Vague welcome guide, poop accident, odor

Sitter Questions, Advice & Chat
1

Hello All,

Sorry for long post: TLDR: six-day sit, I leave in 2 days. owners said dog very low-maintence, dog had very large poop accident on carpet, cleaned carpet but bad odor in home remains, concerned about consequences of this.

I’m sitting in a lovely home. In the listing and when we spoke, the owners described their dogs as very low-maintenance, not needing walks, (Just let them out in the yard), and could be left alone for up to 8 hours.

On my third evening here, I fed the dogs, let them out briefly, and was gone for four hours.

I came back to a very large pile of poop on the area rug near the back entrance of the home. I felt badly that the dog had resorted to this but also wondered if something was wrong since this was different than what I had led to expect from the description.

I told the owners, in case this really was unusual for the dog, since it was different than what I expected. The owners said that maybe the dogs aren’t getting out often enough or long enough. They then said that the dogs COULD be left alone for up to eight hours, but when they were home, they let them out into the yard every hour or so, for about five minutes.

This was a lot more specific than what they originally described. The carpet and room where this happened smells very bad now. I’m trying my best to clean it and remove the odor but as of yet, it’s still lingering.

Again this is a lovely home, nice owners, and great dogs but had they owners been this specific in the first place, I would have happily done whatever I needed to, I would have waited a few days til i knew the dogs better before leaving the house 4 hours, etc. I don’t care about cleaning up the mess, I just wish it was working and I’m concerned about getting a bad review when the owners come home to a very smelly room. I’m fairly new to TH, (9 or 10 reviews total) and I have excellent reviews but I’m concerned the owners may be unhappy coming home to a smelly house. Any thoughts or advice on 1) how to diplomatically communicate with the owners, hopefully before they post a review or 2) great methods to clean poop odor would be most appreciated. Thanks very much in advance!

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2

You have time to work on the rug. I’d check some internet tips, but I like OxyClean and they have one for pets. Baking soda, Fabreeze and other products, but if the smell is lingering, my first instinct would be too look further and see if there were any other accidents. Don’t panic there is time before they get back.

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3

Sometimes dogs will poop like that when they’ve been left by the owners, as like a punishment! my daughters dog will poop on her bed if hes sulking over sonething…very naughty.

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4

Well I don’t know about you, but I can’t poop on demand or because the welcome guide says I will… Regardless of what any welcome guide says, 8 hours is a long time to leave a dog home alone without the opportunity to relieve themselves, especially if they’re not getting proper walks. I know your post mentions leaving them for 4 hours rather than 8, which is more reasonable, and you’re absolutely right in what you imply about getting to know the dogs and their routines better - this definitely makes it easier to predict the poops! Until then, I’d work on the basis that once they’ve eaten, there’s a liklihood they’ll need to relieve themselves within the next hour or so. It sounds as though it was an accident, rather than the dog not being house-trained, and that they got as close to getting outside as they possibly could. It also sounds as though you have been understanding, and hopefully the home owners will be as well.

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5

I would put the rug outside and when the Owner gets home, explain that you were getting rid of the odor. They might have to have the rug cleaned professionally or throw it away. Look for other sources of odor in that room.

I am glad that you already told them and expressed concern about the DOG rather than on how the accident affected YOU. That was brilliant! So they already know when they get home. If I were the Owner, I would not be concerned about the expense or inconvenience. Accidents happen. Hopefully they had a great time on their vacation with peace of mind that you were taking care of their home and pets!

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6

A meal helps to push the poop out of the dog so I’d always wait an hour before leaving a dog after a meal it’s only a rough rule of thumb though.
Yes a HO may forget to mention details assuming you know what they know without actually telling you……

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@BonnyinBrighton That is a good point. I always roll my eyes when Owners instruct Sitters to “walk the dog, THEN feed the dog.” Really?? They must not know about the gastrocolic reflex.

From the internet: The gastrocolic reflex is a physiological reflex that controls the gastrointestinal tract’s motility, or peristalsis, after eating. It’s triggered by the stomach stretching after eating and the arrival of digestive by-products in the small intestine. The reflex causes the colon to contract, which propels food toward the bottom for defecation. This reflex usually occurs two or three times a day and can take about 20–30 minutes to complete. The urge to defecate is often felt after a meal, especially breakfast.

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Thank you for the responses! I really can’t find any other evidence of accidents; I tried a few products they had in the house and also bought something else and aired out the room. I think it’s starting to dissipate. i can try putting it out if still needed. thank you again, I truly appreciate the helpful suggestions and support!

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A bowl of vinegar left out overnight can absorb a lot of odors. I sometimes do that in our kitchen after cooking fish LOL

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And I would sprinkle bi-carb (baking soda, not baking powder!) very liberally on the carpet, brush it in and leave it overnight, and then vacuum up the next day.

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I’m just curious as to why the dogs are restricted to being let out only “briefly” or for short intervals. Can they not have access to the outside any time? Maybe they could do with a walk too.

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@ladybella
Did you notice when you let the dog out ‘briefly’, did the dog actually poop whilst in the garden? I’m hoping the answer is yes, as that is pretty much the point in letting it out.

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I agree about walking the dog. I would walk a dog to make sure they do their business before leaving for any length of time. Not trusting the let out in backyard stuff. That is good for early morning or late at night, otherwise I like to walk them to make sure they go.

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14

I don’t think they’re restricted from being outside longer, it’s that they are both older dogs that sometimes need to be coaxed outside. It is brutally hot in this location, the dogs don’t want to be outside for that long. maybe the owners do things differently when it’s not summer, it’s hard to know.

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It all depends on the age and breed of the dog and if the “walk “ is just to relieve themselves or a run around fields at top speed .

Some breeds are at risk of bloat and the advice to prevent this is to
Avoid exercising them immediately before or after mealtimes

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We’re sitting in super hot temps too at the moment so are walking the pooches at 630am & 730pm for both them & us. They’re German Shepherds & not young so malting & roasting in this weather poor things. As one of them is waking you up anyway, you could try an early walk? A lot of dogs (like humans) wake up & if they then move properly if stimulates their system which may prevent anymore accidents @ladybella

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Absolutely agree with this also. Same with humans. You don’t eat a big meal just before doing some vigorous exercise.

Also, dogs need a chance to pee when they wake up in the morning. They have typically been inside for at least 8 hours at that point. A quick walk around the block, or time in the yard, to pee before breakfast, is normal. After eating, the longer walk (or time in the yard) within an hour as they may have the urge to defecate.

Trips to the dog park, beach, or playing fetch, where the dog will be running, should occur well after the meal.

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