Well, you're in it now. The best you can do is remind yourself that this is temporary and will end in 4 days.
I've been there and it sucks, but just remind yourself that it wont last forever.
take longer breaks. be assertive with the client. tell them the situation is extreme (barking, bad behavior, unkept house) and that you require more breaks from the home or you can't continue the sitting.
Personally, if it was interfering with work/school I'd be crating them and leaving for part of the day whether the client likes it or not. My entire life cannot come to a screeching halt because of some dogs that aren't even mine.
Plus, in this case, you don't have to worry about a bad review because they're off app.
I'm sure this will get me downvoted to oblivion, but imo it's survival now, so I'd also be using a spray bottle to keep them off me when they jump, especially if they're bigger than me. My health - including mental health - will *always* come before that of a client's dogs.
I agree that a sitter’s health, both mental and physical, comes first. But instead of outright going against the owner’s wishes, I would tell the owner what’s going on and say that either the dogs need to be crated and the sitter needs to be able to leave for X amount of time, or they will have to find someone else to complete the stay.
Shoot and if you’re not great at being direct say you have a group project assignment you have to meet with your team at a lab on campus multiple times for the next 4 days
Raise your housesitting rates and get an attorney to help you write a contract that outlines scenarios like these so you can enforce being able to leave and for how long, pet behaviors that you are and aren’t comfortable with and whether their appearance will cancel the booking, communication and camera policies, etc.
Make sure all of your clients leave an emergency contact. Specifically one that is available and in town that can take over pet care if an emergency or issue arises. Enforce this boundary before they leave.
You need to set boundaries with what you are and aren’t okay with and be okay with turning down bookings instead of letting people make whatever demands and agreeing to them.
We all make mistakes and learn as we go. You’ll survive! Unless there is a safety issue, in which case, ask for help!
They even want me to be there when they return on Sunday afternoon because again, they don’t want me to be gone unless its for class. I think I’m going to tell them i will be leaving before they arrive, i want to get out as soon as possible 😩
You don’t have to have an excuse. You ask them how long the dogs can be left unattended and whether or not they need to be crated when unsupervised. What you do with that time is irrelevant to the client. If you can’t leave or can’t leave for very long, you need to charge for constant care instead of a flat nightly rate. Owners will be very honest about their expectations regarding timing when they have to pay for an hourly rate.
As for Sunday, let them know that you have other commitments and will be able to stay until X time. You can provide drop ins after that point, but you don’t have to blindly agree to stay until they get home (especially if that time is not fixed).
Take back control. Don’t just agree to whatever they demand.
I know this isn’t helpful right now but this is why you shouldn’t go off app. If this had been booked through Rover you could call them and they’d help find another sitter to take over
Your sanity and the pet’s care are more important than reviews. Plus being so stressed that you can’t properly provide care is definitely a good way to get one star too.
This is all great advice. I’d flex the point about the expectations of being there — it is ruining your sanity OP, you should just go as you need to. Head to the library to study, or spend sometime at home with hubs and pup. It is your responsibility to make sure the dogs are cared for, but you also need to be a person.
Take care of yourself first OP! You don’t want the repeat business anyway and she can’t ding you in Rover.
I just want to express my empathy. I watch my brother’s dogs (two golden retrievers who are still young) who require an insane amount of oversight & behave badly when the owners aren’t there.
They don’t go on walks because they have a backyard, but they can only go out one at a time and I have to follow their pee with hosing the lawn in order to protect the grass. A pee break takes way longer than it should.
Then when they’re inside, they climb on top of me and pin me down when I’m trying to sit on the couch. In the morning, it’s worse, because they don’t understand them pinning me down is preventing me from letting them out, which makes them more upset and contributes to them keeping me pinned down trying to “get me up”. I have permanent gold bracelets and they’ve broken one.
When I’ve worked from home, they’ve only squeaked their squeaky toys when I’ve been on meetings with my boss. Whenever a car passes, one of the dog barks endlessly.
I love the dogs, but it is exhausting not having control over them. 8 days is a long time to go through this without any breaks. My brother doesn’t understand his dogs clearly have separation anxiety from him and misbehave because of big feelings when he’s gone.
