Absolutely not. I can’t stand when people do this.
@BonnyinBrighton raises a good point about liability and vets.
What would happen if the son’s dog becomes ill or has a serious accident during your sit - who will pay for vet bills - is the son’s dog registered with a vet local to the sit with an account set up ?
You have agreed to sit for a THS member ( based on their reviews and your conversations with them ) but could potentially have to deal with someone other than the THS member over any decisions about any pet emergency that requires veterinary treatment . Really messy situation.
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@justbobbi
The mention of the electric fence suggests they’re bothered about the second dog wandering off and possibly getting lost if it’s not used to the surroundings. Huge new responsibility on you or snyone else that takes on that sit.
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I’d drop such a sit like a hot potato, because hosts like this are looking to exploit you and they don’t hold up their end of exchanges / agreements. Selfish weasels.
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That totally depends on how they asked.
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You have to do what makes you comfortable. I’ve done many multi-animal sits and find they can be easier because the pups aren’t constantly focused on me.
On the electric fence - if this is the buried fence that sets a perimeter - it can take some dogs a while to learn what the boundaries - and a big dog may just plow through it.
I’ve had a few sits where the HO asked if I’d take on another animal -
In the UK was going to sit for an Airedale pair and the female got pregnant and so was asked if I’d shift the sit to the HOs parents and their 2 dogs nearby. Easy shift and sitting for the parents’ dogs was delightful. 2 of the nicest pups I’ve sat with.
In Texas, the HO asked if I’d take his GF’s dog along with the HO’s pair and 2 cats as they were going to be traveling together. The animals all knew each other and had spent lots of time together. The GF’s dog did need to be crated at night. All went well, although the GF’s dog wanted to be the alpha.
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As you mentioned, THS doesn’t allow a sitter to sit for a dog that’s not owned by the host. And if you have two dogs to sit, then you should bring it up at the outset, not after the sit has been agreed on.
To me, this is along the lines of a sitter asking to bring someone else for their entire sit, after the sit has been agreed on, when they should’ve raised it at the outset.
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What did you decide @justbobbi are you going ahead with the sit ?
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@justbobbi I am in a similar position in that a confirmed sit for 2 cats now want to leave a large dog to be looked after too. I have said no but am concerned that they might just leave the dog anyway. Not happy.
@Wildcolonialgirl 
Screenshot listing ( as they can change it )
You could go back to them and say you are happy to go ahead with the sit as agreed ( and as stated in listing ) for 2 cats
Adding the dog is not what was agreed .
Or give them the choice to cancel and look for another sitter if you don’t trust that they will stick to their word
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@Wildcolonialgirl I had that situation once. Confirmed for 2 cats, but then they decided to foster a dog and wanted to add the dog to the sit. I said no, they made other arrangements for the dog, and I did the sit for the 2 cats as originally agreed.
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I had that situation in my last sit (second time I’d sat for them). They asked if it would be OK to add their daughter’s dog, and that all the dogs were the best of friends. I agreed, and it was all fine. I could have said no. Nothing was sprung on me.
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If you get a positive backstory regarding the second dog and no complications are associated with him/her, then, as a dog lover, to me this clearly is a perk.*
I wouldn’t agree to care for pets if I didn’t have an animal-loving nature. I hope others wouldn’t either.
- In my opinion, a decent homeowner would find a way to make up for the change in the agreement.
Selfish weasels. Ok… Yes, I agree that it’d be best for you—and for the homeowners—that you would drop a sit in this situation, Maggie8K. Right away.
Yes, a dog could definitely visit for 5 weeks. I’ve done it myself. Are you suggesting this is a cover-up for the fact they adopted an additional dog? I don’t follow.