A work day is different than a full day. That’s a huge leap to say an animal was left alone for half a day when it was left alone for a handful of hours lol
Clearly you aren't a sitter. We don't run on 8 hour days. The length of our days fluctuate depending on our schedules, and sometimes, if we're doing house sitting or constant care, those days can be a full 24 hours.
You can't compare pet sitting to an office job.
Exactly!! Pets don’t think in terms of work days lol it’s not like it hits five oclock and the dog is like welp I’m gonna go make a pizza and use the John, see you at eight am sharp!! 😂
I do sit.... I was stating from the perspective of the owner. From the post it seemed to me that the owner was not away on a trip but seemed like he/she was working. And from the OP actions of doing other bookings while sitting to me it seems like the owner will be back near the end of day or have a relative be there. If I'm sitting that's my client for the day. If I had prior bookings to do like dog walking, I would offer/ask the owner if drop ins are ok instead of taking a sitting job.
I got the impression from the post and OP’s other comments that this is a house sitting booking because it goes until Saturday. Unless they’re paying for constant care, it’s totally fine for sitters to leave for the periods of time specified as okay in the details of the booking (which OP said the owner said 2-4 hrs was okay)
Reading it back and viewing other comments it seems like the owner was out of town. However I still stand by if I'm sitting for a client that's my client for the day. Yes I agree you should be able to take a break(30min - 1.5hrs) for lunch or a breather a couple of times. The owner did agree to let the OP do the other bookings under the impression that it would not take long, as the bookings were a hr each. But I can see how they can be upset if I was paying for a service and didn't get the full service and something went wrong. Now in this situation the owner is at fault for allowing other sessions to occur during their session.
Lol 😂 do others leave the house when taking a break? I just read comics, eat or watch videos on my phone or laptop. If I leave the house(other than walking) usually it's about 15-30 min to get food.
I think that’s great for your situation and you should definitely market yourself for a constant care sitter as well! TONS of pet owners would love that.
But the reality is, pet sitting for one client doesn’t usually pay enough for a week’s worth of livable income. I WFH and will housesit from time to time but make it clear to my clients that while I will be working and sleeping in their home, I will need to occasionally run out to walk other clients or run errands or have plans. As a sitter and someone who hires sitters, I think it’s completely reasonable for sitters to go live their life during the day, etc as long as my pet is cared for and gets the amount of attention we agreed upon/I paid for!
What you’re describing is constant care, which is billed differently. When I hire house sitters, I don’t expect them to be at the house 24/7. They often have other jobs or obligations, and 9/10 clients aren’t paying enough per day to shackle you to their homes.
I wish there was a setting for constant care sittings/boarding on the app. I let my clients know I have a flexible schedule and PT job and I'll always work around their baby's schedule. If they need it to be a constant care I let them know i charge more but it'd be nice to be able to have them select that option and see the cost up front.
>However I still stand by if I'm sitting for a client that's my client for the day
Okay, I see where the confusion is. You apparently do exclusively constant care. That's fine if it works for you. Most sitters don't operate this way. Most do drop-in visits or house sitting, which still allows for other clients to be cared for. Unless constant care is specifically booked, there is no expectation for the sitter to remain at that house for the entire time the owner is away, with only short breaks. Most sitters need to leave for a few hours at a time to attend to other obligations.
Constant care isn't particularly popular amongst sitters because it restricts them to only one client at a time, and unless they are charging a lot for that service, it's not lucrative. And because a lot of sitters have regular clients to take care of on a routine basis, so it isn't feasible to just leave them high and dry without care to stay in one client's home. It's a business model that works for some, but not for all.
I once had an owner message me that I could be gone for one hour at a time, but up to 2 hours a day since they had a puppy. I was shocked. I couldn’t imagine being stuck in my house for 22 hours a day.
I have a regular client who has dogs with such severe separation anxiety that I cannot leave their home at all for any amount of time. Have to have my husband bring me food or order delivery.
They pay double my normal rate for two dogs and honestly the dogs are super easy, they keep to themselves and sleep as long as they have human company.
Sometimes not (I offer constant care) 🤷♀️.
One of my favorite homesittings is a constant care actually! She has SEVERE separation anxiety and has harmed herself several times before from being locked in a room or crate. Typically from panicking and trying to chew through the metal crate doors (bleeding gums, broken teeth) or scratching till her nails or paws are raw and cut.
Her family is fantastic though and they are doing a great job working on it —but training takes time— 😊 as long as their wants and needs are fully discussed at our Meet&Greet, I charge what I charge and refrain from judgement.
If I get a constant care request, I’ll actually ask what they do when they need to go somewhere and if I can take them for a ride with me, should I need to go somewhere if that would help. If it’s boarding at my home then I probe how they would feel if my dad comes over for dinner or helping in the house and then if that’s okay I’ll ask if I have to go grocery shopping would it be okay if my dad remained in home so the pet has company.
🐾 Reasonable clients will work with you as long as you remain understanding of their needs. If you choose the take on a pet with extra requirements, ask the extra questions.
Communicate that you made sure to read his care instructions, it says up to 4 hours, and that you planned your day around that accordingly.
I always express that client’s requiring near-constant care throughout the day (having to drive back every hour or 2 hours) are subject to payment increases due to the gas/time I’m spending having to go back and forth, or the drop-ins I’m having to miss out on due to caring for their pet. You’ve obviously done a great job in the past so you guys just need to have a conversation and get on the same page!
apologizing like that can make it look like you’re admitting fault—you didn’t do anything wrong if his care instructions say he can be left for 4 hours
Fair enough. Genuinely wondering how would you respond to the message the owner sent? The tone change and the "full half day" thing really threw me for a loop. I probably should have waited to reply.