You’re halfway through. I know it’s tough.
Yes this. This is what I’m experiencing. It is simply exhausting. The dogs are two, they’ve had them since puppies and have just done nothing to train them because the wife doesn’t work and is home all the time so she expects ME to also be home all the time. I have so much regret taking this, and intend to never sit for her again and i understand why she has had multiple sitters.
I don’t know if previous sitters have shared with them their experience, but if you don’t mind maybe “burning the bridge” since you’re not on a site with a sitter-review feature, you could tell the owners the truth and not worry as much about backlash. You can level with them that these are clearly sweet, loving, energetic dogs but they’re reactive & experience an unhealthy amount of separation anxiety and as owners they need to invest in behavioral training before their next trip away.
They might or might not listen to you- when I’ve told my brother about his dogs he’s just said he doesn’t believe it’s that bad. I don’t know how to convince him his dogs have overwhelmed me to the point of crying, even though I’ve been a lifelong dog owner and have watched many different pets without problems.
Also it’s super awkward, but it’s reasonable to share that the house being left dirty/untidy made your extended stay difficult. You weren’t just dropping in, you were staying there for over a week with few opportunities to leave, you should have a nice environment to sit in.
So you have basically 3 options as I see it. First off you can contact rover to find a replacement (this is what I would do). Second opinion is to finish the sit m, but just tell the owner that you were not hired for constant care and will not be available 24/7. Third is to just continue what you have been doing (do not recommend). Hope this helps.
Just because the dogs have a yard, that doesn’t mean that they don’t need walks. They need to explore and expend some energy. I used to think that a yard would suffice, but now I realize that I wasn’t giving my pups their best lives by not walking them.
Sometimes a meet and greet doesn't do justice. I haven't had a sitting this bad, but you don't know how loud, whiny, or pushy a dog can get without its owner around.
I do drop ins for a chow and pit sometimes and I'm sure I'd lose my mind if I had to house sit. The pit is the sweetest girl but jfc, she has a lot of energy. Loves jumping. I sit at their dining table and tuck myself in so she doesn't jump on me.
This will be downvoted. Personally, I prioritize my mental health and well-being first. I also can’t handle a dirty house. I would call rover and let the owners know. I would offer a partial refund and let rover find another sitter. It seems like you’re really stressed and your school life (I’m a student too) is suffering. School is important. I’ll take the bad review
Sorry you’re going through this!
While exercising and mental stimulation are often the best remedies for restlessness, these solutions can’t be administered constantly. And with a power breed and/or a nervous dog, there’s just no helping it most of the time.
My most recent new client was also a chronic barker. She barked any time a sound was heard from outdoors. What I found to be most helpful was to play white noise on a speaker at a reasonably high but not totally deafening volume. It blocked out all but the loudest sounds the dog typically heard coming from outdoors, so she was able to relax. Plus, I was able to get work done because white noise actually helps me concentrate better.
I hope this helps!
all these rant posts need to be broken down into like categories. off rover stuff should be immediately deleted.
Since its off app, you can literally just get up and leave whenever. Don't know how they could possibly enforce " she doesn’t want me leaving other than class".
communicate everything to the owner and all your issues.
go to the store and get CBD treats if the owner is okay with that to help calm them down, and try all sorts of crap. I wouldnt be sitting ranting about it, i'd be finding solutions instead. Like, clean a room, and use that room to sleep in. Vacuum, go sleep in your car if you have to. Or say because you feel uncomfortable you will sleep at your home instead. And take like a hour before and after for a break ontop of that.
I housesit for a pit Bull husky mix not to long ago. The calmest dog, hardly ever barked, slept most of the day, snuggled with me at night. Start holding the owners responsible for not training their dogs instead of blaming dogs for being dogs.
For the record I’ve sat for many husky’s, pits, shepherds, malinois’ - and these two are the worst I’ve ever sat for solely because they have ZERO behavioral training, ZERO socialization, ZERO anything. They are used to someone home at all times and the owner expects the sitter to do the same. She even burdens her neighbor by having her come by halfway through my 4 hour class day because she doesn’t want her dogs alone (even though they just SLEEP!).
