What should I do when the owner was not upfront and I have a dog that is not house trained and cannot be left alone?

Hi Rover Sitters,

I have a dog with me from Jan 3-14th. Her owner was not upfront about how vocal she is and failed to mention that her dog is not house trained. At all!

I also have a feeling that the owner lied about the dog being one year old. She seems more like a 6 month old puppy who is not house trained, is not yet obedient and constantly nips (she bites at my arms and legs constantly). I do not babysit puppies and would not have taken this dog if all of this was disclosed. I asked several questions and did a meet and greet in my home. The dog was fine for the brief time she was here and the owner barely said anything behaviour-wise.

I get that it is normal for dogs to mark or have an anxious pee inside when they are at a new place away from their owner. This dog has not gone to the washroom outside once in the last 3 days. Even with frequent outdoor breaks, she does not go and instead waits until she is back inside to do her business. The owner did not mention this whatsoever. I purchased puppy pads but she only goes on them 50% of the time. She has already peed on my bed, carpets, you name it. If this was disclosed up front, there is no way that I would have taken this dog. I get that accidents are a part of the gig - but this is on another level that I am not comfortable with.

In addition, the first question I asked the owner (as I do with all of my clients) is whether the dog is vocal or not. The owner said she will bark when she hears a noise at the door (totally normal) but it is brief and doesn't last. This dog is far more vocal than that. She barks at my dog constantly, barks if I am in the washroom, barks if I am eating, barks if I bring out my trash - you get the picture. I left her alone for about 10 minutes yesterday and my neighbour told me that she was barking and howling the entire time.

I live in an apartment and cannot have noise complaints - it would jeopardize me continuing to be a Rover sitter and, of course, will upset my neighbours. It is not an option for me to be here with her 24/7 - I still have her for another 8 days and will need to leave my house to run errands.

The owner is not reachable because she is at a meditation retreat with no phone access. She did give me her sister's number. What would you do in this situation? Suck it up and deal with the dog for the last 8 days or reach out to the sister? Perhaps she will have another solution or can give me the ok to try and find another suitable Rover ... (more)