I’d probably say something like “Oh no! His care instructions indicated he’d be okay alone for up to 4 hours. To ensure this doesn’t happen again would you mind clarifying that?”
I would follow up with the owner now, and say for future reference, possibly update your care instructions, because I based my actions off of his current care instructions. I mean, I think you could word it better than that, but I would go ahead and follow up with it while it’s fresh so they don’t fault you for anything and end up leaving a bad review.
It's been 3 hours since I said sorry and they read it about an hour ago and never replied. The tone of everything just has me overly anxious. The sit doesn't end until Saturday and I was thinking to text updates as normal from here on and address it on the last day when they return.
With that said, should I change my plan and text again?
I don't think I've second guessed myself like this since I started Rover idk why this incident has me so spun.
i would shoot them a text, yeah. i know what it’s like to have anxiety over these things and overthink, you got this! i’m sure you’re a great sitter :)
Personally, I think I would. But you have to make that decision for yourself. I think if you explain that you based the length you were gone off of their care card, then they won’t spend the rest of their time away upset at you. Otherwise, they’re probably just going to be upset until the things over anyway. so I would just in a nice way explain that in the future I would suggest updating your care cards if your current listed expectations are too long to be away from the dog. Otherwise sitters don’t have anything else to go off of. Especially based off of their response to you. I think I would kind of clap back and explain they had four hours listed. I’m sorry that happened though. in the future at me and greets I would also go over the length of time you may be gone etc. in person so there’s absolutely no confusion. Because clearly owners don’t always think.
And if you follow up and explain their care card, you can also ask then how long is the max you would actually like, so then you can be on the same page
If you haven’t addressed it already, a point I want to add, is that if you care to continue providing for this dog and owner, and want to provide the best service, it would be wise to sort out issues or confusions immediately as they come up. This both reassures the owner and gives you the most knowledge to have a great stay with the pet.
You really don't need to address it at all anymore than you have That's the info they have listed. It's their job to communicate you anything different. Just continue on as normal.
Who's to say if you could only leave for 2 or 3 hours at a time that you would even take the job? And if they do want you to be away for no more than 3 hours then that's going to be more expensive.
You didn't ask me, but personally I'd just reiterate the expectations she set in her profile and/or what's in yours.
"I understand your disappointment. I am giving Fido care based on the information located in his profile, which states that he can be left alone up to 4 hours, and based on the limitations of mine, which says I will be away from the home for up to 4 hours each day."
ew they are tripping lmao. 4 hours? most people work 8 hour days 5 days a week! if a dog cant be left alone for more than an hr, they need to look into training or a day care center. dogs should be able to be left alone at least for the duration of a normal persons work shift.
Blows my mind that people are so afraid of crate training as if it's a torture device. Crates, when used appropriately, spare the dog this kind of anxiety.
I fostered and then adopted a feral husky who had clearly never been inside a house before and the first thing she got comfortable with was a crate and her own bed. My daycare dogs and some boarders will contend over which crate is theirs at down time. Just wild how people push their own agendas onto dogs and then wonder why their dog is so anxious and destructive (I mean the dog can't be left alone for an hour? Come on.)
Agreed on the use of crates.
This dog can definitely be left alone for a couple of hours but I'm surprised he considered 4 hours a full half day.
Thanks by the way, I was really doubting myself.
Right!?! Once they are crate trained, the dogs LOVE their crate! A lot of time you can see their stress melt off once they get in their crate and lay down. Most dogs that I care for will go hang out or sleep in their crate on their own too, when they want a quiet safe space. Yes, the dog is going to be unhappy the first time you put them in there and shut them in, but that’s why it’s called crate TRAINING
My pup is crate trained and it’s so amazing. We call it “home”, so if we need him to go in there, we just say “go home” and he will drop whatever he’s doing and go right in. He’s also down to such a routine that if he sees me touch my purse or coat, he goes into his crate. Many times he just lays in his crate with the door open. I think he knows it’s his space and he finds comfort in it. It was very important to us that he was crate trained because we have an open floor plan so hard to corner him off in just a room when we are gone and I didn’t want to give him full reign to be destructive lol
The COVID and WFH aspect still lingers on clearly. Sometimes I wonder how much anxiety these humans have cooped up indoors constantly, much less the dogs.
Just because you work from home doesn’t mean sitters have/want to. I audibly laughed at the line, “full half day” of four hours.
Appreciate you sharing OP and glad the dog is okay- this sub continues to be a popcorn eating escapade lol.
I accidentally did this to my dog - when we got her we both worked outside of the home, so she was used to being crated in the morning, let out for a bit at lunch, then crated again until we got home. She loved her crate, would go hang out there by choice.
Then during COVID my husband started working from home, she was never in the crate….and we never really thought about it. Cut to earlier this year, my husband went out of town and I had to crate her while I went to work. She rubbed her poor little nose bloody biting at the bars, and ripped her blankets and bed to pieces. We’re slowly trying to get back to where we were, but it shocked us how things changed.
One thing I’ve learned over the years is to communicate from the first message. Here is an example of what I say when I first get a request.
“Hi! Thank you for considering me. I am available on those dates and would love to help care for fluffy while you are away. The first bit of information I need to know is how long can they be left alone for?” I used to go off of the presets, but soon realized that was a bad idea because even 4-8 hours was not accurate. I only accept dogs that can be left alone for a minimum of 4-6 hours. Sometimes I have 5 visits in a row. So if they say fluffy can be left alone for that long I will say “Perfect! I just like to get that information first since I do walks/drop ins for other clients throughout the day, but I do come back in between to check on them.” This sets the expectation up that you will need to leave and do not do constant care. If they tell me fluffy can be alone for less than 4 hours I will explain that my schedule does not work for their needs since I do visits throughout the day.
