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I'm scared to tell a dog owner, I no longer wish to sit their dog incase she reviews me badly. How do I tell her politely no?

A few months ago, I watched an older foster dog who at the time was a bit of a handful, but we managed to get through the stay with no major issues. (She had bladder control problems, and pee'd almost all over my house)

The owner thought she did so well with me, that she booked me again about two weeks later. This time however, things got out of hand, and I tried my best to maintain a safe environment for her dog. The dog escaped twice, which no dog, not even my own has done before. She broke a screen to my window, ate the molding to my door, even chewed and made a whole in a wire fence (which was one of the ways she got out of a "dog run").

Now, the owner has not reviewed me for either stay, but has now requested, even though we told her of the damage her dog caused the last time, to watch her again for another week. I am hesitant to explain to her, that I no longer feel her dog is a good fit in my home, for fear that she will leave me a bad review, though I've done nothing wrong.

I see that Rover does not remove reviews very often, and am scared that it is going to reflect poorly on my profile. What should I do? How do I tell the owner I can not watch her dog, without her getting upset.

2 Answers

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Madison, a great question! What I would do in this situation, is tell the owner something like this:

Hi __,

Thank you for reaching out to me again. Since (dog name) seemed to have anxiety while I was away from home last time, she might be more comfortable with a sitter who is home more than I am, and has a home and yard better equipped for her safety. I apologize that we're not available this time, but if you need any help finding another sitter, please give Rover's customer support line a call, they are always happy to help!

Comments

I LOVE that answer! I have to tell people no some times and that hits the nail on the head. Right to the point and professional.

That answer is awesome! You don't want to come across as mean or uncaring, but it does sound like the dog is not a good fit for you. I definitely would not book another stay with that dog.

Thanks for this Amber, I had this question as well- this was a BIG help!

Of course, happy to help! I have a LOT of experience with this, and Rover so please reach out if you have any other questions or need help with anything.

Yeah, that answer is definitely the way to go. Wish Amber was around on all of the occasions I've been in this position :)

I too had a puppy that was beyond two handfuls. If the owners ever tried to rebook, I'd use a statement like this! Excellent explanation Amber!

Beautiful reply

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The nice thing about having your own business is you can make these kind of decisions without asking anyone. IF you dont want to sit that dog, which i have a dog that i wont sit again cause he bites, I just explain that Its not a good fit for me and thats it. You dont know if that dog has done this to many sitters and she likes you cause you just keep accepting her dog. Thats it put your foot down and say your not available. Thats the nice thing its not like its posts" this sitter is lying and wont watch your crazy dog" So just close the door on things that don't work for you and move on.