Looking after a dog who is unpredictable and gets reactive in the area around his home. On a very busy street in a big city where there is little room to move to the other side of the sidewalk/street. Host did mention this.
HO normally uses a prong collar, but I have little experience with them, so we decided not to. I know there is a huge controversy surrounding them. Instead we are doing a harness with leash attached to the front.
Dog is very submissive and unpredictable. Pulls quite a bit. Rolls around on sidewalk when he doesnāt get his way. Not mentioned in listing or WG. Past sitters have been overly complimentary.
Today, the dog attacked someone right outside the home (no broken skin, person walked away), despite initially showing signs of submission and affection. HO has said they may resume training with a professional due to this. I agreed that they should and to mention something in the listing, as well.
I have less than 48 hours before the end of the sit, Iām just going to ride it all the way out. Iām wondering if this warrants a communication with THS Member Services. Anybody else have a similar experience? Thanks, just looking for advice.
Please STOP walking this dog- replace walking with playing and mind activation, giving the dog puzzles to solve like hidden food/toys etc. the risks are far too great to take this dog out again. Two 30 minute sessions a day until you leave and inform the HOs that this is your solution. If the dog actually bites someone itāll be put to sleep. Also think of the human cost/harm inflictedā¦.
Walking a dog that has previously attacked someone carries significant legal and financial risk in both the UK and the U.S.
In the UK, under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, the person āin chargeā of the dog at the time (including a pet sitter or walker) can be held liable if the dog is dangerously out of control. If the dog has a known history of aggression, failing to take proper precautions could strengthen any case against you.
In the U.S., liability rules vary by state, but someone handling the dog can still be held responsible, especially if they knew about the prior attack. The financial consequences can be severe . Medical bills, legal fees, and compensation claims can easily reach tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, or more in serious cases.
Overall, walking a dog with a known bite history significantly increases the risk of personal liability, shared legal responsibility with the owner, and potentially very high costs if another incident occurs.
You can call the THS Urgent Support 24/7 Phone Line for more advice . They do need to be informed about the incident .
Why was the dog outside unaccompanied? Would it be possible to put a muzzle on the dog when you walk it? I gather you donāt let people approach the dog? When Iām taking care of a dog I donāt know well, I never approach people or other dogs when walking it. Owner may say itās ok, but my experience, dogs may act differently when theyāre not with their human.
Also, given the dogs behavior, shouldnāt you be concerned about your safety?
UPDATE:
Thank you all for your support and advice. Messaged Frankie chatbot who will have Member Services email me once theyāre back online.
We did a walk earlier today and all went well. He does not have an outside area to play in. We will not be saying hi to anybody outside the home. I do realize it was my mistake to let him approach someone, despite initially showing affection.
I feel so bad for the dog, he clearly is not doing well and was never properly trained, despite what the HO said. Mostly everything about this sit is great, besides this. I will be making a note of this in my review. Wish the others had been more honest.
If the HO told you the dog was reactive, then the āattackā - which from what I gather was you letting someone approach the dog and it reacted - was your fault, not the dogās.
Sad that the dog and HO are penalized when you didnāt follow instructions.
Please donāt sit for reactive dogs again if you canāt manage that behavior properly.
And yes, you should leave a factual review - as the HO should do for you also, as your failure to follow instructions lead to a near-miss for the dog.
Suggest raise THS Member Dispute (weblink below). Whether this qualifies as a bite or not seems unclear. Whether there was prior incidence of pet biting seems unclear. But THS has clear protocol (Member Dispute) to gather information, evidence and assess suitability of listing for platform. We make no related allegations, rather encourage submission of facts so that THS staff can assess situation and appropriate next steps.
We are sensitive to this issue. We housesit a submissive, unpredictable dog that bit. HO admitted not first time. Driving family member to A&E is unquestionably a low point in our housesit journey and frankly broader pet experiences. We have zero sympathy for owners of aggressive dogs that use THS - they should hire a paid professional.
Extract from THS Terms & Conditions
5.2.4. ensure that no pets to be left under the care of a Sitter have ever caused a person or animal any physical harm (no matter how minor the injury)
How is this kind of comment supposed to help me? I did the best with the situation I was given. The HO told me dogs were to be avoided around the home area, not necessarily humans.
Guilting and shaming me is not going to solve anyoneās problem. Wonāt be replying to this thread any further.
Well if Iāve misunderstood what the situation is then I apologise-however your having experienced the dog attacking a person you have chosen to walk the dog again. Iām not convinced this is responsible or safe. With reactive dogs strong leadership helps the dog to feel less vulnerable. Experienced dog handlers know how to manage reactive dogs around people/other dogs.
HO just shared with me that this behavior is relatively new. It has taken the HO by surprise, as well, and they are (hopefully) going to take it seriously. The past sitters were from many months ago.
I have taken care of plenty of other reactive dogs and know how to manage them. In the past, I have even managed to end a sit with a better trained dog than I had in the beginning.
I wonāt be replying to any snarky, condescending comments implying I did something wrong and didnāt āfollow instructions.ā I did the best I could in the moment, as would you. Nobody is the judge of everything. Please take your shame and judgments elsewhere. Nobody likes a bully.
Suit yourself. You admitted you didnāt use the prong collar the HO provided, and admitted it was a mistake to let the dog approach a person.
I answered your question, yes reach out to member services and leave an honest review. Be prepared for an honest review from the HO in return, and a review of how well you followed HO instructions (tons of YouTube videos on the 5 second process to put a prong collar on - you applied your own judgement to nor use it and then couldnāt control the dog) which based on your responses to this thread - doesnāt seem like you are.
Well, good luck with your complaint either way. Glad it was only a near miss for the dog. I wonāt be responding any further, as itās pointless.
