Dog sitter

[whatalifethisis]

Hi
We have just returned from a week's holiday to a curt note from our neighbours to say one of our dogs howled/barked from 10.00am Fri night to 3.00am Sat morning keeping them awake.

We had our usual dog sitter to stay who is absolutely lovely and has cared for our pets for years...no problems ever.

We have 2 four year old dogs who sleep upstairs with us and a pup of 7 months who at the moment sleeps in a large pen downstairs.

On the Fri night the part time worker sat the dogs as the usual sitters were going away. We didn't know this would be the case until after we booked the holiday. (she has done house calls before and helps them out when they are very busy)

The pup clearly didn't settle as he didn't know her but I am very upset that he was left to howl and bark for 5 hours (have made peace with the neighbours!) Am I wrong in thinking that if you are pet sitting you don't leave a pup in a distressed state for 5 hours and that you do whatever you need to to calm them? Is that unrealistic?

I hate to think of him being that upset :(

Are you totally sure it was one of your dogs?

Hi adaline absolutely sure. I spoke to one of my regular sitters yesterday after I posted and apparently the stand in sitter told them that the pup was 'naughty'

The more I think about it the more I think it was because although he's met her a few times he is not familiar with her as he is with the other sitter who he sees several times a week as she also walks the dogs.

Maybe it was a mistake on our part but as I said we weren't aware that the stand in sitter would be doing the last night until a few weeks before we went away and I didn't anticipate there being a problem.

I have said very politely that I don't want her looking after the dogs again. If I wanted him to howl for 5 hours I could have saved the money and left him on his own anyway.

Anyway, he doesn't appear to be upset now so I guess I will have to chalk it up to experience! Thank you for your reply

Bottle of wine /box of chocs for the neighbours and reassure them you are as mad as them it happened.

Ah okay,

That's frustrating but I guess it's just one of those things. Sometimes dogs won't settle for people they don't know and maybe they weren't sure whether you'd want them to (as an example) let the puppy in the bed even if it would quieten them down.

This annoys me so much. How can a puppy be naughty. It’s not possible and a dog is never naughty. I would not be using them again if I’m honest.

Thank you for all your replies.

I have made it clear that unless my regular sitters can do every single night we won't book them.

I usually give them plenty of notice and work round their availability.

All 3 dogs (and the cat) adore them. He didn't make a sound all the other nights (I checked with the neighbours and the sitter) so it's clear he was unsettled that night.

I am really quite angry that she labelled him as naughty.....he's a baby ffs!

Flowers for neighbours tonight and a voodoo doll of the temp sitter I think :)

I would be assuming that the part time sitter was out for the night and from 10.00PM until she got in at (presumably) 3AM, poor pup was desperate for the loo?

The temp sitter sounds useless. A puppy doesn't howl for 5 hours because it is naughty, it howls because it is distressed, but whatever the reason you don't leave the puppy to howl and wake up everyone in the neighbourhood.

I think you are right to refuse this sitter again.