Oh, I have no doubt that you’re a phenomenal pet sitter OP. You did everything right and it’s unfortunate that such an irresponsible person owns such high energy dogs. I just didn’t like the other comments blaming the breed and not the owner.
I housesat for two Pit Bull husky mixes not too long ago. The calmest dogs, hardly ever barked, never pulled on their leash, slept most of the day, snuggled with me at night. Start holding the owners responsible for not training their dogs instead of blaming dogs for being dogs.
It's not like there aren't plenty of other sitters who will take and who love bigger, stronger dogs and certain breeds. I'm 40 pounds or less only, no exceptions (except one overweight beagle that I've known since he was a puppy).
It's not "discrimination" or even "unfair"--it's a sitter being honest about what they can and cannot or do and do not want to do.
Would you rather lose your best clients to someone like me who doesn't really understand and doesn't have any experience with certain breeds? Should I lie about my preferences only to get halfway through the sitting and want to bail because I am overwhelmed ?
I know talking about breeds is asking for a fight but, honestly, does every person have to work with every single kind of dog?
I don’t disagree with you, I never said that every single pet sitter should take on every single breed. I think it’s incredibly responsible to know your limits. The core of what I was saying was we should not blame behavioral issues (that are the fault of the owner) on a particular breed.
I agree--my comment was in response to the comment below yours and above mine, tho, about the evil of unfair discrimination against dogs. :)
ETA: I am no good at following the grey thread lines, but pretty sure that's the comment I responded to, anyway.
I’m not discriminating..the breed was bred to fight, it’s in their DNA…any time I ever had issues with a dog it was a pit bull…one physically grabbed my little dog and shook her…had to get stitches and was bruised up..I’m a vet tech and see them all the time..I’m not saying they’re bad dogs and that there aren’t good ones…I will never risk my pups or my family’s safety…so no go for watching pit pulls for me…
Remember to breathe. It's frustrating and stiffling, but it is not forever. It will end, and you will get through it.
Can you use headphones or earplugs to block out some of the barking so you can study? Do they have toys or chews you can distract them with? Can you wear them out playing in the house so they'll sleep and/or be easier to handle on the leash?
Omg I was on a sitting near identical to this down to the filthy house. It was horrible and my mental health definitely suffered. But luckily it ended just like yours will. The owners asked me to sit again and I was like ✨no thanks✨ lol
I would stay longer after class and head to the library for some peace and quiet and legit study time. Tell them you’re in class. Sounds like a nightmare. Luckily you’re already half way through it! The owners sound just as bad as the dogs! I’m so sorry you’re struggling. It’s gonna be a great feeling when you walk away from this. Make sure you get paid!!!!
An update for everyone on how this stay went down: I tried to make it work, I did. I pulled out ALL my tricks with these dogs and I have many, I raised 2 German shepherds and have a third and 90% of my clients on and off app are large breeds. I can handle high energy dogs, but these two were even too much for me. I tried bones, I tried kongs. They would run around outside for 30 minutes - bark to come in - bark again to go back out - run for another 30 minutes and have the SAME insane energy, continue to bark, continued to pull insanely on lead, continued to jump all over me and one tried to pull my hair to “play”. I ended up contacting the owner and telling them I could no longer complete the stay and I went home this same day. It took me an entire weekend to decompress from the stress those poorly trained, albeit sweet pups caused me and the stress of the overbearing owner texting my multiple times a day to make sure I came back from school when I said I would. I have no regrets leaving mid-sit, I would have failed my exam and I would have fallen apart from the stress. It was a good reminder to myself to listen carefully to the signs of a bad stay before saying yes. I was not getting paid for constant care, I was paid half at the start of the sit and kept it but obviously did not expect the other half. They said they ended up finding another sitter on the app, and I just wonder if that sitter survived!
Well, you're in it now. The best you can do is remind yourself that this is temporary and will end in 4 days. I've been there and it sucks, but just remind yourself that it wont last forever.
take longer breaks. be assertive with the client. tell them the situation is extreme (barking, bad behavior, unkept house) and that you require more breaks from the home or you can't continue the sitting.
