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Should I turn down a request to take dogs to the groomer? [closed]

A new client has asked me to take her dogs to the groomer while they are staying with me. I happily take dogs in my care on adventures, on walks, and to dog-friendly human hangouts, but these activities are a part of my lifestyle--hence why dog boarding generally works for me! However, making special trips for non-essential care seems like going way above and beyond.

How do you handle requests like this? Do you charge extra? Do you politely decline? Or do you consider this sort of thing "part of the gig"?

Closed for the following reason the question is answered, right answer was accepted by Shauna H.
close date 2016-09-20 10:39:41.018514

2 Answers

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I wouldn't say that grooming is non-essential care at all. Without grooming, a lot of dogs experience difficulty expressing their anal glands or may develop skin issues as a result of matting. If you are comfortable transporting them to the groomer, you could add a flat rate for the time it takes you to get them there and back or you could add an additional rate per mile for the transportation fee. Rover's insurance does cover transportation of rover clients, if that helps. If you don't want to, then perhaps just politely advise her that that is not a service you are offering.

Comments

I should have clarified that in this case, the grooming is non-essential. No special needs. It's good to know that the pups are covered in the car. Thanks for the insight!

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I would take the dogs to the groomer unless it were a great distance away and charge for the transpo. Apparently this is part of the dogs' regular routine, which you state in your profile is a priority. It is not uncommon to have issues with some aspect of a guest dog's background (e.g., their food/feeding habits) but it isn't my dog and it isn't my call whether something is or isn't essential. That's the owner's call, not ours as sitters. If your business is so great that you can turn down dogs because you disagree with certain minor aspects of their care, that's wonderful. Sitters often have to be accommodating to owners' needs. That's part of this job.