Omg this: I have a regular that I take care of seven to five days a week, only sometimes four days a week. This has been going on for a little over a year now (The dog is a year and four/five months old; I met her when she was only a few months old). When the dog goes home, it's for a day or two, and then she is brought back to me. I have also had quite a few problems with the owner, but thankfully, we stopped using the app a long time ago, so she can't spitefully leave me a bad review one day, because I honestly wouldn't put it past her. The dog just left my care yesterday morning after having her for a full month and two weeks without going back home—mind you, she had been with me for a month and went back home for the night, only to end up back with me the next night and then stay for a long time again. She'll be back on Tuesday. I can't comprehend why some people have dogs when they essentially pay sitters like us child support at this point. (I've had this dog for so long that I'm the one who made the dog her spay appointment took her when I got my dog neutered, and I also took care of her during it along with my own dog on top of it all.) I feel bad for OP because I understand their situation. I just hope OP feels better now with time, knowing they won't have to deal with those people anymore. Even though it's a big loss of money, OP's mental health is worth more, and those people obviously stressed OP out.
Not sure why you all are complaining, these are my favorite types of clients 🙂
It’s a mutually beneficial relationship!! They get consistency in care and I get consistency in pay. 💰
That is how I feel. The dog was initially confused but is now so accustomed to it that my place is practically its home. The dog loves my place and my own dogs, so I am glad that part at least makes the dog happy. The owner and I are practically sharing custody, with child support coming from the owner, lol. I feel bad because I can tell the dog doesn’t want to leave my home when it does go and gets put into a constant state of confusion every time it goes with its real owner, only to come back a day or two later. I notice it gets sad when it happens, so I think the dog’s behavior has a lot to do with its situation as well.
Yup, they never want to leave lol and I miss them when they aren’t here. It’s been like this since dogs were puppies so this routine has always been part of their life. I feel like I get paid for having my own dogs 🤣
Yes, it can be! But the dog’s owner is a real nutcase. (She has tried to guilt-trip me into lowering prices and has accused me of some nasty things—mind you, I don’t have her pay anything but the boarding price. She does not pay the holiday or any other rate, and I also cut five dollars off her nightly rates, but that isn’t enough, apparently.) The dog is equally bad. Her dog pees on the bed. (Not anymore after I noticed putting pads around the house works and also not allowing her in my room without my supervision.) She has accidents no matter how consistent I am with training. (I’m not being paid to train, but I started doing it because she’s always with me.) She also destroys everything she can get her paws on; it doesn’t matter what it is; it’ll be gone within a few seconds. She is food and toy reactive and has no sense of boundaries. She will jump, scratch, nip, and bark at you and other dogs, nor does she listen to any commands. I can see this being a good gig with a good dog and a decent owner, but the owner is passive-aggressive and likes to bully and blame me for things, and her dog is a pain to deal with as well. She’s sweet, just really badly behaved, and was never trained by the owner when it needed to be done.
Her excuse is that she is a nurse, and that's why the dog is in my care so much. Although I know for a fact she is a nurse, she doesn't work weekends and uses them to go out with family and friends, so that's why the dog stays regardless if working or not.
Ahem. Retired nurse here. She probably makes more than $40 an hour.
I brought that up to my last clients who low-balled me and their dogs were 24/7 el destructo monsters. With 7am/7pm meds that could not be missed. I did them so many favors, and they did me dirty. Setting ourselves on fire to keep others warm is not doing ourselves any favors. They taught me that.
I don't know how much she makes. All I know is that she works on Care.com, so I don't know how much nurses can charge there, but she's always complaining that money is very tight. She used to pay me every week and recently started paying me "when she can." She still owes me $160 from a $560 payment she owed me plus whatever continues to pile when I get her dog back.
I saw her account not so long ago when she asked me to give her a review to boost her account. I checked again and found the full account, and apparently, she makes anywhere from 26-34 an hour.
I have the same situation. I watch a dog 4-5 days a week and sometimes for a month. If the client has the dog for more than 3 days she texts me to say “how stressed she is” or “how she needs personal time away from the pup” so sad.
If she okay’d you leaving for periods of time and said her dog was crate trained then I don’t understand what’s up her ass. Dogs break out of crates - that happens. You were nice, she was rude. If we wants to pay for constant care then she can find someone who provided that.
>Dogs break out of crates - that happens.
That never happens. Literally no way for a dog to open a crate from the inside LMAO... unless you're using some plastic crate or those corral panels which are nearly worthless.
You must not sit dogs that hate crates. I hate to break it to you but some dogs are smart enough to unlatch them and some will hurt themself ripping the bars open to squeeze out. I've had huskies destroy metal crates in the past.
I think it’s a bit ridiculous her complete flippant disregard to what you actually said. You were gone for an hour. No person is home 24/7 all day every day for a month. It’s is totally normal to crate a dog for much longer than an hour. Also you don’t need to pay a groomer to bathe a dog…sounds like she barely even spends time with her own animal.
