Quick question. Do dogs get panic attacks sometimes and need a playdate? I am sitting in Texas and I am 2 days away from finishing up my stay. I was notified their mom’s Cavapoo is having massive panic attacks and will need to have the current dog Im sitting (Shih Tzu) to stay over at his parents place for the rest of my stay.
This means I have the time to hang out and explore Austin. However, this was all of a sudden change in the plan and I’m wondering if this is normal. They appreciate me and love the fact I took care of their dog but their moms dog just needed their daughters dog aka the dog I’m sitting to keep her Cavapoo company. Im wondering if this will affect my rating because I don’t want to get a 4 star review and think they are setting me up and assume I am doing a bad job with taking care of their job and not meeting their expectations. I do a lot to care for the pet. It’s just not many places want me to bring dogs so I can’t bring her around.
I have gotten two 4 star’s because of favoritism and I was taking over someone’s sit due to an emergency and was blamed for someone’s mess when it was due to the previous sitters mess and the other one was just not a nice city where POC were not appreciated. I would hate to get another 3-4 star review based on this.
Hello @Yuriko … I am surprised you find this as I was just in Austin and dogs were abundant except if we visited things like going into a museum.
I was very impressed by the “dogs welcome” culture in Austin.
I wouldn’t assume anything. My sister almost always drops her dog off at her son’s house when she goes on vacation. Her dog and his dog are pals. My nephew used to drop his dog off at his mother’s house, but the dog is ancient, and needs special care so when he does go away – rarely – he has a team of friends there. It’s not uncommon that dogs have extended human families. Take the win. If your review isn’t 5 stars there is little you can do to control that. All you can do is the best job you can! And enjoy your free time in Austin!
Sorry, I should have been more specific. I guess I had specific locations in mind and some were just not open to dogs being inside in coffee shops and restaurants. Also the dog isn’t allowed to be alone for more than 4 hours according to the owner.
Yeah you are right. I don’t want to overthink the situation because I admit I had minor issues with the HO in the beginning and it has been resolved now. Something just came up with the HO’s moms dog so essentially it looks like I’m done with my sitting for now. I just feel bad because I am not trying to take advantage of this stay. This also means I can tidy up their house and do them a favor.
Don’t overthink it, it may well have nothing to do with you. But for clarity’s sake, you could just message the current owner to ask if you’re off the hook now regarding pet sitting. Obviously you’ll still keep the house safe and tidy, make sure you mention that.
I’m not really sure how the dog you were sitting being an emotional support animal [ESA] for their parent’s dog has anything to do with how well you cared for their dog. Sounds completely unrelated. And yes, dogs (and other animals) being used as ESA’s for other animals is actually very common practice.
Re: reviewing, finish the sit professionally and completely as you would had you done it all the way to term. You can also state in your review that the sit ended early and why, as well as just sharing facts as to how it went. If you have concerns about your performance on the sit, ask the HO for feedback.
Re: the last example you gave, doesn’t sound related or similar to this situation. Although if you feel there are racial prejudices present, I would report that to TH as I’m pretty sure racial discrimination would go against policy…for the former, sounds like a learning moment around potentially thinking through what questions it may be beneficial to ask in order to vet the sit…regardless, sorry you had those two negative experiences =(
A few years back, I was scheduled for a sit near Stoke-on-Trent with a pregnant Airedale. The dog gave birth early and the HO asked if I would mind switching to her parents’ house as they were all going to be at the same place. I took care of the parents’ dog and a brother’s dog instead of the litter of airdales. Had a great time with the pair who got along well. And did get to meet the airdale and her pups - 8 as I recall.
Coincidentally, I was just offered an unsolicited sit that involved caring for the dog of a woman, as well as the dog of her parents, because they’ll be traveling together and the dogs often hang out together, happily.