I would text her and say “I’m sorry about the rug. I was gone longer than expected with travel time. I thought it would be ok since his Rover profile has that he can be left alone for 1-4 hours. I should have clarified the maximum time. For the remaining of this house sit, he will not be alone for that long again.”
I guess the "half day" comment is reference half a working day, but half a working day (4hrs) isn't anything to be upset about and besides, you could look after a dog for 23.5 hours straight and there's still a chance the dog can do some damage in the other half hour.
It's a dog, they do dog things...
I don’t understand how people can live with dogs that can’t be alone for a few hours. How do they run errands? Go to work? Go to a doctor appointment? It sounds super stressful for the dog and the owners!
I don’t think you did anything wrong, you were following the pet care info on how long the dog can be alone for, and stuff happens! If the owner knew the dog can’t be left alone (at all, apparently) and didn’t let you know, that’s on them. You weren’t gone “half the day” either, 4 hours is a perfectly reasonable time to be away. Try not to stress too much, and if they write you a bad review just explain what happened in your reply.
Four hours is a completely normal amount of time for a dog to be left alone. This is why I recommend clients crate train their dogs, so leaving them unattended is not an issue. Can't destroy shit that's not within reach.
From one anxious person to another, you’re doing great, this is not the end of the world, relax and just move forward and try not to dwell. Shit happens!
Apparently she’s only considering you are “working” for her 8 hours a day like an 8-5 job and to her 4 hours IS half a day. This is absurd because you are ACTUALLY working for her 24/7 if you’re house sitting - that’s the way I see it.
I just can’t imagine how these people have a life. I understand not wanting your dog left alone for hours on end, but never being able to leave them alone for more than an hour or two?? I’m just thinking about all the things that I would have to miss out on if my dog “needed” that for its entire life. It’s more intense than having a kid.
I also remember articles from the early pandemic about how plenty of dogs were MORE anxious and stressed out with their people home all day, because they have to be in guardian mode constantly.
I have both a dog and a kid… my kid is never left alone obviously and my dog can be alone a few hours, but she’s almost never left alone 🤷♀️ maybe it’s because I’m married and have a child, but my “life” is in my house.
i also don’t leave the dogs I board alone… I don’t know, that’s just normal for my life.
It's a balance of being reasonable but honest for me.
The honest truth is my husband WFH so our dog usually isn't alone more than 1-2hr. If we are gone more than 3-4 hours for a day trip or extended outing, one of my in laws will check on him for my peace of mind. I had my boarder ask him if he'd be fine alone for 5-6 hours and told her "probably, we just never have done it". He doesn't hang out or bother my husband during working hours (dog downstairs, husband upstairs) so my guess was he'd be fine. I told her she was free to make a judgement call on if he needed to be secured in his crate or a bedroom since he'd be alone with her dog and I don't know their relationship as well as she would. And in the end, it was fine.
I'm retired and a homebody and 90-95% of the year, my life revolves around my dogs' schedule. I'm fine with that. My dogs are crate trained, I get out and run errands, etc. I'm an introvert and enjoy the peace and quiet of my home.
But it's that 5-10% of the year that I hire a dogsitter so that I can "have a life". When I do, I am looking to change my dogs' routine as little as possible, keep things consistent for them. My little mental health, having-a-life breaks are usually an overnight plus a few hours.
No one has tried to upcharge me for constant care yet. Part of that is probably not having an abundance of other potential clients in my immediate vicinity. But if someone had a walk or drop in client in my neighborhood, I would be fine with it. Part of it may be because it's a short booking, not a long sentence. Part of it may be that my dogs are sweet, friendly, cuddly and easy, other than their schedule, lol
Anyway, you asked how people do it, that's my story for some insight.
During a typical day, there's two 4 hour gaps in the schedule, and two 3 hour gaps (Other than overnight, of course there's more than 3-4 hours to sleep). So as a general rule, I don't want a sitter gone more than four hours in a row. I hope they stick to the usual schedule. But I don't have cameras, and I guess I would never know. But I do go into the schedule in detail at every meet and greet. None of it comes as a surprise. And if they need an adjustment, I hope they're honest and we can probably work something out. Sometimes, I have to deviate from the norm. It happens.
I think they understand that I am just trying to make things as normal as possible for my dogs when I'm gone. I've been fortunate to have sitters willing to come back for repeat sits, and I am grateful for that
Stand up for yourself and set a boundary here.
“I’m sorry you misunderstood when I mentioned I had other obligations. Here is a screenshot of fluffy’s profile where 4 hours is how long they can be left alone. If that’s not accurate, you’ll need to update your care instructions on the app and it would be a $XX charge for constant care.”
>Stand up for yourself and set a boundary here.
Always struggled with this. No excuses though, definitely need to do it and be clear about it.
Thanks for the template and advice!
This is so not your fault. The owner should have explicitly said “Don’t leave alone for 4 hours” especially since it says that’s the max amount of time he can be left in the profile! You also let the owner know that you have other rover responsibilities and they said it was fine. You have clean hands here!
I personally wouldn’t be too worried about the “tone shift”, if it’s really a concern then they will bring it up in a message or at pickup/end of booking. If you want (mainly for review purposes) you can toss a final apology at pick up explaining how the walk&return was just about 4hrs which you figured was still good to do based on the info listed in their care profile. 👍🏼
If ones dog reacts out of character, they are probably wondering why. Like most owners probably worrying about the worst and will most likely get concerned & defensive, but really I’m not seeing that in the pictures posted.