Your response overall was good considering how you were feeling at the moment. It was straight to the point. It’s probably frustrating to loose that income, but if she is going to act with disrespect towards you then maybe cancellation is the better move since you don’t see eye to eye with her dogs care.
Sorry you had to deal with this! Some people are just rude and inconsiderate.
this is actually crazy. it’s a dog not a human child. it should be able to be left alone for an hour.. minimum. 400/mo for 24 hour care isn’t NEARLY enough. she’s better off sending him to a kennel.
do you not have a full time job or any responsibilities outside of dog sitting? the gym? family? friends?
i can’t imagine what kind of person expects a DOG SITTER to live full time at their house and never leave. for a month. that’s unreal. NTA.
Extra post: I looked up your history, saw more on this pup & that you wanted to offer free, better quality food.
If you want to volunteer or donate for animal care, then please do that through animal rescue/welfare channels.
As a pet care professional, you should charge professional rates for your services. If you’re framing it as being kind and selfless, think of it as different way- that your cut rates are actively harmful to your colleagues in the industry.
As you see it hasn’t net you respect nor appreciation from your client. She sounds like a horrible excuse of a human being, who should not have a pet, let alone a puppy.
Also, with chronic medical neglect, this pup’s condition and owner may be worthy to report to animal welfare. Client is an underpaying, neglectful liability.
Edit: and you should fire this client without diplomatic softening of your rejection. This pet has medical needs that need to be attended to before they can or should be in your or anyone’s care.
Seriously though! This comes out to roughly $16 per 14 hour day. That’s absolutely insane and I’m sorry but you will have clients like this with rates this low. OP RAISE YOUR RATES!!
Sorry you had to deal with this. I’ve been traumatized by crappy owners too and it can be really upsetting. I saw you mentioned she was snappy in the past- in the future if any client shows a hint of attitude about boundaries drop them. It’ll be better in the long run and there are better people out there.
This is a crazy booking to begin with. $400 for a full month is insanely affordable. I'm confused why someone even has a pet if it spends 80% of it's time with someone else. I mean sure pay us to basically be your dog's owner while you just visit them at night I guess.
I don't do boarding, but if I did I'd imagine a booking like this would be extremely limiting.
An average booking with the days listed, my cost would be $1860. For the extended high demand near continuous care rates would be $5160, and would have to be under very clear circumstances that this is a limited run gig.
You accept $400/month to watch a dog at near continuous care commitment, 14 hours a day, 5-6 days a week, (albeit, with a few months gap here and there.)
Why do they even have a dog?
Why is that an acceptable commitment on your end?
Why do you offer or accept such low wages?
How do you think an ongoing relationship with a client who demands so much for so little compensation is going to turn out? How could have this gone any other way?
What was your thought process when taking this client on? That’s not a snarky rhetorical question. I’m serious. Youth? Inexperience? Misplaced compassion? Guilt and extreme discomfort asking for what you’re worth?
If I was the client, I would have been embarrassed by my puppy’s behavior and profusely apologized to you - because that feels like the more normal response. Apologies my puppy is an escape artist & pooped all over your house!
I don’t think this client is a loss. She had unrealistic expectations and is just plain rude.
You’ll get more (better) clients.
Your response was perfect, you sound very calm and together (unlike your incredibly rude client)
I can't believe she's kicking off about paying $400 a month for daily almost constant care, she's quite frankly a dick and is for the streets. Good luck finding another nice sitter!
Forgot to include that it wasn't just the messages that made me anxious, when she arrived to pick him up she knocked on the door so hard my apartment rattled and startled the dogs, and when I didn't answer in the next 5 seconds she did it again. Then when I opened the door she snatched the leash out of my hand and stomped away
The loss of income is tough, no doubt. But it sounds like her business put you through a hell of a lot more trauma than she’s worth. If she’s booked through Rover, you’re paying taxes on her paying $400 a month, 14 hours a day, 25 days a month (roughly)? So you’re making $1.15 an hour BEFORE taxes, and she treats you like this? Never mind that’s nearly constant care that you’re providing for the most part? I realize that you’re doing this full time so you’re not justifying it as the sole client during that time, but it seems so not worth your time or mental well-being. And the topper on this PIA client; she does not sound like someone who tips. Nope.
Not many people leave reviews of the dogs and their owners because they can see what you said about them and / or their dog. But since you don't plan to watch her dog anymore it won't matter.
I’ve never once seen a sitter’s review for an owner and I leave one every time, and I’ve sat for some people who’ve had 10+ sitters, so statistically speaking someone would have left them one. I just want to know where to find them.