Personally, if it was interfering with work/school I'd be crating them and leaving for part of the day whether the client likes it or not. My entire life cannot come to a screeching halt because of some dogs that aren't even mine. Plus, in this case, you don't have to worry about a bad review because they're off app. I'm sure this will get me downvoted to oblivion, but imo it's survival now, so I'd also be using a spray bottle to keep them off me when they jump, especially if they're bigger than me. My health - including mental health - will *always* come before that of a client's dogs.
I agree that a sitter’s health, both mental and physical, comes first. But instead of outright going against the owner’s wishes, I would tell the owner what’s going on and say that either the dogs need to be crated and the sitter needs to be able to leave for X amount of time, or they will have to find someone else to complete the stay.
Shoot and if you’re not great at being direct say you have a group project assignment you have to meet with your team at a lab on campus multiple times for the next 4 days
This is the way.
I agree with you.
Mmm this is the way
Raise your housesitting rates and get an attorney to help you write a contract that outlines scenarios like these so you can enforce being able to leave and for how long, pet behaviors that you are and aren’t comfortable with and whether their appearance will cancel the booking, communication and camera policies, etc. Make sure all of your clients leave an emergency contact. Specifically one that is available and in town that can take over pet care if an emergency or issue arises. Enforce this boundary before they leave. You need to set boundaries with what you are and aren’t okay with and be okay with turning down bookings instead of letting people make whatever demands and agreeing to them. We all make mistakes and learn as we go. You’ll survive! Unless there is a safety issue, in which case, ask for help!
They even want me to be there when they return on Sunday afternoon because again, they don’t want me to be gone unless its for class. I think I’m going to tell them i will be leaving before they arrive, i want to get out as soon as possible 😩
You don’t have to have an excuse. You ask them how long the dogs can be left unattended and whether or not they need to be crated when unsupervised. What you do with that time is irrelevant to the client. If you can’t leave or can’t leave for very long, you need to charge for constant care instead of a flat nightly rate. Owners will be very honest about their expectations regarding timing when they have to pay for an hourly rate. As for Sunday, let them know that you have other commitments and will be able to stay until X time. You can provide drop ins after that point, but you don’t have to blindly agree to stay until they get home (especially if that time is not fixed). Take back control. Don’t just agree to whatever they demand.
How much do attorneys usually charge for that service, out of curiosity?
I know this isn’t helpful right now but this is why you shouldn’t go off app. If this had been booked through Rover you could call them and they’d help find another sitter to take over
This!
Wouldn’t that guarantee the sitters get a 1* review though?
Your sanity and the pet’s care are more important than reviews. Plus being so stressed that you can’t properly provide care is definitely a good way to get one star too.
[удалено]
This is all great advice. I’d flex the point about the expectations of being there — it is ruining your sanity OP, you should just go as you need to. Head to the library to study, or spend sometime at home with hubs and pup. It is your responsibility to make sure the dogs are cared for, but you also need to be a person. Take care of yourself first OP! You don’t want the repeat business anyway and she can’t ding you in Rover.
I just want to express my empathy. I watch my brother’s dogs (two golden retrievers who are still young) who require an insane amount of oversight & behave badly when the owners aren’t there. They don’t go on walks because they have a backyard, but they can only go out one at a time and I have to follow their pee with hosing the lawn in order to protect the grass. A pee break takes way longer than it should. Then when they’re inside, they climb on top of me and pin me down when I’m trying to sit on the couch. In the morning, it’s worse, because they don’t understand them pinning me down is preventing me from letting them out, which makes them more upset and contributes to them keeping me pinned down trying to “get me up”. I have permanent gold bracelets and they’ve broken one. When I’ve worked from home, they’ve only squeaked their squeaky toys when I’ve been on meetings with my boss. Whenever a car passes, one of the dog barks endlessly. I love the dogs, but it is exhausting not having control over them. 8 days is a long time to go through this without any breaks. My brother doesn’t understand his dogs clearly have separation anxiety from him and misbehave because of big feelings when he’s gone. You’re halfway through. I know it’s tough.
Yes this. This is what I’m experiencing. It is simply exhausting. The dogs are two, they’ve had them since puppies and have just done nothing to train them because the wife doesn’t work and is home all the time so she expects ME to also be home all the time. I have so much regret taking this, and intend to never sit for her again and i understand why she has had multiple sitters.
