What do you do if the dog is easy to deal with ok, but the owner is not?
I was contacted by a guy to throw a ball for his 100 lb German Shepherd dog. I did a meet and greet, and the dog was a sweetheart. Huge, by all means, but wanted nothing but the ball in my hand and a few hip scratches. The owner requested I take him to the park 2x a day down the street. I agreed, but when I showed up to do the work, the owner didn't want to go through rover. He was against the service fees... This should have been my first red flag, but I had already driven over there and needed the money.
Then I found out the dog doesn't have a leash, I was supposed to DRIVE him to the park, and he howls the whole way there. He stopped responding to commands, refused to let me get the ball, and started to run near the lake, and the owner told me "WELL HE'S A DOG WHO CARES IF HE DOESN'T DROP THE BALL" when I expressed concern that I had no control over this unleashed and huge dog that is unfriendly with other pups. This huge pup shedded like he hadn't been brushed in a year, had nails long enough to pierce my car's interior siding and upholstery despite a towel on top.
When I contacted the owner to quit (saying I'd work for two days to give him time to find a new walker), he got verbally combative and decided to give me some very offensive advice as I "go out in the business world." I recognize I should have backed out from the start, but is there a way for us to review Owners and Dogs so this doesn't happen to anyone else? (It sounds like he goes through a lot of sitters, and there's no record if he insists on not using Rover....)
Thanks for the comments guys. You’re completely right— I made a mistake with the dog. I am used to German shepherds, used to walk Them daily, but never experienced issues like this. He listened on walk 1 but had no hope on the 2nd. My main concern was what to do about the owner. Lessons learned!!
Don't worry about the owner. This is your business, and you decide whether you want to work for him or not. You make the choice, and don't worry he's upset that you are not willing to work for him :)