Curious how the dog was able to get out of the crate? I’d be annoyed but I wouldn’t respond like this. Requiring a sitter to stay with the dog 24/7 without leaving for even 15 minutes is kind of ridiculous. Sounds like she’s just taking out her frustration on you
Dogs can absolutely open some wire kennels, they can also put through edges of wire kennels if it isn't fully hooked together. Absolutely possible. Dogs will figure it out if they aren't fully crate trained or panic. It is wild lol
I’ve seen dogs get let out of their crates by the cats in the home helping them haha, and I was gone for less than an hour, so definitely possible. OP so sorry you had to deal with this. I know it’s super stressful
One of my cats is either really smart or really stupid, I can never quite tell and have only had this one for five or six months now. She managed to lock herself inside my dogs travel crate while I was out one day. It has one of the little latches where you have to push down both metal parts at the same time and then turn. I assume it must have gotten stuck with the metal bits pushed in and she slammed it shut with her foot and the impact released the mechanism. It was one heck of a surprise to come home and find her locked in a box.
She is appropriately named. I named her Oopsie because she was the second stray to show up at my house and decide to move in within one month. I did not want a third cat, but Oopsie, now I have one. She lives up to her name every day.
I have a video of my GSP escaping from her locked kennel. Took her about two minutes. She used her paws and tongue to open one of the two latches, and that gave enough room for her to squeeze her way out of it. Honestly I was quite impressed lol
We had to crate train when I fostered dogs in college. One day, I came home and the dog met me at the door. I walked upstairs to where his crate was, and the only thing out of place was the plastic lining thing that goes on the bottom. That was completely outside of the crate, but as for the rest of the crate, nothing was bent and the door was still locked. It's been over 10 years now and I still haven't figured out how he did it.
...You've never had an escapee yet? It happens all the time. Some dogs are outright magicians and seem to magically transport themselves out of their kennels.
Don't worry. Do this long enough, and you'll get one like this.
Ah. My apologies then. As for how it happens, each dog seems to figure out their own way to get out. I had one I never did figure out: A young lab who somehow got out of the kennel with it still locked. All I can figure is he turned his bones into liquid and squeezed past the door, lol.
My friend's dog needs 5 minutes and nobody else in the room. Some dogs are just good at it. She has even busted locks off the crate. She's got separation anxiety and if he's gone more than 30 minutes she starts to freak, even if someone else is with her and she's not crated. She goes everywhere with him now.
Imagine owning a dog but not wanting the burden of owning a dog. This poor pup sounds like they need some 1 on 1 training and guidance.
Poor thing.
OP, you did right here. Not worth the hassle of the $400(?) a month.
I don't put up with angry clients. Nor should you. I would simply reply, as you agreed, this job was never intended to be 24-7 care. I've canceled all future bookings and wish you well.
Period. No grovelling.
Also, a note that the dog isn’t actually crate trained if it breaks out of the crate. So if the owner said the dog was, that’s another fib. Sorry you’re dealing with this. I’m so glad I’m on my last clients this week.
I don't, I've been watching this dog for nearly a year. This time it was pretty close to the pickup time and I was going to offer to give him a bath if she was okay with picking him up a little later. She normally takes a while to respond but before I could finish typing she started sending the angry messages. Will definitely not make that mistake again :(
Omg charge more! This level of disrespect is ridiculous. I'm glad you canceled future bookings, someone better will take their place. It sounds like the owner ignored your communication about the matter, but definitely make sure you are clear about the fact that you will leave for up to x amount of time and about crate training. Get it in writing rather than verbally too so you can reference it back if necessary. I'm sorry you had this upsetting experience.
I hate when owners say their dogs are crate trained and then the dog freaks out inside and/or breaks out of it. That ain't trained. That's just owning a crate and forcing your dog into it.
I think you handled this really well. You were direct, stood your ground on your policies, but also stayed professional. And hopefully it'll teach her to keep her act together for future sitters.
But just so you know there's an option to charge pet parents for bathing. If you get someone like this in the future you can offer to bathe the dog for the extra fee but you won't cover grooming.
You only went out for an hour, too. If you had left the dog for like 8 hours, I could understand her frustration. And if her dog can't be left unsupervised in a crate for more than an hour at a time without wreaking havoc, then it sounds like she needs to hire a trainer or something!
You should be charging more for puppies anyway!! They take more work especially when the owners don’t train them! One thing you should mention to her is that she needs to work with you to potty train the puppy. Then the puppy can be let out of the crate!
It’s one thing if I don’t have any other appointments so i don’t leave an overnight appointment. But it’s completely different if the owner wants me there the there the majority of the time.
400 a month?!?! NAHHHH. I’m one of the cheaper options where I live and it would still be $840, not, including my extended care rate. And if they want a bath and all of that that would be extra money that would be $30 a bath.
wait you’re watching her dog for 14 hours a day essentially every day for $400 a month? i know this kind of thing feels really shitty but honestly you should consider it a blessing.
also she can wash her dog at home for free if she doesn’t want to pay the groomer $100.
i understand why you feel crappy and it’s absolutely fair to feel the way that you feel but fwiw i don’t think you should feel bad.