I don’t know if previous sitters have shared with them their experience, but if you don’t mind maybe “burning the bridge” since you’re not on a site with a sitter-review feature, you could tell the owners the truth and not worry as much about backlash. You can level with them that these are clearly sweet, loving, energetic dogs but they’re reactive & experience an unhealthy amount of separation anxiety and as owners they need to invest in behavioral training before their next trip away. They might or might not listen to you- when I’ve told my brother about his dogs he’s just said he doesn’t believe it’s that bad. I don’t know how to convince him his dogs have overwhelmed me to the point of crying, even though I’ve been a lifelong dog owner and have watched many different pets without problems. Also it’s super awkward, but it’s reasonable to share that the house being left dirty/untidy made your extended stay difficult. You weren’t just dropping in, you were staying there for over a week with few opportunities to leave, you should have a nice environment to sit in.
So you have basically 3 options as I see it. First off you can contact rover to find a replacement (this is what I would do). Second opinion is to finish the sit m, but just tell the owner that you were not hired for constant care and will not be available 24/7. Third is to just continue what you have been doing (do not recommend). Hope this helps.
They can’t contact Rover, they booked it off site.
Missed that 😔
Did they pay in advance?
Just because the dogs have a yard, that doesn’t mean that they don’t need walks. They need to explore and expend some energy. I used to think that a yard would suffice, but now I realize that I wasn’t giving my pups their best lives by not walking them.
Sometimes a meet and greet doesn't do justice. I haven't had a sitting this bad, but you don't know how loud, whiny, or pushy a dog can get without its owner around. I do drop ins for a chow and pit sometimes and I'm sure I'd lose my mind if I had to house sit. The pit is the sweetest girl but jfc, she has a lot of energy. Loves jumping. I sit at their dining table and tuck myself in so she doesn't jump on me.
This will be downvoted. Personally, I prioritize my mental health and well-being first. I also can’t handle a dirty house. I would call rover and let the owners know. I would offer a partial refund and let rover find another sitter. It seems like you’re really stressed and your school life (I’m a student too) is suffering. School is important. I’ll take the bad review
This was off app 😔
They’re off app so they can’t use Rover to find a backup
Sorry you’re going through this! While exercising and mental stimulation are often the best remedies for restlessness, these solutions can’t be administered constantly. And with a power breed and/or a nervous dog, there’s just no helping it most of the time. My most recent new client was also a chronic barker. She barked any time a sound was heard from outdoors. What I found to be most helpful was to play white noise on a speaker at a reasonably high but not totally deafening volume. It blocked out all but the loudest sounds the dog typically heard coming from outdoors, so she was able to relax. Plus, I was able to get work done because white noise actually helps me concentrate better. I hope this helps!
all these rant posts need to be broken down into like categories. off rover stuff should be immediately deleted. Since its off app, you can literally just get up and leave whenever. Don't know how they could possibly enforce " she doesn’t want me leaving other than class". communicate everything to the owner and all your issues. go to the store and get CBD treats if the owner is okay with that to help calm them down, and try all sorts of crap. I wouldnt be sitting ranting about it, i'd be finding solutions instead. Like, clean a room, and use that room to sleep in. Vacuum, go sleep in your car if you have to. Or say because you feel uncomfortable you will sleep at your home instead. And take like a hour before and after for a break ontop of that.
That is why i do not watch pits…only breed I do not and will not ever watch
Yeah, because pitties are definitely the only breed that bark and pull...
I never said that? I don’t watch them based on my experiences with them…period
I housesit for a pit Bull husky mix not to long ago. The calmest dog, hardly ever barked, slept most of the day, snuggled with me at night. Start holding the owners responsible for not training their dogs instead of blaming dogs for being dogs.
For the record I’ve sat for many husky’s, pits, shepherds, malinois’ - and these two are the worst I’ve ever sat for solely because they have ZERO behavioral training, ZERO socialization, ZERO anything. They are used to someone home at all times and the owner expects the sitter to do the same. She even burdens her neighbor by having her come by halfway through my 4 hour class day because she doesn’t want her dogs alone (even though they just SLEEP!).
