I am on a dog sit right now and yesterday had my arm attacked by a large dog. He was trying to protect the house against my brother and adult nephew that were visiting. I got pre-approval to have my brother and nephew over. He started growling and going for them so I held him back to protect them and he turned on me. Buckets of blood, a trip to a walk in clinic, a Tentis shot later, and the dog and I are back to being friends. I did run into someone when walking him a couple of days ago that was bit by him when intervening between his dog and this one (they are mortal enemies) but he continued to pet this dog, so I saw a small red flag but since he pet him after all of this had happened in the past, I dismissed it. The owners are out of the country and my 80-year-old mother is my co-sitter. Please cross your fingers we can make it through the next three days without incident. Animal control had to be contacted by the medical professionals, so I am waiting on that visit. The owner had been contacted by me with photos of my arm. He has been very responsive and concerned. How many of you have had aggressive animals?
Iām sorry to read of this traumatic experience, and I want you to know Iāve reported this to Membership Services. I am hopeful youāll hear from them soon.
How many??? Zero! Weāve completed 30+ sits and none have them have been aggressive towards us, or any other people while out walking. However, weāve had timid dogs that have barked like crazy out of fear of other people until they realise they are no threat. Weāve also had plenty of dogs that dislike other dogs, but none that were actively aggressive towards people.
Iām sorry this has happened to you.
Sounds like bad judgment for the hosts to allow two sitters, plus guests, for a dog who doesnāt seem to have the right kind of temperament for a bunch of strangers to suddenly appear in his territory while his normal humans have disappeared. And now that heās bitten you, the hosts should be reported to THS and they shouldnāt be hosting in the future.
I had one sit out of 21 where the hosts didnāt mention till they were walking out the door that one of their cats might bite or scratch. I took precautions (and avoided injury during my sit) and then mentioned in their review that they shouldāve mentioned the risks in their listing. I also downrated them on stars because of that lack of transparency. If their cat had attacked me, I wouldāve raised a dispute to have them booted off THS.
Sorry you had to deal with this @Pamperedpeach, itās good the med people reported it. Where I live any bite that breaks the skin should be reported to animal authorities.
Iād say the HO is in the wrong here if they had knowledge of a prior bite and didnāt disclose that to you. I think Iād be looking to curtail the sit under those circumstances and Iām glad to see Maeve had contacted MS on your behalf.
Iāve never dealt with aggressive dogs on a sit, but have had numerous interactions with aggressive and biting dogs in my old job as well as when Iāve been fostering or working in a rescue.
Iām super picky and absolutely wonāt sit certain breeds. I also always ask the HO about any prior biting/aggressive behavior.
Way back when I went to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina to rescue dogs and cats out of flooded homes. I was bitten 5 times in those 10 days by pit bulls and Chows. But those dogs were extremely stressed and I didnāt hold it against them.
26 sits so far no aggressive pets . The THS T&Cs say that sits canāt include any pet with a history of attacks on other pets or humans . This dog shouldnāt be on THS .
Clause 5.2.11 in the T&Cs: Terms & Conditions | TrustedHousesitters.com
" Pet Parents . You will:
5.2.11. not have any inherently dangerous pets (such as venomous snakes or constrictors, primates, wolves or wolf hybrids, non-domesticated cats, alligators), banned dog breeds, or any animal with a history of attacks on pets or people;"
Welcome to forum @Pamperedpeach ! Sorry for the circumstances and what you have been through.
Aggressive animals do not belong on THS. For the welfare of the pet like Maggie8k says something about, and because that would require skilled and paid professionals - also in regard to insurance etc. - and not travelling volunteers.
For dogs that have bitten several times - Iām sorry. I would never trust that dog again. It is no longer an Ā«accidentĀ», the dog remembers having done it and the line is already crossed.
Iām glad to hear you are alright and have gotten help. Hope the animal control-visit comes soon. Please be honest and factual and if they advice or suggest to take over the care for the dog I would have done it, and just taken care of the home and done end cleaning and left when the sit is done.