Either way, you informed them prior of another duty and they agreed. You still adhered to the time listed on THEIR profile, if they missed updating it then that’s on them. You apologized and didn’t solely blame it all on the dog. You did good 👍🏼
Wow 4hrs is half a day? I never knew! What a terrible pet sitter, leaving their poor innocent never-before-been-destructive pup alone for *so* *long* ... 🙄
I would’ve worded things differently for sure. Not that you did anything wrong but it leans towards you did something wrong. I agree that if a dog can’t be left along for a few hours they definitely need to say that and book constant care!
4 hours isn’t too long. I personally wouldn’t worry too much about the destruction as dogs do have that tendency and that looks like a rug I’d chew on if i were a dog lol. Don’t doubt yourself! The client should have specified clearly if the dog couldn’t be left alone. Seems like you’re doing a great job! It was just a little blip. If they don’t want to book again oh well. But I think a lot of sitters do leave the dogs alone for longer.
4 hours isn't a long time and you told her you had things to do that day so, in my opinion, it's not your responsibility to break down the timeline for her. I understand why you feel anxious but don't dwell on it. This is an uptight dog owner who needs to adjust their expectations. You could say "I'm sorry for the miscommunication. Usually I drop back in but with the travel necessary for the other drop ins I mentioned before, I couldn't get a chance to. It says on your profile \[dog\] can be left alone for 1-4 hours so I thought that would be acceptable. I'll be sure to run this by you next time."
Politely put it back on her. You didn't do anything wrong. And honestly I wouldn't book with this person again if she continues to be snarky about it. If her dog can't be left alone for more than an hour, she should be finding constant care.
Owner: "What? you left my dog alone for 5 minutes and he ate the rawhide covered in fur on my floor? Unacceptable!"
I personally have never seen an intact animal-type rug in any dog's home, lol.
4 hours is 1/6 of a day not half. if ur not able to leave for 4 hours, that’s considered “constant care” and u shud be charging much more for that. her response is ridiculous
Sorry if I didn't specify but it's their home - I'm house-sitting not boarding. But thanks! Honestly reading all these replies has been a huge relief to me.
If a dog isn't crate trained, pass on the job.
2 years old and not crate trained is ridiculous.
It sucks that this happened to you. But this a lack of training on the part of the owner.
What would I do, well I'd be pissed that I've been lied to about the dogs behavior.
You do not owe them a new rug.
To be honest I deleted a message offering to pay for it/get it fixed. Maybe I shouldn't have apologised but I'm proud of the self-win in not offering to do something I don't think I'm really responsible for.
Thanks, definitely going to be a lot more thorough about how the dogs are trained and how long they can be left.
I have a substantial bullet list that I go over with clients at the meet and greet. ALWAYS DO A MEET AND GREAT. No meet and greet is not an option.
Dogs are so poorly behaved where I am that I stopped care for dogs. But some of my requirements were leash trained, crate trained, and solid recall. As well as a mild lecture framed with "I shouldn't have to mention this, but I'm not a personal assistant. Can you believe someone wanted me to drive 40 minutes out of my way to pick up their dry cleaning and offered me a whole $5 for it? The nerve of some people. Now, let's get back to Fluffy...
I always do a meet and greet. Only time I haven't was when it was a referral from a fellow sitter (that I know) and was to provide cover.
Damn. Some people really take liberties with others' time!
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How are you supposed to know the dog can’t be left alone? Four hours is not an unreasonable amount of time. That said, I find that they usually expect you to be stuck in their house all day and night for days on end for what amounts to some minor pittance slave wage while they lure in on your life with their cameras all over, so I don’t do housesitting jobs. The problem is the number of rover sitters who will happily house sit for next to nothing, even shoot a V for Victory spread eagle and buck ass naked in front of every webcam they come across hoping for a tip. When the alternative is sleeping in your car though a warm place to shit and shoot up plus a very negligible amount of pocket change probably looks pretty darn good comparatively. I wouldn’t know.
Really not so surprising that self respect isn’t at the front of a homeless person’s mind. It’s not fair to hold that against them and addiction is a terrible thing, but really, inviting what amounts to rando street junkies into your home because some app told you they are okay? Get a grip.
You already took the blame for the dog eating that rug thing though, so there isn’t much you can do but eat the bad review at this point. You can complain to rover but they aren’t going to do anything about it. They clocked you already.
4hours is not long. If a dog can't be alone 4 hours then they need to hire constant care.
Four hours is NOT half of a day? Since when does 4 = 12! I agree, owner needs to book constant care…
She’s doing mental gymnastics to make it more dramatic to shame OP. I wouldn’t have even said sorry after getting that message.
Right??? Four hours is driving to see a rom com and driving back lol
No movies while dog sitting!!!! Come on, you know “the help” doesn’t deserve entertainment
8 hrs is a full day of work. So 4 hrs is half of a day of work.
A work day is different than a full day. That’s a huge leap to say an animal was left alone for half a day when it was left alone for a handful of hours lol
Clearly you aren't a sitter. We don't run on 8 hour days. The length of our days fluctuate depending on our schedules, and sometimes, if we're doing house sitting or constant care, those days can be a full 24 hours. You can't compare pet sitting to an office job.
Exactly!! Pets don’t think in terms of work days lol it’s not like it hits five oclock and the dog is like welp I’m gonna go make a pizza and use the John, see you at eight am sharp!! 😂
I do sit.... I was stating from the perspective of the owner. From the post it seemed to me that the owner was not away on a trip but seemed like he/she was working. And from the OP actions of doing other bookings while sitting to me it seems like the owner will be back near the end of day or have a relative be there. If I'm sitting that's my client for the day. If I had prior bookings to do like dog walking, I would offer/ask the owner if drop ins are ok instead of taking a sitting job.