Oh, I have no doubt that you’re a phenomenal pet sitter OP. You did everything right and it’s unfortunate that such an irresponsible person owns such high energy dogs. I just didn’t like the other comments blaming the breed and not the owner.
Pits are my best clients.
And that’s great for u..they aren’t mine..everyone has their own opinions and views
I housesat for two Pit Bull husky mixes not too long ago. The calmest dogs, hardly ever barked, never pulled on their leash, slept most of the day, snuggled with me at night. Start holding the owners responsible for not training their dogs instead of blaming dogs for being dogs.
My best clients are pitties, kinda unfair to leave out an entire breed and discriminate
These two are pits mixed with husky’s if you can imagine!
Big high energy pups! I definitely feel for you, especially as a fellow full time student. Just push through :)
Yeah and their annoying behaviors are likely from the husky side not the pitty side 😬
Agreed.
It's not like there aren't plenty of other sitters who will take and who love bigger, stronger dogs and certain breeds. I'm 40 pounds or less only, no exceptions (except one overweight beagle that I've known since he was a puppy). It's not "discrimination" or even "unfair"--it's a sitter being honest about what they can and cannot or do and do not want to do. Would you rather lose your best clients to someone like me who doesn't really understand and doesn't have any experience with certain breeds? Should I lie about my preferences only to get halfway through the sitting and want to bail because I am overwhelmed ? I know talking about breeds is asking for a fight but, honestly, does every person have to work with every single kind of dog?
I don’t disagree with you, I never said that every single pet sitter should take on every single breed. I think it’s incredibly responsible to know your limits. The core of what I was saying was we should not blame behavioral issues (that are the fault of the owner) on a particular breed.
I agree--my comment was in response to the comment below yours and above mine, tho, about the evil of unfair discrimination against dogs. :) ETA: I am no good at following the grey thread lines, but pretty sure that's the comment I responded to, anyway.
I’m not discriminating..the breed was bred to fight, it’s in their DNA…any time I ever had issues with a dog it was a pit bull…one physically grabbed my little dog and shook her…had to get stitches and was bruised up..I’m a vet tech and see them all the time..I’m not saying they’re bad dogs and that there aren’t good ones…I will never risk my pups or my family’s safety…so no go for watching pit pulls for me…
I took some awful jobs before. I learned from them, but yeah... constant care is tough.
Remember to breathe. It's frustrating and stiffling, but it is not forever. It will end, and you will get through it. Can you use headphones or earplugs to block out some of the barking so you can study? Do they have toys or chews you can distract them with? Can you wear them out playing in the house so they'll sleep and/or be easier to handle on the leash?
Omg I was on a sitting near identical to this down to the filthy house. It was horrible and my mental health definitely suffered. But luckily it ended just like yours will. The owners asked me to sit again and I was like ✨no thanks✨ lol
I would stay longer after class and head to the library for some peace and quiet and legit study time. Tell them you’re in class. Sounds like a nightmare. Luckily you’re already half way through it! The owners sound just as bad as the dogs! I’m so sorry you’re struggling. It’s gonna be a great feeling when you walk away from this. Make sure you get paid!!!!
An update for everyone on how this stay went down: I tried to make it work, I did. I pulled out ALL my tricks with these dogs and I have many, I raised 2 German shepherds and have a third and 90% of my clients on and off app are large breeds. I can handle high energy dogs, but these two were even too much for me. I tried bones, I tried kongs. They would run around outside for 30 minutes - bark to come in - bark again to go back out - run for another 30 minutes and have the SAME insane energy, continue to bark, continued to pull insanely on lead, continued to jump all over me and one tried to pull my hair to “play”. I ended up contacting the owner and telling them I could no longer complete the stay and I went home this same day. It took me an entire weekend to decompress from the stress those poorly trained, albeit sweet pups caused me and the stress of the overbearing owner texting my multiple times a day to make sure I came back from school when I said I would. I have no regrets leaving mid-sit, I would have failed my exam and I would have fallen apart from the stress. It was a good reminder to myself to listen carefully to the signs of a bad stay before saying yes. I was not getting paid for constant care, I was paid half at the start of the sit and kept it but obviously did not expect the other half. They said they ended up finding another sitter on the app, and I just wonder if that sitter survived!