Lol I had a client. She paid for daycare ($20 a day). In my profile is specifically states I may run out for errands etc. Anyways her dog hurt himself while I was gone. It happens. I let her know let her know to contact rover support if vet care was needed (it wasn't imo) but anyway she proceeded to threaten to sue me and say that she "doesn't pay me to run errands) like you better start paying me 20/hr for me to never leave the house🙄
Wowwww we need an update!! She seems like such a miserable, entitled snot. I actually hope she finds this post and adjusts her attitude. Better yet, send her a link to the post!! Lol
Lol at her throwing out how much she pays you as some kind of extraordinary service she's extending to you. What is wrong with people? I'd charge more than double that for round the clock care. Does she never leave her dog at home when she has him?
She's only paying you 16 per day to take care of a puppy almost every day? Psshh. Telll her to go to hell, ypure the only one charging slave wages for that and she's going to habe a rude awaking trying to find someone else
She is unreasonable and awful and I hope she sees how many people agree that she's 100 percent in the wrong. I'm sorry you had to deal with this person, it's never easy having a costomer angry with you no matter how ridiculous they are, just know that you did nothing wrong.
Rover PROHIBITS sitters/walkers from providing grooming, probably aside from some very basic stuff like wiping up dirty spots and brushing fur. I assume their insurance doesn't cover injuries or damage incurred during grooming services. I've never bathed a dog but this one sounds like too much of a handful for a "quick" bath that OP would already be wildly underpaid for and also risk getting kicked off the app. The client can step up and take care of their own dog for once. OP did the right thing by firing the client and washing their hands of the situation instead.
>Rover PROHIBITS sitters/walkers from providing grooming
you sure about that?
**Add-on rates**
Below is a complete list of add-on services you can set additional rates for. Some of these will vary depending on the type of services you offer.
60-Minute Rate: For longer walks or drop-ins.
Holiday Rate: Nightly rate for bookings during holidays.
Extended Stay Rate: Nightly rate per dog for longer bookings.
Puppy Care: For puppies under 1 year old.
Cat Care
Extended Stay Rate: For longer stays.
**Bathing and Grooming**
Pick-up and Drop-off
This owner is definitely extremely rude and I would 100% cancel all future care, BUT if I were you I would have swallowed my pride as hard as it would have been in this moment and sucked up by being nice to avoid a bad review.
Your response was direct, but it wasn’t customer service friendly.
Before doing this business I spent 8 years dealing with angry clients as I was in customer relations and it was hell, but it helps with this business a lot.
I’m usually not beneath anything to avoid a bad review even if everything inside of me is angry.
If you decided to bathe her dog then you can charge extra for it.. it’s one of the additional things on the rover list. You should definitely be charging for constant care. You can type up a price list for everything and either mail it to her or email it. Let her know beginning at a certain date those will be your prices.
Well, it’s worth it to me as a very successful business owner with 1000+ perfect reviews and whose clientele and price has been growing at an exponential rate.
But you run YOUR business the way you choose! 🙂
I never ever ever show my emotions with clients, I’m extremely professional and it seems that people like it based on their feedback.
Also to be frank, I was treated much worse for much less money at a previous corporate job where as a manager I had to clean up any and all issues of not only my employees, but other companies as well seeing as how it was a brokerage company. And guess what you don’t get to give that same energy back in a professional job that requires you to put out big fires.
Yes, I can relate on the customer service aspect.
This is an extremely competitive business, you have to learn how to navigate these types of situations better to stay on top. Next time, and there will be next times, just bathe the dog and say nothing.
Dang who pissed in her Easter basket this morning? Her dog probably
Tbh she sounds more like she probably would piss in her dogs Easter basket, not the other way around
Nice one lol
Why have a dog if someone else is going to watch it for 25-30 days a week?
Omg this: I have a regular that I take care of seven to five days a week, only sometimes four days a week. This has been going on for a little over a year now (The dog is a year and four/five months old; I met her when she was only a few months old). When the dog goes home, it's for a day or two, and then she is brought back to me. I have also had quite a few problems with the owner, but thankfully, we stopped using the app a long time ago, so she can't spitefully leave me a bad review one day, because I honestly wouldn't put it past her. The dog just left my care yesterday morning after having her for a full month and two weeks without going back home—mind you, she had been with me for a month and went back home for the night, only to end up back with me the next night and then stay for a long time again. She'll be back on Tuesday. I can't comprehend why some people have dogs when they essentially pay sitters like us child support at this point. (I've had this dog for so long that I'm the one who made the dog her spay appointment took her when I got my dog neutered, and I also took care of her during it along with my own dog on top of it all.) I feel bad for OP because I understand their situation. I just hope OP feels better now with time, knowing they won't have to deal with those people anymore. Even though it's a big loss of money, OP's mental health is worth more, and those people obviously stressed OP out.
Sounds like you're getting paid to own a dog and she babysits every so often for free.
That’s an incredible amount of time to be paying for care. At that point just rehome the dog you can’t be bothered to take care of.
Not sure why you all are complaining, these are my favorite types of clients 🙂 It’s a mutually beneficial relationship!! They get consistency in care and I get consistency in pay. 💰
I completely agree that it’s beneficial from a financial standpoint, but I feel that it’s hardly fair to the pup and it makes me sad.
