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’d laugh about something like that. My dog thinks she’s a princess and is forever wanting human food at home and turns her nose up at the expensive dog food. Will deign yo eat scrumbles. Take her out and about and she’s like a rubbish bin, there’s a friend I visit and she polishes off the cat food given half a chance. I tend to avoid giving dog gluten as leads to sloppy poos so perhaps cheaper food meant an upset tummy but if that’s the problem schedule should say.

Hmm. I’d be wondering what tale Gossipy Grace from the school gate spun to be honest… sounds like they fanned the flame and Mary thinks you used her tins all week.

She’s still shot herself in the foot since you very kindly didn’t charge to look after the dog. I wouldn’t give her anything and would avoid both her and the one who passed along the message.

This is good

Give her an invoice for dog boarding minus the cost of 4 tins of food and tell her you'll waive the fees if she apologises for being an ungrateful wretch.

She sounds like a complete bampot. Just walk away from her if she starts talking to you and avoid this woman completely. But also avoid the gossip who deliberately stirred things up.

I would estimate your dog ate 2/3rds of a tin OP. Buy a tin, scoop one third out and give her that. Obviously never speak to the crazy lady again after that 🙄

Shes a loon op
A graspy ungrateful loon

Nailed it.

She is being so ungrateful and petty. Don't offer to bail her out again with dog care. Most people would be showering you with gifts and offering to repay the favour when you went on holiday.

I'd have a chat with mary. Ob someone has got their big stirring stick out and told mary you deliberately fed her dog cheap food and kept expensive food for yourself.

What an absolutely awful person. I would give her the tins just to shut this all down but never look after her dog again.

‘No good deed goes unpunished’; I have found this to be true far too many times.

BTW there was nothing wrong with sharing the anecdote about your dog going for the expensive food. But that person you told is also an awful person, troublemaker and a gossip.

Mary is nuts. Do not 'compensate' her for anything; she's an idiot.

Why would she think that? It's hardly taking the piss when the OP has just done her a massive favour.

OP - I don't know what you can do about ungrateful arseholes like dog school mum. I wouldn't buy her the expensive food and if she asks for it, say, 'do you honestly think that's reasonable when I've just saved you a fortune in dog sitting fees' and see what she comes back with.

Dont you dare end up out of pocket for doing her a favour!!!

Mary is nuts but have you spoken to her to understand what she has been told? The person who told her is a shit stirring arsehole, I would be annoyed at them too.

Ignore her and if she asks again, point out that you did this for no charge and if she insists on wanting the cost reimbursed, that you will now have to charge and she can take it out of that.

What a silly cow.

I feed my cats top spec food and it wouldn't have bothered me at all if a friend fed her own cat with my food in this instance. I'd just be relieved that they were able to do such a big favour at short notice. I'd probably also go as far as buying her some on my next shop as a thank you. She is being an ungrateful cunt, but as others have stated, mind the stirrer at the school gates in future.

Give her four tins of pedigree chum, and make it clear that next time she needs a favour at the last minute she can jog on.

This. Give it to her in 1p coins

I’d be as ridiculous as her:

“Mary, to be clear I didn’t feed my dog your dog’s food, they swapped bowls themselves occasionally at feeding time. Obviously I can’t be sure exactly how much my Fido ate of your Rover’s food and vice versa so I’ve estimated 2 tins over the course of the week at the cost of £X. I’ve subtracted £Y to cover the cost of Fido’s food which Rover ate. Please find enclosed <exact amount of money in cash> to settle my “debt”.

"Since this has become a commercial agreement, I'll need £35 a day for dog sitting. You can keep £8 back for the cost of four tins of dog food."

Talk about "no good deed goes unpunished". I'd go with SpirallingDownwards suggestion as a reply. Her dog was in a family home, with another dog for company, looked after by someone she knows rather than a stranger AT NO FUCKING COST and she has the nerve to fuss about some tins of dog food??? If there had been dietary needs for him to eat only the provided food she should have said as much not just for her dog's sake but yours too as you'd have been picking up after it. What an unbelievably stupid person she is.

I would have pissed myself laughing at her.

Why does this shit always happen to other people, the nice, lovely people. Never to those of us that would have told her to get fucked.

Maybe these cheeky twats just know who they can take the piss out of? No, you should not give her any money, even in pennies. No you should not give her any dog food, even Tesco branded.

You looked after her dog for her, FOR FREE.

I dogsat once and would rather babysit a newborn set of triplets or look after your great granny instead of do that again. I ended up co sleeping with the neediest dog ever and I dp had to take him to work with him for a few days 😂

Like your dog situation the dog I minded and mine swapped food and in this situation mine was homemade (I feed my dogs chicken, rice and some veg peelings because I find my dog malts terribly when fed other stuff and friends dog ate kibble but it wasn't a issue for me) so I can't imagine being as arsey as your friend is being, absolute knobhead usually, is she?

I know others have said but be wary of the person who told her, that's possibly some shit stirring, it may also be she's just being joking with her and your friend took it badly but I'd be cautious who you tell things now.

She's being very petty. It sounds as though her dog isn't on a medical diet or overweight. So how much benefit does she think your dog got and how many extra nutrients did her dog lose out on over the course of a week or two?? "Mary, I did you a favour that saved you a lot of money and my dog ate a couple of bowls of your dog's food, I think we can call it quits can't we?"