabby, entitled cow. Obviously has no clue what these services actually cost and should be thanking you profusely for stepping in last minute to watch her pooch. Personally, I would tell her what my bill is ( Even 'Mates Rates ' if you feel like it) and then deduct from that the price of a couple of tins of fancy dog meat..."Here you are, you ungrateful cow , how about you pay me £X, I have, of course, deducted the price of X tins of food...."

Some people just make me cringe honestly.....

Likaom · 05/11/2024 23:34

Also, if you give her 4 tins of the cheap stuff, she will save a bomb (assuming her dog didn’t get the squits) in the future and have more holidays (off set by the kennel fees)!

Likewhatever · 05/11/2024 23:35

I wouldn’t give her the food. Do and say nothing. If she asks again I would laugh and say “Don’t be daft! I thought I was doing a friend a favour. Do you want me to invoice you for the dog sitting too?”

Pussycat22 · 05/11/2024 23:54

You should have sworn the dog to secrecy!!!

Anonymousess · 05/11/2024 23:58

Pussycat22 · 05/11/2024 23:54

You should have sworn the dog to secrecy!!!

It wasn’t the dog that told the secret…that was OP

Jamie25 · 06/11/2024 00:02

dogbiscuitsareforlife · 04/11/2024 10:43

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.

Get rid of her from your life, block her and don’t speak to her. That is absolutely ridiculous and exposes more than you need to know about her nature. Don’t buy the food. If she asks why? You saved her a fortune! Entitled cow.

AzureBean · 06/11/2024 00:09

I wouldn't give her the tins. No wonder there's such CFs about when people give into their ridiculous demands, they probably then think they were being perfectly reasonable!

I'd just reiterate what actually happened and how much you saved her and then ignore if she continues to ask for them.

healthybychristmas · 06/11/2024 00:19

She's insane. Is she going to give you the tins of dogfood that her dog ate then?

Screamingabdabz · 06/11/2024 00:52

You should not buy the tins as her dogs were fed. Maybe not with the food she provided, but that was the dog’s choice.

If you buy those tins, it means that the CF got free food as well as free dog sitting. You can’t let CFs win, it only encourages them.

Sweetnessandbite · 06/11/2024 01:09

I would not give her any food. I cannot believe the cheek of some people. I would again 'chat' to whoever you told about the food that ran to her and tell them the cheek of what she has suggested. Making sure sure to mention how much you have saved her.

Please don't give her the food. If she is crazy enough to have said this, she will just think you giving her the tins makes her right.

H0210zero · 06/11/2024 01:30

I'd refund the dog food and send her a bill for the pet sitting. It's down to her to prove there was a verbal agreement. If she wants to bite the hand that feeds her don't make it easy.

BettyBardMacDonald · 06/11/2024 01:42

Any update??

RecklessGoddess · 06/11/2024 04:12

I'd tell her that I'd changed my mind about charging her, because I didn't realise how much stress it was going to cause. Then quote what most dog sitters would charge!

pineapplesundae · 06/11/2024 04:38

End of free dog sitting.

ILoveEYFS · 06/11/2024 05:09

I think I would be like
"OK Mary, I would like compensating too. Your dog ate my dog food, slept in my house. I took your dog out for walks etc. How will you be paying me? Obviously, you can reduce it a.little to compensate for the food my dog ate of yours!"

Sennelier1 · 06/11/2024 08:13

I would buy her a few tins, hand them over to her in front of others, and explain this is too much of a hassle to repeat it : that means you will not ever do any dogsitting for her again.

carleycoo · 06/11/2024 08:41

A bit naughty, but I would buy her the tins and when you give them to her say that you didn't realise she was struggling financially and that you are happy to help her buy giving these tins to her. You could even suggest she gets financial advice from citizens advice, and then say, don't worry, I won't tell anyone about your financial struggles. That will make her regret it and think twice in the future.

Goodtogossip · 06/11/2024 08:59

That's shocking! I'd be telling her you'll knock the price of the tins of food off her bill then present her with an invoice for the cost of boarding. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. If you don't want to charge her then make sure she knows you're offended & won't be offering to care for her dog again.

CatNoBag · 06/11/2024 09:33

dogbiscuitsareforlife · 04/11/2024 14:58

I won't be at school gates until end of week although I may see Mary out on dog walk before then if we bump into each other.
I will get the dog food and am thinking I'll hand it to her in front of other mums and be vocal about 'owing' it. Someone's bound to ask so I can then tell them the reason.

Make sure you also drop in something about there being no need for her to worry about returning the favour with regards to the food her dog ate that belonged to yours... you can always recoup the loss by charging the next owner a dog-sitting fee.

MyKookyUmberTraybake · 06/11/2024 09:38

What a cheeky F!

Noshowlomo · 06/11/2024 09:40

OP not coming back by the looks

Stormyweatheroutthere · 06/11/2024 09:46

She's absolutely barking mad....

housethatbuiltme · 06/11/2024 10:15

You can not create a contract after the fact so you cannot back charge her for services you agreed to do for free because you fell out.

I also wouldn't give her any food, just avoid and ignore.

Although YOU can't back charge her if she went to mediation or small claims etc... she would look utterly bat shit and be sent away.

The only way it holds any water is if their was negligence due to her dog medically needing a specific diet and getting provably sick as a result.

Madamum18 · 06/11/2024 11:06

Why buy her tins of food? She needs to hear clearly that you saved her a great deal of money for dog sitting, that you cany control what her dog chooses to eat and that you are unclear why she thinks she needs compensating in that context. Walk off and just leave it at that

PotatoLove · 06/11/2024 11:56

Tell her you'll give her the four tins out of the dog sitting fees that she now owns you. Cheeky bitch!