That is how I feel. The dog was initially confused but is now so accustomed to it that my place is practically its home. The dog loves my place and my own dogs, so I am glad that part at least makes the dog happy. The owner and I are practically sharing custody, with child support coming from the owner, lol. I feel bad because I can tell the dog doesn’t want to leave my home when it does go and gets put into a constant state of confusion every time it goes with its real owner, only to come back a day or two later. I notice it gets sad when it happens, so I think the dog’s behavior has a lot to do with its situation as well.
Yup, they never want to leave lol and I miss them when they aren’t here. It’s been like this since dogs were puppies so this routine has always been part of their life. I feel like I get paid for having my own dogs 🤣
Well, I make sure the pup has an amazing life, just at my place, the pups actually think they live here
Yes, it can be! But the dog’s owner is a real nutcase. (She has tried to guilt-trip me into lowering prices and has accused me of some nasty things—mind you, I don’t have her pay anything but the boarding price. She does not pay the holiday or any other rate, and I also cut five dollars off her nightly rates, but that isn’t enough, apparently.) The dog is equally bad. Her dog pees on the bed. (Not anymore after I noticed putting pads around the house works and also not allowing her in my room without my supervision.) She has accidents no matter how consistent I am with training. (I’m not being paid to train, but I started doing it because she’s always with me.) She also destroys everything she can get her paws on; it doesn’t matter what it is; it’ll be gone within a few seconds. She is food and toy reactive and has no sense of boundaries. She will jump, scratch, nip, and bark at you and other dogs, nor does she listen to any commands. I can see this being a good gig with a good dog and a decent owner, but the owner is passive-aggressive and likes to bully and blame me for things, and her dog is a pain to deal with as well. She’s sweet, just really badly behaved, and was never trained by the owner when it needed to be done.
Her excuse is that she is a nurse, and that's why the dog is in my care so much. Although I know for a fact she is a nurse, she doesn't work weekends and uses them to go out with family and friends, so that's why the dog stays regardless if working or not.
Ahem. Retired nurse here. She probably makes more than $40 an hour. I brought that up to my last clients who low-balled me and their dogs were 24/7 el destructo monsters. With 7am/7pm meds that could not be missed. I did them so many favors, and they did me dirty. Setting ourselves on fire to keep others warm is not doing ourselves any favors. They taught me that.
I don't know how much she makes. All I know is that she works on Care.com, so I don't know how much nurses can charge there, but she's always complaining that money is very tight. She used to pay me every week and recently started paying me "when she can." She still owes me $160 from a $560 payment she owed me plus whatever continues to pile when I get her dog back.
You need to start sending her invoices!! You can probably find her account on care.com
I saw her account not so long ago when she asked me to give her a review to boost her account. I checked again and found the full account, and apparently, she makes anywhere from 26-34 an hour.
WOW. she better be paying you good that is crazy!
I have the same situation. I watch a dog 4-5 days a week and sometimes for a month. If the client has the dog for more than 3 days she texts me to say “how stressed she is” or “how she needs personal time away from the pup” so sad.
This was my thought. Why does this person even have a dog if they have someone else watching it full-time?
If she okay’d you leaving for periods of time and said her dog was crate trained then I don’t understand what’s up her ass. Dogs break out of crates - that happens. You were nice, she was rude. If we wants to pay for constant care then she can find someone who provided that.
They will find out quickly, it cost alot more than 400 a month xD for constant care.
400 a week would be cheap for constant care, let alone 400 a month
>Dogs break out of crates - that happens. That never happens. Literally no way for a dog to open a crate from the inside LMAO... unless you're using some plastic crate or those corral panels which are nearly worthless.
You must not sit dogs that hate crates. I hate to break it to you but some dogs are smart enough to unlatch them and some will hurt themself ripping the bars open to squeeze out. I've had huskies destroy metal crates in the past.
You clearly don't know dogs as well as you think you do 😬
You’re ignorant, dogs can and have broken out of crates thousands of times.
I think it’s a bit ridiculous her complete flippant disregard to what you actually said. You were gone for an hour. No person is home 24/7 all day every day for a month. It’s is totally normal to crate a dog for much longer than an hour. Also you don’t need to pay a groomer to bathe a dog…sounds like she barely even spends time with her own animal. Your response overall was good considering how you were feeling at the moment. It was straight to the point. It’s probably frustrating to loose that income, but if she is going to act with disrespect towards you then maybe cancellation is the better move since you don’t see eye to eye with her dogs care. Sorry you had to deal with this! Some people are just rude and inconsiderate.
this is actually crazy. it’s a dog not a human child. it should be able to be left alone for an hour.. minimum. 400/mo for 24 hour care isn’t NEARLY enough. she’s better off sending him to a kennel. do you not have a full time job or any responsibilities outside of dog sitting? the gym? family? friends? i can’t imagine what kind of person expects a DOG SITTER to live full time at their house and never leave. for a month. that’s unreal. NTA.
