Now expected to walk my bosses dog at lunch.

[Rose785]

My boss started bringing her dog in maybe once a week. She works through lunch so she can leave work an hour early. I like to walk at lunch time. She asked if I could walk her dog and I genuinely didnt mind to begin with. But now she's bringing her dog in 3 or 4 times a week and now just expects me to walk her dog on my lunch break. I am a very busy mum so my only time to get my steps in is during my lunch and I find the dog annoys me by constantly stopping to sniff and slowing down my pace as well as picking up the poo which isnt my own dog is unpleasant!!! I finally said no when my boss asked me the other day and she was like oh please just a quick one! And it's now just irritating me that I have to walk her dog on my lunch when I just want to be on my own and decompress from being a busy working mum. it's getting to the point where I am thinking of possible ways and lies of getting out of it.
AIBU to feel this way. And if not any advise. It is my boss and I love my job but it's getting to me now.

I think you have to just say it turns your stomach to deal with dog poo and that's why you don't have a dog yourself, even though you quite like dogs otherwise. And that it's become an issue for you for that reason. No-one in their right mind would think you were unreasonable about that and she really can't be offended.

Sorry, the dog is too slow and I can't get my fitness in. End of.

And also, you are a cheeky fucker, walk your own blasted dog.

Whe it gets to just before lunchtime, say you'll take the dog out for a short walk for 10 minutes or so. Bring the dog back, hand it over and then say "Right, I'm going for my lunch break now". And take the full hour.

Yes I can walk your dog in my paid office hours. I
I need to use my lunch break for my own jobs.
She's extreemly cheeky to expect you to be an unpaid dog walker. Either she pays for a professipnal dog walker or you get paid in kind by duing it during work hours and only if its agreeable to you

Incidentally, how is your boss allowed to regularly work through lunch & leave early?

Surely this is against regulations? Everywhere that I have worked would only allow this as a one off if you had a doctor appointment or similar.

I don't think you.have to take breaks if you're entitled to them (ie working over 6 hrs a day). But it does sound a bit like the boss is doing as she pleases!

I used to take my dog to work and had a dog walker come in at lunchtime to walk him. I was the manager and couldn’t leave site. It worked well, suggest that

Equally, this is your BREAK. My dog walker was paid for the couple of hours she took him out for

Also, worth saying “I’ve been reading up online, I don’t have the insurance needed to walk dog so I really can’t. If something happened to dog or I lost dog I’d be gutted, and of course, so would you. Sorry but I really can’t do this anymore. Dog is gorgeous though so I’m still looking forward to cuddles under my desk”

It's also so they are not left alone all day.

What regulations? We don't know where they work or what their contracts say.

This

Exactly this

just say "I have stuff to do this lunch hour". if she asks again, just say "No, its not working for me".

Does your boss give you any perks? I had a boss who did this (although I was walking the dog in work time not my lunch). I didn’t mind at all because I like dogs and he was very generous with bonuses and generally a decent guy to work for (I’d also work a 60 hour week for him because he recompensed me properly and didn’t just take the piss).

You need to look at the whole picture. If you’re just being put on and not being remunerated, I’d tell her straight you value your spare time - including lunch breaks - so she needs to make other arrangements.

Per piece of poo.

There’s nothing to say she’s an employee. If she’s a partner in the business she may be classed as self-employed so that won’t apply.

I will, if I can have a half hour longer break?

YANBU to not want to do it.

YABU to do it when you don't want to.
Just say "No - I did it as a favour, thinking it was a one off, but I don't like walking dogs generally so chose not to have one. I'm not prepared to do it any more"

Thanks every one for all the responses. I wasn't expecting so much feedback. I think I am finding it hard to say no as it's slowly increased to her bringing the dog in and me always saying yes how can I suddenly say no! And it's pissed me off now that I have said no and she's said oh please just a quick one! I will use a combination of everyone's advise i think. Start with saying "no not today" and leave it as that as I shouldn't have to give an excuse then if she asked why I will say about the pace and decompress alone. But if she again ignores me and says a quick one I am tempted to take it to her boss! She would definitely let me take a longer lunch to walk her dog but that doesn't work for me as my work load doesn't reduce so it just means a more stressful afternoon. I hate that I am in this situation and feel that it's just so bad as she now just expects it and even asks the dog to go and ask me (for a walk)

I think maybe you have to work on being more assertive OP.
It shouldn’t be this difficult to speak up as what’s she asking isn’t a small favour at all.

I get it if it was a relatively minor thing she asked you to help with like bringing back a coffee from the quiet cafe next door on your way in. But she is asking you to spend your lunch time looking after her dog - something that is usually a paid service and most bosses wouldn’t dream of asking their colleagues to do. Especially after they showed reluctance.

It should be a simple case of saying “I know I I’ve done it in the past on a few occasions but i’m no longer available to spend my lunch times walking your dog.” Period

Take it to the senior manager by all means if you want to but it’s very unfortunate that you’re not able to tell your direct boss no. It might make you look a bit silly if you say yes but then go direct above her and say you’ve been forced. Surely it’s less uncomfortable just to tell her no directly?

Good luck, OP.

Well done for having the insight that she's using you and not feeling like you have to accept it forevermore.

If she pushes, say you don't want the responsibility as it stresses you out when you should be relaxing.

I've used an excuse of having seen a dog attack so could never walk one. That was my previous boss and it got me out of doing a single walk of her dog.
I knew if I'd said yes to one walk, more requests would follow.

Good luck.

She’s a massive CF - start going out to see an ill friend every lunchtime.

Don’t lie or make up excuses. ‘I’ll walk the dog in work time but my lunch hour is MY time’.