If this was not disclosed pre-sit it is also breach of terms and you are either way allowed to give 24 hours notice and leave. Then they would need to get their emergency contact or other to take over. You can get assistance from member service, there is a 24/7-line on your dashboard, but in this case I hope they have reached out to you after Maeve has alerted them.
All the best. If you are able to, let us know how you are doing and what help you get from THS and animal control.
Thank you everyone. My sit ends tomorrow evening. I am not putting him in any positions where he feels āthreatenedā. I will not have anyone over to a sit again because I realize although it was pre-authorized, it was a rookie mistake on my part. I learn so much with each new sit. This is my first dog sit, my second sit overall. I have grown up with pets and have had cats, dogs, and fishies my whole adult life. I have prided myself on having many, many years of researching and understanding animal behavior. However, I still have much to learn. His breed is typically a very friendly one. With that being said, each animal is different (nature vs nurture).
Perhaps but itās the owners who had information about previous behaviour, not you.
Yes, all animals have different temperaments and some have been abused or otherwise suffered before being rescued. Some are just territorial, regardless. Plus, hosts sometimes over estimate what their pets can handle or how they behave with strangers when left at home.
THS is not meant to solve every petās or potential hostās (or sitterās) needs. As a sitter, youāll want to ask (and sometimes push in friendly ways) while screening some hosts, who are over optimistic about their petās behavior or who are selfish enough to mislead sitters.
Our own rescue dog is damaged, so weād never subject him or a THS sitter to voluntary sitting. He needs professional care, so we make sure he gets it.
Agreed. And in some jurisdictions, a pet that has bitten and is reported to animal control (automatically done by some emergency rooms when humans get treated), the pet is then monitored. If they repeatedly bite, officials can force a pet owner to have them put down, because theyāre seen as a threat to public health and safety.
Sorry to hear this. Just keep documentation of how you heel,take pictures of your wound. My self as a sitter have looked up breeds of dogs that are banned or considered agreesive and choose not to sit for those dogs. Thats not to say some breeds that are banned are all agressive or bad dogs. This is just my personal choice. So im sure ill get back lash from some for this post, but remember this is my choice and im entiled to my personal choicesā¦
I totally agree with this and your previous post about the HO being irresponsible to allow all of these unknown people in the dogās territory.
The dog needs training, however itās the HOās responsibility to avoid stressful and triggering situations, to advocate for the dog. They canāt just keep their fingers crossed and pray that nothing is going to happen.
Yes, agreed. The responsibility rests most on the pet parent, because itās their job to know the pet best and to protect and advocate. Unfortunately, they can make mistakes and some are jerks, so sitters need to look out for themselves, as well as help the pets. Ultimately, pets have no choice. People have choices, whether as hosts or sitters.
Hi @Pamperedpeach
I donāt think itās your mistake. It sounds like this dog hasnāt been socialised fully and I suspect this isnāt the first time the dog has reacted badly to strangers appearing on their territory. It should have been disclosed to you but maybe the HO knew theyād not get a sitter if they did! The owner shouldnāt be allowed to continue on THS due to this serious issue.
Iām so sorry this happened to you.
Who doesnāt warn if their dog is an aggressive protector. You poor soul. Iām so sorry.
Please donāt fear these dogs (this one clearly is euthanized). Please fear disgusting owners. You never should have been in this situation.
Can you give the details? Iām crazy mad.
If I say why in my support of you and the legally dead dog, it is an essay. But the HO. Whatās the legal obligation? See my point?
In the meantime bless you and your fam! This dog isnāt the issue, itās the owner.
We had one dog that barked like crazy when we first arrived and kept our distance while the pet parent showed us around. After he knew we were ok to be there, everything was great. We recently had to start a sit in Sydney without my husband and youngest son as my husband needed emergency surgery in Malaysia the day before the sits started. He and my son came a week later after he was cleared to fly and instead of having my husband and son enter the house, we all waited for them in the front yard so that we could hold the dog back in case she got aggressive. Luckily she was curious but was not aggressive at all. In my application process, I do ask if the animal shows aggressive behaviors and if they have ever bitten any other animal or human being. If I ever hear a āyesā we will withdraw our application