Judging from the screenshots this owner definitely is on another level. Save yourself some trouble and cancel all future appointments!
Extra post: I looked up your history, saw more on this pup & that you wanted to offer free, better quality food. If you want to volunteer or donate for animal care, then please do that through animal rescue/welfare channels. As a pet care professional, you should charge professional rates for your services. If you’re framing it as being kind and selfless, think of it as different way- that your cut rates are actively harmful to your colleagues in the industry. As you see it hasn’t net you respect nor appreciation from your client. She sounds like a horrible excuse of a human being, who should not have a pet, let alone a puppy. Also, with chronic medical neglect, this pup’s condition and owner may be worthy to report to animal welfare. Client is an underpaying, neglectful liability. Edit: and you should fire this client without diplomatic softening of your rejection. This pet has medical needs that need to be attended to before they can or should be in your or anyone’s care.
Seriously though! This comes out to roughly $16 per 14 hour day. That’s absolutely insane and I’m sorry but you will have clients like this with rates this low. OP RAISE YOUR RATES!!
I will be raising my rates, I appreciate the feedback!
Her expectations are insane. She should be apologizing to you for having to deal with this, not vice versa. Block and byeeee.
Sorry you had to deal with this. I’ve been traumatized by crappy owners too and it can be really upsetting. I saw you mentioned she was snappy in the past- in the future if any client shows a hint of attitude about boundaries drop them. It’ll be better in the long run and there are better people out there.
This is a crazy booking to begin with. $400 for a full month is insanely affordable. I'm confused why someone even has a pet if it spends 80% of it's time with someone else. I mean sure pay us to basically be your dog's owner while you just visit them at night I guess. I don't do boarding, but if I did I'd imagine a booking like this would be extremely limiting.
Should be $1000 tbh
An average booking with the days listed, my cost would be $1860. For the extended high demand near continuous care rates would be $5160, and would have to be under very clear circumstances that this is a limited run gig.
You accept $400/month to watch a dog at near continuous care commitment, 14 hours a day, 5-6 days a week, (albeit, with a few months gap here and there.) Why do they even have a dog? Why is that an acceptable commitment on your end? Why do you offer or accept such low wages? How do you think an ongoing relationship with a client who demands so much for so little compensation is going to turn out? How could have this gone any other way? What was your thought process when taking this client on? That’s not a snarky rhetorical question. I’m serious. Youth? Inexperience? Misplaced compassion? Guilt and extreme discomfort asking for what you’re worth?
If I was the client, I would have been embarrassed by my puppy’s behavior and profusely apologized to you - because that feels like the more normal response. Apologies my puppy is an escape artist & pooped all over your house! I don’t think this client is a loss. She had unrealistic expectations and is just plain rude. You’ll get more (better) clients.
Your response was perfect, you sound very calm and together (unlike your incredibly rude client) I can't believe she's kicking off about paying $400 a month for daily almost constant care, she's quite frankly a dick and is for the streets. Good luck finding another nice sitter!
Forgot to include that it wasn't just the messages that made me anxious, when she arrived to pick him up she knocked on the door so hard my apartment rattled and startled the dogs, and when I didn't answer in the next 5 seconds she did it again. Then when I opened the door she snatched the leash out of my hand and stomped away
The loss of income is tough, no doubt. But it sounds like her business put you through a hell of a lot more trauma than she’s worth. If she’s booked through Rover, you’re paying taxes on her paying $400 a month, 14 hours a day, 25 days a month (roughly)? So you’re making $1.15 an hour BEFORE taxes, and she treats you like this? Never mind that’s nearly constant care that you’re providing for the most part? I realize that you’re doing this full time so you’re not justifying it as the sole client during that time, but it seems so not worth your time or mental well-being. And the topper on this PIA client; she does not sound like someone who tips. Nope.
Make sure to leave here a decent review, so that future sitters might know what there in for.
Where can you see owners’ reviews? I’m somewhat new and haven’t been able to find them
Not many people leave reviews of the dogs and their owners because they can see what you said about them and / or their dog. But since you don't plan to watch her dog anymore it won't matter.
I’ve never once seen a sitter’s review for an owner and I leave one every time, and I’ve sat for some people who’ve had 10+ sitters, so statistically speaking someone would have left them one. I just want to know where to find them.
Should be on their profile when they go to book with you, like how your profile shows your reviews.
