Currently on a sit, during the video tour, they showed me the dog food, I asked about feeding routine and was told a pouch of wet food and cup of biscuits each morning and evening. However the welcome guide says ‘she’s fed twice a day, she has wet food give her one of those pouches and in the evening a cup full of dried food’. I asked in the video call as this wasn’t entirely clear to me, but now thinking it might mean just one pouch in the morning and then only biscuits in the evening.
I have been going off of what the HO said in the video call as they also mentioned the welcome guide was a bit old as filled in years ago, and on arrival in the morning her bowl did have both biscuits and wet food in. But am now running out of food!
Not sure whether to just buy more food myself and say nothing as maybe it was my fault for not clarifying further (its a bit expensive though!), or whether to mention that they are running low and could they replace it?
They have been a bit passive aggressive with me when i’ve asked any questions so far, for example when i was looking for bin bags that the welcome guide stated were in a particular cupboard and they were in a different cupboard hidden away, which they said they’d shown me on the video tour and 'had i forgotten. ’
Just not sure I have the energy to worry about getting a bad review over it.
You shouldn’t be anxious about contacting the host to ask them a question about care for their pets — particularly where their verbal instructions differ from the written ones they’ve already admitted are ‘out of date.’ You also don’t know that they don’t have more food stored somewhere or on repeat delivery, so that is another question you should ask.
Don’t let your anxiety about how they’ll react stop you from exercising good communication. If they’re rude or condescending but you want to avoid addressing it in person, you can always address it in the review. You’re just doing your ‘job,’ which is making sure the pets are cared for properly.
I would just message them, asking where the “backup biscuits” were? In any case, they should have left more than enough dog food for the duration.
Make a subtle hint about the Welcome Guide in your review: “HO said their WG was out-of-date, so did a video walk-through of the routine with me.”
thanks, im just worried that they did leave enough biscuits for the duration and i’ve been overfeeding and used them all up too quickly. If the welcome guide feeding instructions were correct then probably would have enough, its only due to me following what they said in the video tour, twice a day that they are running low. And they were really rushy on the video call with bad wifi, so worried they will knock off a star for comunication even though it was their fault really.
From everything that you wrote and saw (biscuits and wet food in the morning), it definitely sounds like biscuits twice per day. Maybe wet food once per day (morning). If you are running out of biscuits, it is definitely fair to ask the owners where you can find more of them. You don’t even have to clarify the instructions!! Just ask where you can find more biscuits!
Hi @n3n Nobody here on the forum can tell you how much you’re supposed to be feeding the pet, so just do the obvious thing and contact the HO to ask for clarification if you’re in any doubt. It’s far better to double-check than to be over/under feeding. If their answer means you’ll run out of food, you may end up getting involved in actually purchasing more, but you certainly shouldn’t be out of pocket if they haven’t supplied enough. Good luck!
I think you’d be more likely to get dinged on communication if you don’t reach out for clarification, than if you do. Regardless, anticipating & stressing about what ‘might’ be in the review shouldn’t be your primary motivator. Just focus on the pet(s), & you’ll be able to relax in knowing you prioritized the right thing.
A star off in a sub-category isn’t a killer in any case, & there are ways to mitigate poor reviews from unreasonable hosts. Should it actually come to that, there are plenty of us here who’d be happy to offer support and strategies to help when the time comes.
For now do what you need to, & try to take reassurance in knowing you’re doing the right thing. (And do remind yourself, we’re doing this because it’s supposed to be fun!)
Did you record the video call to play and confirm in your head they did say twice a day. Just text and say, where do you keep the extra biscuits if I run out. Do not buy with your own money. Their responsibility to have enough on hand. Do it sooner than later.
.
Prioity # 1 on all sits is care of the animals.
Here’s what I’d do : Contact the HO’s asap and explain the situation with apologies for your confusion and assurances that your #1 concern is proper care and feeding of the pup.
If you sense a recurrance of their “passive/aggressive” behaviour in their response to your query, you can pre-address this in your review. Something along the lines of " I found the pet care instructions a bit unclear and wanting to be sure that pup was well cared-for, I contacted the HO’s for clarification which they provided".
If you’re dinged for something relative to this issue, you’ve already provided your explanation in your review !
How to overcomplicate a sit.
Don’t communicate properly…
It sounds to me like you didn’t have a proper handover with the owners before they left. I don’t normally ask where dog food is kept during a video call as would expect to do this in person. I have never arrived at a dog sit without either the owners or one of their friends to do an in person handover. I’m wondering if perhaps you’re asking the owners too many questions while they’re on holiday? However, they shouldn’t worry if you ask about dog food, clarifying the amount and that they need to supply more. I’ve received deliveries of dog food that owners have ordered while they’re away. Just ask!
Did they give you the welcome at the last minute? If you can get it ahead of time, you can compare it to the notes you took during your call. I’ve noticed differences before and then have a chance to reach out before their vacation starts
But perhaps YOU should knock a star off them for communication… they’ve given you conflicting information on an important aspect of pet care and this being compounded by their rushed video tour.
How long is the sit and how long left to go? How are you communicating?
It’s perfectly reasonable to message, something like:
'I hope you’re having a great time. All’s well here but Fido’s kibble is running low. Please advise whether supplies are stored elsewhere in the home or if you’ll arrange a delivery.
I’d just like to clarify one point please: during the video call, you said Fido usually eats one pouch with one cup of kibble for breakfast and one cup of kibble for his evening meal. I’ve noticed in your Welcome Guide - which you indicated needs updating - it states only one pouch for breakfast (no kibble). Would you please confirm which is correct? Many thanks. ’
We’d have asked for the WG to be updated as it helps to avoid doubt like this. But, don’t feel bad for communicating pet care needs or concerns. It sounds like they’ve not left sufficient dog food, and that’s on them.
P.S. Do you think anyone, ever, called their dog ‘Fido’? 
I’m a bit confused about the hesitation to call out the discrepancy and then just ask the HO to clarify? Better that than misfeeding the animal.
I had a toy pullalong wooden dog who I named Fido
Don’t worry about it. If they don’t look like they’re gaining weight, I’m sure they’re fine. I’,m a HO and I’d never give anyone a hard time for being concerned about my dogs or asking where something is, whether my listing was correct or not. It’s just polite to do so. You’re their to help them. I think HO can forget that.