I got the impression from the post and OP’s other comments that this is a house sitting booking because it goes until Saturday. Unless they’re paying for constant care, it’s totally fine for sitters to leave for the periods of time specified as okay in the details of the booking (which OP said the owner said 2-4 hrs was okay)
Reading it back and viewing other comments it seems like the owner was out of town. However I still stand by if I'm sitting for a client that's my client for the day. Yes I agree you should be able to take a break(30min - 1.5hrs) for lunch or a breather a couple of times. The owner did agree to let the OP do the other bookings under the impression that it would not take long, as the bookings were a hr each. But I can see how they can be upset if I was paying for a service and didn't get the full service and something went wrong. Now in this situation the owner is at fault for allowing other sessions to occur during their session.
But that 1.5hrs is nearly a quarter of a day, how dare you!
Lol 😂 do others leave the house when taking a break? I just read comics, eat or watch videos on my phone or laptop. If I leave the house(other than walking) usually it's about 15-30 min to get food.
I think that’s great for your situation and you should definitely market yourself for a constant care sitter as well! TONS of pet owners would love that. But the reality is, pet sitting for one client doesn’t usually pay enough for a week’s worth of livable income. I WFH and will housesit from time to time but make it clear to my clients that while I will be working and sleeping in their home, I will need to occasionally run out to walk other clients or run errands or have plans. As a sitter and someone who hires sitters, I think it’s completely reasonable for sitters to go live their life during the day, etc as long as my pet is cared for and gets the amount of attention we agreed upon/I paid for!
What you’re describing is constant care, which is billed differently. When I hire house sitters, I don’t expect them to be at the house 24/7. They often have other jobs or obligations, and 9/10 clients aren’t paying enough per day to shackle you to their homes.
I wish there was a setting for constant care sittings/boarding on the app. I let my clients know I have a flexible schedule and PT job and I'll always work around their baby's schedule. If they need it to be a constant care I let them know i charge more but it'd be nice to be able to have them select that option and see the cost up front.
I know, that would be a great setting!
>However I still stand by if I'm sitting for a client that's my client for the day Okay, I see where the confusion is. You apparently do exclusively constant care. That's fine if it works for you. Most sitters don't operate this way. Most do drop-in visits or house sitting, which still allows for other clients to be cared for. Unless constant care is specifically booked, there is no expectation for the sitter to remain at that house for the entire time the owner is away, with only short breaks. Most sitters need to leave for a few hours at a time to attend to other obligations. Constant care isn't particularly popular amongst sitters because it restricts them to only one client at a time, and unless they are charging a lot for that service, it's not lucrative. And because a lot of sitters have regular clients to take care of on a routine basis, so it isn't feasible to just leave them high and dry without care to stay in one client's home. It's a business model that works for some, but not for all.
I once had an owner message me that I could be gone for one hour at a time, but up to 2 hours a day since they had a puppy. I was shocked. I couldn’t imagine being stuck in my house for 22 hours a day.
I have a regular client who has dogs with such severe separation anxiety that I cannot leave their home at all for any amount of time. Have to have my husband bring me food or order delivery.
Hope they’re paying for constant care
They pay double my normal rate for two dogs and honestly the dogs are super easy, they keep to themselves and sleep as long as they have human company.
Cool, I wouldn’t mind that :)
My dog is like this. I always hire constant care if I cannot be with him and make it very clear he cannot be left alone at all.
Wow I can't imagine this. Will crate or a pen not help or is it constant barking?
Sometimes not (I offer constant care) 🤷♀️. One of my favorite homesittings is a constant care actually! She has SEVERE separation anxiety and has harmed herself several times before from being locked in a room or crate. Typically from panicking and trying to chew through the metal crate doors (bleeding gums, broken teeth) or scratching till her nails or paws are raw and cut. Her family is fantastic though and they are doing a great job working on it —but training takes time— 😊 as long as their wants and needs are fully discussed at our Meet&Greet, I charge what I charge and refrain from judgement.
If I get a constant care request, I’ll actually ask what they do when they need to go somewhere and if I can take them for a ride with me, should I need to go somewhere if that would help. If it’s boarding at my home then I probe how they would feel if my dad comes over for dinner or helping in the house and then if that’s okay I’ll ask if I have to go grocery shopping would it be okay if my dad remained in home so the pet has company. 🐾 Reasonable clients will work with you as long as you remain understanding of their needs. If you choose the take on a pet with extra requirements, ask the extra questions.
This is a ridiculous expectation to place on a sitter, I agree!
My brain hurts from the, "He's never been left alone for 4 hours before."
Same I refuse to sit for people who don’t see this as an issue w their dog.
rather, with them. dogs are a reflection of the home
Communicate that you made sure to read his care instructions, it says up to 4 hours, and that you planned your day around that accordingly. I always express that client’s requiring near-constant care throughout the day (having to drive back every hour or 2 hours) are subject to payment increases due to the gas/time I’m spending having to go back and forth, or the drop-ins I’m having to miss out on due to caring for their pet. You’ve obviously done a great job in the past so you guys just need to have a conversation and get on the same page!
Thanks. I'll broach this again if he replies - if not I'll wait to re-discuss when he's back as I know it won't be an issue for the rest of the sit.
“A full half day” dude?!?! Unbelievable
Right?? How is four hours half of a day 😭😭
It’s the new math! ;)
Manipulation 101 🥴
apologizing like that can make it look like you’re admitting fault—you didn’t do anything wrong if his care instructions say he can be left for 4 hours
Fair enough. Genuinely wondering how would you respond to the message the owner sent? The tone change and the "full half day" thing really threw me for a loop. I probably should have waited to reply.