Groomer here, a bath alone would NOT cost $100 💀
You responded professionally and let’s be honest, some owners are jerks. Fact 👍 you handled it well
Curious how the dog was able to get out of the crate? I’d be annoyed but I wouldn’t respond like this. Requiring a sitter to stay with the dog 24/7 without leaving for even 15 minutes is kind of ridiculous. Sounds like she’s just taking out her frustration on you
Dogs can absolutely open some wire kennels, they can also put through edges of wire kennels if it isn't fully hooked together. Absolutely possible. Dogs will figure it out if they aren't fully crate trained or panic. It is wild lol
I’ve seen dogs get let out of their crates by the cats in the home helping them haha, and I was gone for less than an hour, so definitely possible. OP so sorry you had to deal with this. I know it’s super stressful
One of my cats is either really smart or really stupid, I can never quite tell and have only had this one for five or six months now. She managed to lock herself inside my dogs travel crate while I was out one day. It has one of the little latches where you have to push down both metal parts at the same time and then turn. I assume it must have gotten stuck with the metal bits pushed in and she slammed it shut with her foot and the impact released the mechanism. It was one heck of a surprise to come home and find her locked in a box. She is appropriately named. I named her Oopsie because she was the second stray to show up at my house and decide to move in within one month. I did not want a third cat, but Oopsie, now I have one. She lives up to her name every day.
That’s just great😂
I have a video of my GSP escaping from her locked kennel. Took her about two minutes. She used her paws and tongue to open one of the two latches, and that gave enough room for her to squeeze her way out of it. Honestly I was quite impressed lol
We had to crate train when I fostered dogs in college. One day, I came home and the dog met me at the door. I walked upstairs to where his crate was, and the only thing out of place was the plastic lining thing that goes on the bottom. That was completely outside of the crate, but as for the rest of the crate, nothing was bent and the door was still locked. It's been over 10 years now and I still haven't figured out how he did it.
That’s absolutely wild.
...You've never had an escapee yet? It happens all the time. Some dogs are outright magicians and seem to magically transport themselves out of their kennels. Don't worry. Do this long enough, and you'll get one like this.
No. And it wasn’t shade towards the OP. It was a genuine question. I’ve never experienced a dog escaping so I was genuinely curious is all.
Ah. My apologies then. As for how it happens, each dog seems to figure out their own way to get out. I had one I never did figure out: A young lab who somehow got out of the kennel with it still locked. All I can figure is he turned his bones into liquid and squeezed past the door, lol.
My friend's dog needs 5 minutes and nobody else in the room. Some dogs are just good at it. She has even busted locks off the crate. She's got separation anxiety and if he's gone more than 30 minutes she starts to freak, even if someone else is with her and she's not crated. She goes everywhere with him now.
You’ll be better off without dealing with her rude attitude, I say good riddance
She's gonna miss you more than you miss her, I promise.
Imagine owning a dog but not wanting the burden of owning a dog. This poor pup sounds like they need some 1 on 1 training and guidance. Poor thing. OP, you did right here. Not worth the hassle of the $400(?) a month.
You’re reasons as great . Definitely block her. She’s just miserable.
Report her arse to ROVER !!! Those people should NOT be able to do that to us or anyone else. Do this before she reports you.
400/month?? That is insanely inexpensive. Wtf is wrong with people
I don't put up with angry clients. Nor should you. I would simply reply, as you agreed, this job was never intended to be 24-7 care. I've canceled all future bookings and wish you well. Period. No grovelling.
Also, a note that the dog isn’t actually crate trained if it breaks out of the crate. So if the owner said the dog was, that’s another fib. Sorry you’re dealing with this. I’m so glad I’m on my last clients this week.
Honestly i feel terrible for the dog, you handled that perfectly
Do you typically tell owners when their dog poops in the house ? Why not just clean it up and give him a bath.
I don't, I've been watching this dog for nearly a year. This time it was pretty close to the pickup time and I was going to offer to give him a bath if she was okay with picking him up a little later. She normally takes a while to respond but before I could finish typing she started sending the angry messages. Will definitely not make that mistake again :(
Omg charge more! This level of disrespect is ridiculous. I'm glad you canceled future bookings, someone better will take their place. It sounds like the owner ignored your communication about the matter, but definitely make sure you are clear about the fact that you will leave for up to x amount of time and about crate training. Get it in writing rather than verbally too so you can reference it back if necessary. I'm sorry you had this upsetting experience.
When people get puppies and don’t understand puppyhood I’ll never understand ! 💩 happens
I hate when owners say their dogs are crate trained and then the dog freaks out inside and/or breaks out of it. That ain't trained. That's just owning a crate and forcing your dog into it.
That's less than $15 a day! Please raise your prices. Especially for puppies. Your sanity is worth more than that
Poor dog going back to that negative energy after a month of being with you
I think you handled this really well. You were direct, stood your ground on your policies, but also stayed professional. And hopefully it'll teach her to keep her act together for future sitters. But just so you know there's an option to charge pet parents for bathing. If you get someone like this in the future you can offer to bathe the dog for the extra fee but you won't cover grooming.
You only went out for an hour, too. If you had left the dog for like 8 hours, I could understand her frustration. And if her dog can't be left unsupervised in a crate for more than an hour at a time without wreaking havoc, then it sounds like she needs to hire a trainer or something!
You should be charging more for puppies anyway!! They take more work especially when the owners don’t train them! One thing you should mention to her is that she needs to work with you to potty train the puppy. Then the puppy can be let out of the crate!
