Can I hide from an owner?
We don't have a lot of repeat clients, but one of them, we'd just rather not sit for anymore. Her dog is super old, will come inside from a long walk/break outside, and immediately dump on carpet (bye bye, rug). He roams constantly, and if something is in his way, he'll just walk through it, pulling down cables, computers, etc. If you try to encourage him to nap by putting in crate, he'll relentlessly scratch the bottom of it (he broke the plastic liner of one of our crates, which I didn't even know was possible, and then tore up the carpet underneath that). He's, without a doubt, the #1 worst dog we sit.
He is, however, not a bad dog. He isn't aggressive or anything, at this point we just don't like him.
On top of that, the owner is a major lingerer. Whenever she picks up her pooch, she gets comfy on couch without invitation and chats. I work remotely, so sometimes I need to get back to work. Last time our couch was covered in dining room chairs (was mopping) and she still managed to find a little patch to perch herself on!
I'd feel really awful saying we didn't want to see her dog anymore. We've thought about telling her we're taking a break from sitting, but are worried she see new reviews going up. We just sort of want to disappear from her potential sitters.
Suggestions? Should we just suck it up and tolerate?
I, too, wish there were a way to block a client from booking again without affecting my numbers.