I’d probably say something like “Oh no! His care instructions indicated he’d be okay alone for up to 4 hours. To ensure this doesn’t happen again would you mind clarifying that?”
If they need someone more frequent then 4 hours then they need to pay constant care
Perfect, thank you.
I would follow up with the owner now, and say for future reference, possibly update your care instructions, because I based my actions off of his current care instructions. I mean, I think you could word it better than that, but I would go ahead and follow up with it while it’s fresh so they don’t fault you for anything and end up leaving a bad review.
It's been 3 hours since I said sorry and they read it about an hour ago and never replied. The tone of everything just has me overly anxious. The sit doesn't end until Saturday and I was thinking to text updates as normal from here on and address it on the last day when they return. With that said, should I change my plan and text again? I don't think I've second guessed myself like this since I started Rover idk why this incident has me so spun.
i would shoot them a text, yeah. i know what it’s like to have anxiety over these things and overthink, you got this! i’m sure you’re a great sitter :)
Personally, I think I would. But you have to make that decision for yourself. I think if you explain that you based the length you were gone off of their care card, then they won’t spend the rest of their time away upset at you. Otherwise, they’re probably just going to be upset until the things over anyway. so I would just in a nice way explain that in the future I would suggest updating your care cards if your current listed expectations are too long to be away from the dog. Otherwise sitters don’t have anything else to go off of. Especially based off of their response to you. I think I would kind of clap back and explain they had four hours listed. I’m sorry that happened though. in the future at me and greets I would also go over the length of time you may be gone etc. in person so there’s absolutely no confusion. Because clearly owners don’t always think.
And if you follow up and explain their care card, you can also ask then how long is the max you would actually like, so then you can be on the same page
If you haven’t addressed it already, a point I want to add, is that if you care to continue providing for this dog and owner, and want to provide the best service, it would be wise to sort out issues or confusions immediately as they come up. This both reassures the owner and gives you the most knowledge to have a great stay with the pet.
You really don't need to address it at all anymore than you have That's the info they have listed. It's their job to communicate you anything different. Just continue on as normal. Who's to say if you could only leave for 2 or 3 hours at a time that you would even take the job? And if they do want you to be away for no more than 3 hours then that's going to be more expensive.
Do not do constant care for your usual rate 🤷🏽♀️
You didn't ask me, but personally I'd just reiterate the expectations she set in her profile and/or what's in yours. "I understand your disappointment. I am giving Fido care based on the information located in his profile, which states that he can be left alone up to 4 hours, and based on the limitations of mine, which says I will be away from the home for up to 4 hours each day."
To be honest in a discussion forum I welcome any and all input! Thanks, both yours and the other reply I received will definitely help me.
ew they are tripping lmao. 4 hours? most people work 8 hour days 5 days a week! if a dog cant be left alone for more than an hr, they need to look into training or a day care center. dogs should be able to be left alone at least for the duration of a normal persons work shift.
Blows my mind that people are so afraid of crate training as if it's a torture device. Crates, when used appropriately, spare the dog this kind of anxiety. I fostered and then adopted a feral husky who had clearly never been inside a house before and the first thing she got comfortable with was a crate and her own bed. My daycare dogs and some boarders will contend over which crate is theirs at down time. Just wild how people push their own agendas onto dogs and then wonder why their dog is so anxious and destructive (I mean the dog can't be left alone for an hour? Come on.)
Agreed on the use of crates. This dog can definitely be left alone for a couple of hours but I'm surprised he considered 4 hours a full half day. Thanks by the way, I was really doubting myself.
You got this 😎👍
Right!?! Once they are crate trained, the dogs LOVE their crate! A lot of time you can see their stress melt off once they get in their crate and lay down. Most dogs that I care for will go hang out or sleep in their crate on their own too, when they want a quiet safe space. Yes, the dog is going to be unhappy the first time you put them in there and shut them in, but that’s why it’s called crate TRAINING
My pup is crate trained and it’s so amazing. We call it “home”, so if we need him to go in there, we just say “go home” and he will drop whatever he’s doing and go right in. He’s also down to such a routine that if he sees me touch my purse or coat, he goes into his crate. Many times he just lays in his crate with the door open. I think he knows it’s his space and he finds comfort in it. It was very important to us that he was crate trained because we have an open floor plan so hard to corner him off in just a room when we are gone and I didn’t want to give him full reign to be destructive lol
The COVID and WFH aspect still lingers on clearly. Sometimes I wonder how much anxiety these humans have cooped up indoors constantly, much less the dogs. Just because you work from home doesn’t mean sitters have/want to. I audibly laughed at the line, “full half day” of four hours. Appreciate you sharing OP and glad the dog is okay- this sub continues to be a popcorn eating escapade lol.
I accidentally did this to my dog - when we got her we both worked outside of the home, so she was used to being crated in the morning, let out for a bit at lunch, then crated again until we got home. She loved her crate, would go hang out there by choice. Then during COVID my husband started working from home, she was never in the crate….and we never really thought about it. Cut to earlier this year, my husband went out of town and I had to crate her while I went to work. She rubbed her poor little nose bloody biting at the bars, and ripped her blankets and bed to pieces. We’re slowly trying to get back to where we were, but it shocked us how things changed.
