Is it Ok that I turned down a client because he was a pit bull and I have a 7 year old daughter?
Yes. You are an independent contractor and have every right to select the jobs/dogs you feel comfortable having in your home. Rover does not require that you accept every dog. Not every dog would be a good fit for your living situation.
Before any pit bull owners respond about how that breed is misunderstood, I am well-aware of that fact. However, Melinda's preferences need to be respected as well. While I only accept small dogs, I have turned down many in the past for various reasons, including breed, because I know my dog doesn't get along with them.
You may need to get a little creative with what you tell the owner, but a generalized "it wasn't a good fit" should suffice.
I agree with Karen's response to the question
You shouldn't take any dog that makes you nervous- pit, chihuahua or anything in between. If you are skiddish, the dog will know and that is not a good fit whether it's the breed or the temperament or the size of a specific dog. I specialize in hard to get along with dogs and my confidence (even after a bite attempt) that I am in charge makes me highly successful in keeping these dogs. I just had a lab get aggressive with my dog and try to bite me. I separated them, play privileges were removed and the dog respected that I was in charge and the rest of the stay went smoothly. If you can't assert yourself in that way, don't take the booking-regardless of the breed.
The pits I've boarded have been the nicest dogs. I would have done a meet and greet to see how they got along and go from there.
I also refuse all pitbulls. I can't take them because while my neighbors are very tolerant of my pet boarding the family behind me does not like pits. I have had 3 requests for pitbulls in the last couple weeks that I HAVE to turn down which affects my Performance Score. I sure wish Rover would allow us to have restricted breeds in our profile info (just like dog weight) so that my name would not even appear in those Owner's searches. The Owners don't like their time being wasted and it also make Rover look bad that they are contacting Sitters that cannot take their dog.
I personally love pitbulls and have had the best experience with them it's a shame people are so judgmental. that said you can always note in the about you section that you have chosen to not watch this breed. I mentioned in my section that I accept all breeds.
I am a new sitter and am pit bull friendly. I love the breed. If you know of anyone with a pit bull in need of sitting services, please send them to me. Thanks
We all have preferences on our profiles for a reason (I agree with previous poster, you may want to think of a standard reasoning). I prefer to sit for small or medium sized dogs due to the size of my apartment and having no yard. Plus, I'm not very powerful/confident in walking large dogs that aren't properly leash trained. I also prefer to watch fixed male dogs because I do not like the marking tendencies among other behavior stuffs. In a pinch, I have def. made exceptions for clients! We're all entitled to our preferences as independent contractors, but have to be mindful to how we approach our clients.
I'm not a pit bull owner, but it still saddens me when a breed is painted with a broad brush. The vast majority of pit bulls would have a higher chance of being dangerous to other dogs than dangerous to people. And most of the pits I have come across are fine with other dogs as well. However, you have every right to decline a dog that you are not sure is a good fit for your situation. The safety of your family is understandably a high priority.
I disagree about the higher dog to dog aggression tendency. I have yet to meet a Pit breed owned by someone that is dog aggressive. I'm a vet tech and I have met far more dog aggressive spaniels and labs.
Well my sister used to do River until she accepted her first pit bull. The dog attacked her. Bit several times and tried to drag her down the hall by her hand. She had to go to the ER and over a yr later still has big scars and now she has PTSD and is scared of any dog that looks like a pit or staffie
Sounds like your sister didn’t do a proper meet and greet. Do things correctly, and make sure the dog is comfortable before dropping them off, then it usually works out pretty well
Aggressive labs....? Krista? I call BS
Ah yes blame the victim not the dog bred to do just that - only, to BULLS. Think what you want, in fact - SAY what you want, but I think youre wrong. I'm sorry for your sister faith, and I BELIEVE you and her
I came here to find the answer to this question. I've been doing this on Rover for a few months now, and have experience with a lot of different kinds of dogs. However, every time I get a pitbull, no matter what the owners say about it and no matter how well they behave at the meet-and-greet, these are the only dogs that end up showing aggression towards my dogs, my kids, and myself. I never believed that pitbulls could be so different but I am becoming nervous about them due to my experiences sitting them.
Make sure you put this in your profile, right at the beginning, so that potential owners see you don't accept the breed. No judgment on you. You have a right to decide what breeds to accept.
I am a new sitter on http://Rover.com and am "bully breed"/pit bull friendly. Please send anyone you may know who needs sitting services for their pit bull to me. Thank you.
You can turn down anyone who just doesn't seem like a good fit for your household, especially if you are worried about your child's safety. Safety first.
I want to thank everyone for their response. I always have a meet and greet and although I recommended one for the pit bull, I also stated that I was not familiar with the behaviors of this breed. I was nervous to schedule this visit because the pit would have been left alone with my GSP. Thanks!