What do you do if you have ethical issues with potential client (i.e. contributor to unethical breeding practices, cruel to her dog etc.)?
Hi there,
I held a meet and greet with a potential client yesterday and she's very keen on having me sit her dog for a weekend. During the conversation though I got the sense that this owner wasn't just a bad pet mom, she was engaging in what I feel are unethical practices. Is it fair or reasonable for me to say no based on those grounds? Here are some examples:
- Her dog is not neutered - I asked if he typically marked indoors. She said yes, it wasn't unusual for him to do so but she just limited his water intake. Also, if I was leaving the house, I could just keep him in his crate and she went onto say she would often leave the dog in the crate for upwards of 8 hours if needed - she also said she only takes him out to pee and they don't typically take walks more than 5-10 minutes. This is a typically active breed so that was in itself concerning to me.
- She made reference to other dogs that she 'shares' with her sister or friends and made other references to litters...maybe I'm reading too much into this but it sounds like either a backyard breeder or a participant some form of puppy mill.
- She said her dog is a loud barker, and often barks when she's out. She said she uses a shock collar - I'm pretty uncomfortable with the use of shock/prong collars but she was pretty insistent.
Is this a good enough reason to say no to her? How do I go about doing this? As of now I've basically said I may need to be out of town - because I don't know if its remotely appropriate to bring up concerns about her dogs treatment or provide coaching or alternative recommendations. That being said it's chewing me up inside a bit.