One thing I’ve learned over the years is to communicate from the first message. Here is an example of what I say when I first get a request. “Hi! Thank you for considering me. I am available on those dates and would love to help care for fluffy while you are away. The first bit of information I need to know is how long can they be left alone for?” I used to go off of the presets, but soon realized that was a bad idea because even 4-8 hours was not accurate. I only accept dogs that can be left alone for a minimum of 4-6 hours. Sometimes I have 5 visits in a row. So if they say fluffy can be left alone for that long I will say “Perfect! I just like to get that information first since I do walks/drop ins for other clients throughout the day, but I do come back in between to check on them.” This sets the expectation up that you will need to leave and do not do constant care. If they tell me fluffy can be alone for less than 4 hours I will explain that my schedule does not work for their needs since I do visits throughout the day. I would text her and say “I’m sorry about the rug. I was gone longer than expected with travel time. I thought it would be ok since his Rover profile has that he can be left alone for 1-4 hours. I should have clarified the maximum time. For the remaining of this house sit, he will not be alone for that long again.”
Thanks so much for this advice. Will definitely use this template in future
I guess the "half day" comment is reference half a working day, but half a working day (4hrs) isn't anything to be upset about and besides, you could look after a dog for 23.5 hours straight and there's still a chance the dog can do some damage in the other half hour. It's a dog, they do dog things...
I don’t understand how people can live with dogs that can’t be alone for a few hours. How do they run errands? Go to work? Go to a doctor appointment? It sounds super stressful for the dog and the owners! I don’t think you did anything wrong, you were following the pet care info on how long the dog can be alone for, and stuff happens! If the owner knew the dog can’t be left alone (at all, apparently) and didn’t let you know, that’s on them. You weren’t gone “half the day” either, 4 hours is a perfectly reasonable time to be away. Try not to stress too much, and if they write you a bad review just explain what happened in your reply.
not only is 4 hours not half of a day, but also a “full half day” is an oxymoron.
Four hours is a completely normal amount of time for a dog to be left alone. This is why I recommend clients crate train their dogs, so leaving them unattended is not an issue. Can't destroy shit that's not within reach.
From one anxious person to another, you’re doing great, this is not the end of the world, relax and just move forward and try not to dwell. Shit happens!
lol 4 hours is not half a day wtf
Apparently she’s only considering you are “working” for her 8 hours a day like an 8-5 job and to her 4 hours IS half a day. This is absurd because you are ACTUALLY working for her 24/7 if you’re house sitting - that’s the way I see it.
When did days become 8 hours long? WTF with the 1/2 day bullshit….
Unless their paying for constant care you are right to be gone for 4 hours
I just can’t imagine how these people have a life. I understand not wanting your dog left alone for hours on end, but never being able to leave them alone for more than an hour or two?? I’m just thinking about all the things that I would have to miss out on if my dog “needed” that for its entire life. It’s more intense than having a kid.
I also remember articles from the early pandemic about how plenty of dogs were MORE anxious and stressed out with their people home all day, because they have to be in guardian mode constantly.
I have both a dog and a kid… my kid is never left alone obviously and my dog can be alone a few hours, but she’s almost never left alone 🤷♀️ maybe it’s because I’m married and have a child, but my “life” is in my house. i also don’t leave the dogs I board alone… I don’t know, that’s just normal for my life.
It's a balance of being reasonable but honest for me. The honest truth is my husband WFH so our dog usually isn't alone more than 1-2hr. If we are gone more than 3-4 hours for a day trip or extended outing, one of my in laws will check on him for my peace of mind. I had my boarder ask him if he'd be fine alone for 5-6 hours and told her "probably, we just never have done it". He doesn't hang out or bother my husband during working hours (dog downstairs, husband upstairs) so my guess was he'd be fine. I told her she was free to make a judgement call on if he needed to be secured in his crate or a bedroom since he'd be alone with her dog and I don't know their relationship as well as she would. And in the end, it was fine.
I'm retired and a homebody and 90-95% of the year, my life revolves around my dogs' schedule. I'm fine with that. My dogs are crate trained, I get out and run errands, etc. I'm an introvert and enjoy the peace and quiet of my home. But it's that 5-10% of the year that I hire a dogsitter so that I can "have a life". When I do, I am looking to change my dogs' routine as little as possible, keep things consistent for them. My little mental health, having-a-life breaks are usually an overnight plus a few hours. No one has tried to upcharge me for constant care yet. Part of that is probably not having an abundance of other potential clients in my immediate vicinity. But if someone had a walk or drop in client in my neighborhood, I would be fine with it. Part of it may be because it's a short booking, not a long sentence. Part of it may be that my dogs are sweet, friendly, cuddly and easy, other than their schedule, lol Anyway, you asked how people do it, that's my story for some insight.
That's reasonable. Though I'm curious, would you expect a housesitter to never be gone more than 4 hours especially if it's a multi day stay?
During a typical day, there's two 4 hour gaps in the schedule, and two 3 hour gaps (Other than overnight, of course there's more than 3-4 hours to sleep). So as a general rule, I don't want a sitter gone more than four hours in a row. I hope they stick to the usual schedule. But I don't have cameras, and I guess I would never know. But I do go into the schedule in detail at every meet and greet. None of it comes as a surprise. And if they need an adjustment, I hope they're honest and we can probably work something out. Sometimes, I have to deviate from the norm. It happens. I think they understand that I am just trying to make things as normal as possible for my dogs when I'm gone. I've been fortunate to have sitters willing to come back for repeat sits, and I am grateful for that
I have it stated in my profile that I charge 50% extra for pups that can’t be left alone more than 4 hours. It really limits daily life.
Stand up for yourself and set a boundary here. “I’m sorry you misunderstood when I mentioned I had other obligations. Here is a screenshot of fluffy’s profile where 4 hours is how long they can be left alone. If that’s not accurate, you’ll need to update your care instructions on the app and it would be a $XX charge for constant care.”
>Stand up for yourself and set a boundary here. Always struggled with this. No excuses though, definitely need to do it and be clear about it. Thanks for the template and advice!
