Dog sitting gone wrong..

[icantgetnosheep1]

Friend of a friend needed a sitter - we’ve had many before but by god this one is hard work. He’s an English bull terrier and by far the worst dog I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. First and foremost he stinks! I feel like burning the house down the smell is everywhere.. I was on a telephone call earlier left the lounge for half hour tops, he’s ripped up every cushion I own on the sofa. He’s humped everything 🙄 we can’t eat without him barking and barking for food at the table and has been and absolute arse from the minute he got here. To top it all we can’t walk him anywhere.. reactive to cars, cats, other dogs .. none of this was ever said and the owner has messaged to say he’s staying away longer than expected.. should have been back Sunday night but now not back until Tuesday I could cry!! 😭 one more night.. is as much as I can take. Lessons have been learned this weekend..

You deserve a bloody medal! Just one more night, you've got this! Will they replace your cushions?

Totally unacceptable - the owner should definitely replace your cushions.

Could you ask for a one time clean to get rid of the smell?

My friend's mum is a dog sitter. She never agrees to sit a dog until she's had trial day/night with them, no matter who they are. Works well and she's still rammed with bookings.

Are you getting paid?

This is just me being to bloody nice! We lost our dog a couple of years back and dog sit friends dogs when they go away for free - works well for us all and we get a little friend for a couple of days. We’ve whittled it down to a few selective few who we love seeing and their owners know they are safe and living their best life whilst they relax on holidays! This was a last minute.. can you help situation! Never be fooled again. It’s totally dominated my house since Friday am and tomorrow just cannot come soon enough!

Try taking him to one of the run free dog fields ..hopefully he'll wear himself out and give you a break. Can you keep him in the one room when at yours to minimize disruption. It might get better, good luck.

Are they paying you? I’d definitely be charging them the cost of your pillows!!! When they said they weren’t coming back on time, I would have said sorry, you have to as I’m going away.

I have been doing that since I got him as I realised pretty quickly he was not able to socialise with pretty much anyone or anything. I actually feel sorry for him as he clearly has issues that haven’t been addressed and his behaviour has impacted his ability to interact with other dogs. 🙁

Make sure you tell the owner when they collect him how awful it’s been. They should feel so embarrassed giving someone a dog like that to look after.

Not being paid and have never taken money to help out friends who need a sitter. This time round has been a learning curve as to why we only look after dogs we know well and know how to behave. We have one dog that comes to us often as their owner travels for work - he basically has two homes and we love him to bits. I should have known better than to take on a dog I knew very little about who was ‘stuck’ for a sitter - that’s always a sign people won’t have the dog for a reason. One more night.. that’s all I keep telling myself 😆

I would be having strong words with this so called friend, they're neither a decent human friend or dog owner!

just think, you’ll be grateful when the other lovely dog comes to stay! 😂 it’s lovely you don’t charge, but absolutely tell them the cost of the cushions. You shouldn’t be out of pocket for doing a good deed.

I can't believe he didn't talk about his behaviour...

My dog has a whole user's guide on a Notion page for people who look after him, with a glossary, a diagram to explain how to put his jumper on, a whole bag of accessories and treats, meals prepared and packaged in boxes with a label for morning and evening, next of kin, and an apology in advance for the potential farts.

Surely if you care about your dog, you want the person who dogsit them to be as prepared as possible.
Your friend isn't a friend and also a poor dog owner. Poor dog. And poor you. I'd be mortified if my dog left that impression on a dogsitter.

The other dog is coming on holiday with us for half term, he’s an absolutely adorable dog and we love him very much. He’s also with us at Christmas-same as last year and will have his own presents to unwrap 😆 he’s cheeky for sure, but we love that about him. Knows all the tricks and loves a cuddle 🥰 we like doing it and know it helps those who are in need. We are down to three dogs now who are welcome in our home anytime. It actually works well - when it works .. this time it’s a definite no. I’m sad for the dog, he’s not to blame. Boundaries are not in place and I suspect his behaviour is down to being left far too often and not knowing which way is up! He’s fast asleep now.. tomorrow is another day.

Guess what.. not back!I suspected this would happen. 😫 radio silence, no explanation.

OMFG that’s so cheeky! I’d be fuming.

A dog sitter I used had a situation where the dog owner… just didn’t pick up the dog. They kept him for a couple of months but sadly had to put him in a rescue as he was very problematic. I guess people don’t abandon lovely friendly dogs. Still, I feel so sorry for a poor dog waiting and waiting for their owner to return… except in the case of my dog who loves his regular sitters just a tiny bit too much (jealous emoji!)

Don't do favours for friends of a friend. It just makes things awkward when it goes wrong.

Can your friend take the dog? Or can you message the owner and say 'i only agreed to look after your dog till Sunday. You need to collect him today as I have other committments'?

Exactly. You walked yourself into this situation, OP. It was always going to happen at home point if you expanded your 'free dogsitting' arrangement beyond people and pets you knew very well.

Can you not get in contact with her?

Contact the friend and ask them to step in, I have a horrid feeling they won’t come back.

How well do you know the owner OP? Do you think he's been dumped on you?

I'd be dropping the dog off with the 'friend' who introduced you to their friend!

Crikey OP. You don't think they've dumped the dog permanently on you do you? When the owner does get in contact you must ask them to pay for the house to be cleaned, cushions and anything else paid for and tell them in no uncertain terms to get the dog neutered (I assume he isn't from what you've said). They are awful dog owners and I feel so sorry for the poor thing. And for you of course!

Do you have a dog proofed garden? It's dry for the next few days. No outdoor kennels?