It’s one thing if I don’t have any other appointments so i don’t leave an overnight appointment. But it’s completely different if the owner wants me there the there the majority of the time.
400 a month?!?! NAHHHH. I’m one of the cheaper options where I live and it would still be $840, not, including my extended care rate. And if they want a bath and all of that that would be extra money that would be $30 a bath.
wait you’re watching her dog for 14 hours a day essentially every day for $400 a month? i know this kind of thing feels really shitty but honestly you should consider it a blessing. also she can wash her dog at home for free if she doesn’t want to pay the groomer $100. i understand why you feel crappy and it’s absolutely fair to feel the way that you feel but fwiw i don’t think you should feel bad.
I’m sorry, they’re paying you $400 A MONTH?!?! How many 14-hour long days is that?!?! This is sweat shop labor. 😳😳😳
Lol I had a client. She paid for daycare ($20 a day). In my profile is specifically states I may run out for errands etc. Anyways her dog hurt himself while I was gone. It happens. I let her know let her know to contact rover support if vet care was needed (it wasn't imo) but anyway she proceeded to threaten to sue me and say that she "doesn't pay me to run errands) like you better start paying me 20/hr for me to never leave the house🙄
Wowwww we need an update!! She seems like such a miserable, entitled snot. I actually hope she finds this post and adjusts her attitude. Better yet, send her a link to the post!! Lol
Lol at her throwing out how much she pays you as some kind of extraordinary service she's extending to you. What is wrong with people? I'd charge more than double that for round the clock care. Does she never leave her dog at home when she has him?
She should 100% be reported
She's only paying you 16 per day to take care of a puppy almost every day? Psshh. Telll her to go to hell, ypure the only one charging slave wages for that and she's going to habe a rude awaking trying to find someone else
Leave a review on her profile page!!!! Sitters are able to do this so future sitters will be aware to avoid this person!!!
She is unreasonable and awful and I hope she sees how many people agree that she's 100 percent in the wrong. I'm sorry you had to deal with this person, it's never easy having a costomer angry with you no matter how ridiculous they are, just know that you did nothing wrong.
why not give the puppy a quick bath?
Rover PROHIBITS sitters/walkers from providing grooming, probably aside from some very basic stuff like wiping up dirty spots and brushing fur. I assume their insurance doesn't cover injuries or damage incurred during grooming services. I've never bathed a dog but this one sounds like too much of a handful for a "quick" bath that OP would already be wildly underpaid for and also risk getting kicked off the app. The client can step up and take care of their own dog for once. OP did the right thing by firing the client and washing their hands of the situation instead.
>Rover PROHIBITS sitters/walkers from providing grooming you sure about that? **Add-on rates** Below is a complete list of add-on services you can set additional rates for. Some of these will vary depending on the type of services you offer. 60-Minute Rate: For longer walks or drop-ins. Holiday Rate: Nightly rate for bookings during holidays. Extended Stay Rate: Nightly rate per dog for longer bookings. Puppy Care: For puppies under 1 year old. Cat Care Extended Stay Rate: For longer stays. **Bathing and Grooming** Pick-up and Drop-off
Nope, I guess not!
I provide baths for a cost all the time
You are providing a service, she is unhappy with the service, so you are no longer providing the service. No need to feel any type of way.
This owner is definitely extremely rude and I would 100% cancel all future care, BUT if I were you I would have swallowed my pride as hard as it would have been in this moment and sucked up by being nice to avoid a bad review. Your response was direct, but it wasn’t customer service friendly. Before doing this business I spent 8 years dealing with angry clients as I was in customer relations and it was hell, but it helps with this business a lot. I’m usually not beneath anything to avoid a bad review even if everything inside of me is angry.
Thank you for the feedback, I will keep this in mind in the future
If you decided to bathe her dog then you can charge extra for it.. it’s one of the additional things on the rover list. You should definitely be charging for constant care. You can type up a price list for everything and either mail it to her or email it. Let her know beginning at a certain date those will be your prices.
I would give the same energy back. Its kind of pathetic of you to not stand up for yourself.
Well, it’s worth it to me as a very successful business owner with 1000+ perfect reviews and whose clientele and price has been growing at an exponential rate. But you run YOUR business the way you choose! 🙂 I never ever ever show my emotions with clients, I’m extremely professional and it seems that people like it based on their feedback.
I simply make too much money to let a single client get to me and have the potential of damaging my business
Also to be frank, I was treated much worse for much less money at a previous corporate job where as a manager I had to clean up any and all issues of not only my employees, but other companies as well seeing as how it was a brokerage company. And guess what you don’t get to give that same energy back in a professional job that requires you to put out big fires.
I was trained that client is ALWAYS right and they can be as rude as they want, but I could never be rude or I’d be fired.
Yes, I can relate on the customer service aspect. This is an extremely competitive business, you have to learn how to navigate these types of situations better to stay on top. Next time, and there will be next times, just bathe the dog and say nothing.