Hi everyone, this is my second time sitting for a dog who is was walked twice a day the last time I sat for her. The owner never mentioned that she expected a third walk. The owner is an extremely high energy person and caters to her dogs wants most of the time. They are not long walks only about 15 minutes and mostly to let her sniff and pee. Anyway I sprained my ankle 4 days in on a month long sit here. I offered to pay 1/2 the pay for a dog walker who charges 20 dollars a walk. I assumed, under the circumstances, that the dog would get one walk a day perhaps longer than the usually short ones she has. To me its about how much daily exercise. I donât see why in this circumstance the dog needs to have the sitter drive all the way here for two short walks (which is what the owner wants). Also, there is a backyard the dog spends a lot of time in, so this in not an apartment, she can walk around outside at anytime. Any opinions or advice and could she potentially try to make me pay it all, and if I donât THS might ban me?
I am sorry to hear you injured yourself and it is interfering with fulfilling the responsibilities of the sit. That is certainly not an ideal situation.
There is nothing in the terms and conditionsâas far as I knowâthat would offer any sort of outline for how to handle an expense like this, meaning there is nothing that explicitly says that you as the sitter would be responsible for such a cost without question.
This also means that ultimately it would be between you and the host to decide how to handle it. She canât force you to pay for anything. If there was any sort of complaint raised against you regarding this issue, I am not sure the host would have much standing and I canât see this as any sort of issue which THS would officially intervene.
I would imagine they would tell you or her that this is something you need to work out between yourselves.
Ultimately it is her dog and she is entitled to decide what she thinks it needs so if you are in disagreement, you are free to state your case. If you are only willing to split the cost of one walkâyou never explicitly said whether she took you up on the offer to pay but I am assuming she did?âand you feel very strongly about that, you have to say as much.
If you are afraid of creating conflict and you agree to split the cost of two even though you donât want to, because you are uncomfortable with speaking up, worried about getting a bad review,etcâŚthen you just need to own that choice and realize that you value keeping the peace, avoiding uncomfortable feelings, âprotectingâ your profile and such more than sharing how you really feel with her. In doing this, you wonât feel as annoyed with the situation.
Good luck and again sorry to hear about this. I know these sorts of issues can be very uncomfortable to deal with.
Thank you, that was helpful.
If the dog is easy to walk, you could try a knee scooter. I loved mine.
Sorry to hear about your injury ? Do you envisage that you will recover quickly from the injury and be able to resume the usual dog walking regime quickly ?
Or do you think that this injury will effect the remainder of the sit ?
If itâs likely to effect the rest of the month long sit - maybe it would be best for the host to find another sitter to take over . The host maybe covered under the sit cancellation plan ( if they are Premium members)
If itâs just a short term injury requiring rest for a couple of days then you just need to work out a temporary solution with the host .
If you just have a sprain then this should pass quite quickly. Is it possible the owner has a friend nearby who can help out while you recover?
I donât think you should be offering to pay for half a dog walker and, as you say, the walks are short. If this is the second time you are sitting for this owner wonât she be understanding?
Discuss the situation with her and, as you say, meanwhile let the dog out in the garden, throw a ball etc
Wow, this could be the perfect answer and I could still get some exercise because its driving me crazy not to be getting more exercise. Thank you so much!
The sit is for 3 more weeks. I would hate for another sitter to take over as I would have no where to go. This sprain will require me to be off it for weeks, but thank you for your response.
Yes, the dog is kind of active outside. And I was fine paying for half the price of a walk. I just think the dog does not need us to pay a walker twice a day. Thanks for your response.
Nobody can âmakeâ you pay anything at all towards a dog walker and THS certainly wonât ban you! Youâve sustained an injury during a sit - these things happen - and since thatâs now impeding your ability to fulfill the agreed responsibilities of the sit, itâs simply about communicating with the host to work out an acceptable solution which works for you both (and it appears youâre already doing that).
Have you seen a doctor about the sprained ankle, to assess the severity? Since sprains can take some time to properly heal, it sounds like it will depend on what the HO wants for her dog, going forwards. I have to agree with what @Silversitters has said:
As all us sitters on here know, sits arenât just about dog walks. The tasks associated with caring for a property - especially on a month-long sit - also require reasonable mobility, so if you arenât up to it, it would be understandable if the HO should decide another sitter is the better option, so be prepared for that.
Wishing you a quick and full recovery.
Hopefully the HO will be understanding, especially since the dog requires just short walks and not great hikes. But, ultimately, we all must have what is often referred to on here as a âPlan Bâ for when things go awry.
Wishing you well.
You make it sound like the host would be in the wrong for expecting you to pay for a dog walker since you cannot fulfill your obligation due to no fault of the host, and furthermore, youâre not concerned with the host being inconvenienced because the pet sitter canât properly pet sit, only that you could get in trouble with THS, is that right?
Not only that but now youâre suddenly questioning why a dog who has always had 2 walks per day actually needs those 2 walks per day that the host clearly spelled out prior to the sit, simply because of the change in your circumstances.
Personally, imo you should have cancelled if you sprained your ankle and canât walk the dog, but it sounds like you had an agreement with the host. Arguably even two or three walks a day is still less than the cost of boarding the dog, although in some places you might be able to get a Rover sitter for the cost.
SOO, I would go back with the owner on what you originally agreed to when you revealed your injury, what you are willing to âpayâ to stay there and feed and care for the dog, and whether or not the homeowner wishes to cancel the sit since you cannot walk the dog. This would be a reasonable reason to end the sit. Whatever you both agree to, make sure itâs written down on the THS message service and acknowledged by both.
It doesnât matter how many walks you think the dog should have. Or your opinion of the owner. None of that should go into anybodyâs review. But if you both agree to just cancel and she does something else there doesnât have to be any review.
If the hosts say that the dog needs two walks a day that is what you have agreed to do as a mutual exchange for staying in their home. If you are now no longer able to do that for the rest of the sit (and there are still 3 weeks to go )- it might be better for the sit to be curtailed so that the the hosts can find a replacement sitter who can walk the dog . If the sit is curtailed the hosts may be covered for the costs of a paid service if they have Premium membership .
If they are happy with that solution you could look for another sit ( cat sit ? ) that doesnât require walking .
Alternatively if you have offered and agreed to pay 50% of the dog walking costs then you should stick to what you have agreed to. Even with this agreement the hosts are out of pocket though no fault of theirs .
Yes, get a knee scooter, problem solved! They are the best invention!