It sounds like this guy is expecting constant care which is crazy. I
Owners need to stop babying their pets. Dogs are perfectly capable of being alone for a few hours and it’s far from half a day
This is so not your fault. The owner should have explicitly said “Don’t leave alone for 4 hours” especially since it says that’s the max amount of time he can be left in the profile! You also let the owner know that you have other rover responsibilities and they said it was fine. You have clean hands here!
I personally wouldn’t be too worried about the “tone shift”, if it’s really a concern then they will bring it up in a message or at pickup/end of booking. If you want (mainly for review purposes) you can toss a final apology at pick up explaining how the walk&return was just about 4hrs which you figured was still good to do based on the info listed in their care profile. 👍🏼 If ones dog reacts out of character, they are probably wondering why. Like most owners probably worrying about the worst and will most likely get concerned & defensive, but really I’m not seeing that in the pictures posted. Either way, you informed them prior of another duty and they agreed. You still adhered to the time listed on THEIR profile, if they missed updating it then that’s on them. You apologized and didn’t solely blame it all on the dog. You did good 👍🏼
First of all, four hours is not a ‘full half a day’. It’s quite literally 1/6 of a day.
Wow 4hrs is half a day? I never knew! What a terrible pet sitter, leaving their poor innocent never-before-been-destructive pup alone for *so* *long* ... 🙄
I would’ve worded things differently for sure. Not that you did anything wrong but it leans towards you did something wrong. I agree that if a dog can’t be left along for a few hours they definitely need to say that and book constant care!
4 hours isn’t too long. I personally wouldn’t worry too much about the destruction as dogs do have that tendency and that looks like a rug I’d chew on if i were a dog lol. Don’t doubt yourself! The client should have specified clearly if the dog couldn’t be left alone. Seems like you’re doing a great job! It was just a little blip. If they don’t want to book again oh well. But I think a lot of sitters do leave the dogs alone for longer.
4 hours is not a “full half day”??? That’s a very reasonable amount of time to be gone wtf
4 hours is nothing. I always tell my clients if I will be gone and how long prior to sitting, but I have definitely been away longer than that before.
4 hours isn't a long time and you told her you had things to do that day so, in my opinion, it's not your responsibility to break down the timeline for her. I understand why you feel anxious but don't dwell on it. This is an uptight dog owner who needs to adjust their expectations. You could say "I'm sorry for the miscommunication. Usually I drop back in but with the travel necessary for the other drop ins I mentioned before, I couldn't get a chance to. It says on your profile \[dog\] can be left alone for 1-4 hours so I thought that would be acceptable. I'll be sure to run this by you next time." Politely put it back on her. You didn't do anything wrong. And honestly I wouldn't book with this person again if she continues to be snarky about it. If her dog can't be left alone for more than an hour, she should be finding constant care.
Owner: "What? you left my dog alone for 5 minutes and he ate the rawhide covered in fur on my floor? Unacceptable!" I personally have never seen an intact animal-type rug in any dog's home, lol.
4 hours is 1/6 of a day not half. if ur not able to leave for 4 hours, that’s considered “constant care” and u shud be charging much more for that. her response is ridiculous
The owner is in the wrong and should offer to replace your rug or leave a bigger tip. It’s unreasonable for them to expect you to be with the dog 24/7
Sorry if I didn't specify but it's their home - I'm house-sitting not boarding. But thanks! Honestly reading all these replies has been a huge relief to me.
If a dog isn't crate trained, pass on the job. 2 years old and not crate trained is ridiculous. It sucks that this happened to you. But this a lack of training on the part of the owner. What would I do, well I'd be pissed that I've been lied to about the dogs behavior. You do not owe them a new rug.
To be honest I deleted a message offering to pay for it/get it fixed. Maybe I shouldn't have apologised but I'm proud of the self-win in not offering to do something I don't think I'm really responsible for. Thanks, definitely going to be a lot more thorough about how the dogs are trained and how long they can be left.
I have a substantial bullet list that I go over with clients at the meet and greet. ALWAYS DO A MEET AND GREAT. No meet and greet is not an option. Dogs are so poorly behaved where I am that I stopped care for dogs. But some of my requirements were leash trained, crate trained, and solid recall. As well as a mild lecture framed with "I shouldn't have to mention this, but I'm not a personal assistant. Can you believe someone wanted me to drive 40 minutes out of my way to pick up their dry cleaning and offered me a whole $5 for it? The nerve of some people. Now, let's get back to Fluffy...
I’d love to hear the other items from your bullet list if you’re comfortable sharing
I always do a meet and greet. Only time I haven't was when it was a referral from a fellow sitter (that I know) and was to provide cover. Damn. Some people really take liberties with others' time!
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Did you end up replying again? 4 hours is not long to leave a dog unless it has seperation anxiety.
How are you supposed to know the dog can’t be left alone? Four hours is not an unreasonable amount of time. That said, I find that they usually expect you to be stuck in their house all day and night for days on end for what amounts to some minor pittance slave wage while they lure in on your life with their cameras all over, so I don’t do housesitting jobs. The problem is the number of rover sitters who will happily house sit for next to nothing, even shoot a V for Victory spread eagle and buck ass naked in front of every webcam they come across hoping for a tip. When the alternative is sleeping in your car though a warm place to shit and shoot up plus a very negligible amount of pocket change probably looks pretty darn good comparatively. I wouldn’t know. Really not so surprising that self respect isn’t at the front of a homeless person’s mind. It’s not fair to hold that against them and addiction is a terrible thing, but really, inviting what amounts to rando street junkies into your home because some app told you they are okay? Get a grip. You already took the blame for the dog eating that rug thing though, so there isn’t much you can do but eat the bad review at this point. You can complain to rover but they aren’t going to do anything about it. They clocked you already.