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.

It (conveniently) doesn't seem like the unfamiliar food that her dog stole is even on her radar or any issue to her; her beef is that OP's dog ate unfamiliar food, having shaken paws on a dignified swap with her dog.

Be you human, animal or mineral, you can't agree to a swap and then happily take what you agreed to take as part of the bargain, whilst also calling the recipient of what you agreed to give in exchange a 'thief'.

Three months' worth of child benefit, probably!

But op hasn't said she had a problem with it because of diet and only cost

This lady is clearly a taker and has no idea about gratitude or give and take. Given the chance to reflect on what she has done, she should be very embarrassed but probably a toxic narc so has no idea. I would buy her one tin of food and say that you are very disappointed with her behaviour and that you will never offer to be kind enough to offer to look after someone’s pet for free and that you are extremely annoyed that she never gave you any instructions on how to look after her dog and/or any special requirements so you naturally treated it like your or any other dog and you now regret getting involved. As for the dreadful person who passed on your comment, I fear it was not done for fun but with intent knowing what this dreadful person is like. Neither of these two people serve you so move them on and have a happy, normal life🤗.

This sort of thing is going to happen with dogs and dog owners - most (and don't tell me it's a minority, sit in any park without a dog and watch) dog owners don't bother to train their dogs. They'll perhaps teach them to sit and paw but won't teach them to behave when there's food around, won't teach them not to approach strangers (whether they're on a lead or not), won't teach them to be gentle with other dogs unless threatened, and won't teach them recall. And the vast majority of dog owners, as you can see from almost every comment when a dog has done something wrong and a human has had to take strong action (e.g. hurting the dog), most dog owners are self-entitled brats.

Invoice her

Yes - please do this! preferably in small change. Makes the point, I think 😄

People are just loons aren’t they?!

Because it never happened

Jesus... talking about biting the hand that feeds.

No suggestion has been made that the dog had digestive issues, it was merely a preference of the owner- lots more work to ensure they didn't eat each others food is not reasonable if she was not getting paid to sit the dog- you can't reasonably demand someone does more work because of your preference if they are doing you a favour.

That’s so disappointing op. I think id take her up on the point “let’s call it quits” and ask her how can you call it quits when you looked after her dog for free and she paid your generosity with paranoid allegations about dog food. Then I’d ignore her from then on

I'd buy her 4 tins and give them to her along with an invoice for the dog boarding at the going rate

I think this just about sums it up😆

Yep! This!

I think that ignoring her won't be a remedy, she's possibly one of those people who are so entitled that possibly she felt that she was honouring you to have her little treasure for a week. Or she wouldn't talk like these.

To me these people must be educated, take courage and with great courtesy say that after sparing her costs and time for dog sitting she should simply feel grateful, the cost of dog sitting is certainly more than that of dog food so you're even now.

It takes courage but it sets boundaries, which is what this person is in need of.
I guess she'll manifest entitlement again if you don't stop her.

God some people are unbelievable!

Nerve of some people 😂! It’s stories like this that makes you wonder why you bother with folk. The next time I saw her, Id mention to her that you forgot to bill your time for dog sitting then ask her how much her dog food and to just take it off how much she owes you. Mic drop and walk off. Could add how ungrateful she has come across as all you done was do her a favour.

Oh my good do not buy this woman any dog food, dogs are dogs, of course they will eat each others food. I’d avoid the school mum at the gates sounds like she likes to cause a drama 🙄

That's sad, but at least it didn't end too badly and she did some backtracking when she realised her overreaction. You have nothing to feel bad about and you can move on and be magnanimous towards her (at arms length). Some people just act before they think, it's nothing personal, and it's more likely to end up rebounding on them if you let nature take it's course. The phrase "no good deed goes unpunished" springs to mind.

Tell her to jog on and don’t t ever offer to look after dog again!! She is being totally unreasonable and she knows it.she had her break and came back to a happy dog. Win, win for her and there dog plus she saved £££££’s. Call her out and let all your contacts know just how much a sly, ungrateful individual she is.

£40?!?! I pay £70 per night!! And I provide the food.

Tell her to “have sex whilst travelling”. Life literally is too short for shit like this when you are doing someone a favour.

I doggysat for my daughters dogs in her home a couple f weeks ago, for 14 days, one if her dogs is on a special diet. Her and my new sil were so grateful. It would have been >£1000 for kennelling and tbh the dogs wouldn’t cope with kennels🤷‍♀️I was having to return home, 20 miles away, to look after my own animals that I had left with my partner and daughter as well as my herd of ponies.
When they came home they bought me gifts worth £100’s even though I wasn’t wanting to be paid.
I can’t believe thus woman wasn’t grateful considering you weren’t even ‘mates’😡
I would give her the 4 tins of food and not even take any payment, she obviously can’t afford it, I don’t think she had even booked the dog into kennels and just took advantage of you😡
Put it down to experience and if she does ask again, and she will, I would drop her in it at the last minute🤷‍♀️sometimes we are just too kind for our own good.

Buy her the food and include a note telling her you won't be taking care of her dog for free again. She probably thinks your dog ate her dog's food the entire time and that she more than paid you in dog food. She is crazy.

And talk to the woman who told her as well. Tell her you took care of her dog for free and tell her that she's demanding compensation. Make sure she knows what the dog owner did with that information. Thank her for telling the dog owner because now you know the owner's true colors and won't be wasting time with her ever again.