I just found out that one (of two) dogs that are coming a 5 night "overnight guests" is sick. She has diarrhea and was taken to the vet today. Not diagnosed.
She is supposed to come here tomorrow.
I have 2 dogs of my own and another daycare booking. What is the protocol?
I feel you should have the right to refuse to allow the sick dog to stay. Especially since it wouldn't be only your own dogs that are exposed to her. Child day-care providers (in my experience) don't allow sick children to stay in the house/facility. It wouldn't be right for the sick dog's owners to expect both you and the other client to be okay with being exposed to a dog with diarrhea, especially when no one knows what is causing it. And lastly, it's not fair to the dog to shuttle her off, away from home, when she isn't feeling well.
Just my two cents worth.
Your boarding policy is Moderate: Meaning the guest would get: * Full refund if cancelled by 12:00 noon the day before your sitter begins providing care. 12:00 noon is determined by the sitter's time zone. 50% refund for first 7 days of stay...
So, you could let the guest contact Rover and since it was after noon the day before the booking, Rover would refund 50% to the guest.
However, you can contact Rover (I'd suggest email support@rover.com) if you want to make an exception and request that they override your policy for this booking and refund the entire amount. Personally, I'd probably make an exception especially since the cause is undetermined and I wouldn't want my dog and any guest exposed to the unknown.
Usually vomit or diarrhea is contagious, usually.... not always. I think by now you've made your decision but if you decide to take the dog you need to keep him separated from all other dogs and not mix feeding or water bowls. Don't let them share anything. Hopefully it is just a 24 hour bug he had. In case you don't want to take the dog, call Rover and they might be able to set the dog up with a sitter who doesn't have dogs and wouldn't mind the mess.
Just a side story: I was going on vacation for 5 days and my dog got sick the same day I was leaving. I was hoping it was just her being nervous that I was leaving. I took her to the sitter and all of the dogs she had boarding got sick. You can imagine how awful I felt. I was gone 5 days and she never told me anything, she just dealt with it (she is use to it because she has her own rescue group with over 30 dogs.) It's a hard position to put a sitter in but can you imagine, what are you suppose to do when your dog gets sick and your flight leaves in 3 hours.
Thank you, Frances! GREAT input! I appreciate it for next time. Yes! I did take them and kept them separate from my dogs. They are here and everyone is fine, now. Thank you!
It isn't clear to me what your concern is or the circumstances. Does the owner want to cancel? If so, Deb has answered your question. Are you asking whether it is alright to have the dog in your home while other dogs are present? From my standpoint, a dog having diarrhea isn't that big a deal. I've had many dogs with that affliction and I'll mix white rice into their food or whatever the owner directs me to do. At times the dog may have some meds prescribed as well. It isn't the most pleasant thing to have a dog with diarrhea, but unless the vet suspects it is contagious in some way (a parasite or bacterial), which they should be able to detect in the feces, it poses no danger to other guests. The real question is do you want to deal with it.
Just make sure you have the owner's written permission to contact their vet in case the dog's health worsens or you notice something else about its condition.