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0

I don’t know if I should contact support to help find a replacement?

Hi there

I’m currently sitting two husky puppies (and four cats, but they don’t apply to this situation). I did the meet and greet, and stated that I am a dog walker and I do drop-ins during the day. The owners said that would be fine. My profile says 2-4 hour potty breaks and I made sure to tell this to the owners so they knew. When I arrived this morning for the beginning of the stay, the owners “reminded” me saying that the puppies can only be alone for 2 hours a day. I cannot do that and it is different than what they had stated previously. I’ve tried to rearrange my schedule so that I get everything done within those two hours, but that’s obviously not completely possible when I have previous commitments for designated times. The dogs themselves are about 4 months old (one male one female) so they aren’t trained. And by that I mean at all. If I let them outside, I have to spend at least an hour trying to get them back in. I’ve been at the house for about four hours and I’m constantly switching between chasing them around outside to make sure they aren’t eating bushes/branches/dirt/etc and cleaning up poop and pee inside (because they don’t go potty outside). They’re also getting to the age where they’re constantly jumping each other so I have to stop that about every 5 minutes. I’ve also had my ponytail/bun almost ripped out of my scalp multiple times and I’ve been knocked down by them jumping on my back from behind. Another thing that has pushed me to the edge is the camera situation. I’m used to people having cameras in their house as that doesn’t bother me. However this is a bit extreme. There is a camera in every room (except bathrooms) and they all have the mic and speaker so they can talk to me and I can respond through the system. Like I said earlier, I have only been here for about four hours. I’ve already had them come on unannounced and talk to me telling me to change how I’m currently doing something multiple times. I’ll be sleeping in the living room with the dogs and I asked if I could cover/unplug the camera while I sleep and they said no because they want to be able to monitor the dogs. They told me about the cameras when I did the M&G, but didn’t tell me anything about them watching and “hovering” almost 24/7.

All of this combined is kind of making me uncomfortable. I’m only here for 2 nights so I’m not sure if i should just suck it up and stay. Any advice?

4 Answers

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score:
2

You may not want to hear this, but it is probably better for you to just suck it up and deal with the situation as best you can. If you ask Rover to find a replacement and bow out, then they will very likely suspend your account.

By my calculations, you should be charging these people $102 a night. I do hope that you didn't let them slide on any of the fees, given the age the pups.

You probably won't experience anything like this again. You did the M&G, but perhaps ensuring that the clients know and understand that you have other clients. If their pups can't handle being alone for more than 2 hours at a time, obviously that affects your ability to walk and check in on other clients. Talk to those other clients to see if you can move those around so that you can keep an eye on these guys.

There's absolutely nothing you can do about the monitoring situation, except maybe get some noise-canceling earphones so you have an excuse for not responding to their every beck and call. LOL!

Add: Be sure you stand in front of the cameras and give status reports every single time you have to clean up inside after the pups and after any other bad incident.

Comments

For your added section, don’t worry. I have made direct eye contact with the camera as I walk by to throw away the cleaning supplies every time.

Actually, I was thinking you should text her too every time you have to clean up after the dogs. They'll get the message.

I don’t text them every time, but I make note of how many piles of poop and how many times I’ve had to change the puppy pad when I sent pictures every two hours. I’ve only been here 34 hours and I’ve already gone through an entire role of paper towels.

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Omg this sounds like a booking from HELL, we all learn from our mistakes (we've had some bad experiences too). Although because you told them that you couldn't be there the full time and now have to, or cancel your other bookings, I would charge them extra. Hope your hanging in there!

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It honestly is a booking from hell like I didn’t even know things this bad could happen. Is there even a way to charge extra after it has already been booked?

I’d actually like to know that too. Is there a way to charge extra for fees that you incur taking care of someone else’s messy mistakes (ummmm pet)?

But Krystal that sounds TERRIBLE! I would absolutely call Rover even if it’s just to let them know your current situation. You don’t have to have evidence if you are living it! They are taking advantage of you and I’m sorry, but that creeps me out that they are watching you like that!!

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I am sorry to hear about this ugly situation you're going through, but again, you knew they had 2 huskies who are 4 months old. HUSKIES. Sledding dogs. They don't ever get tired. These dogs need more attention and exercise than any other breed. These are babies, and must be watched constantly. You knew that, right? Have you ever watched huskies before? I personally do not accept them, because I know from a personal experience how much work they are. They are just babies and need to be treated as such, constant supervision.

I am just curious. You accepted this gig knowing what you're getting into. When the owners told you the dogs can only be 2 hrs alone, what did you tell them? Did you agree? Did you tell them this was NOT the original agreement? You discussed everything with them before agreeing to sit for them, right?

The cameras sound awful. I am not even sure what to say that they demand they watch you day and night.
According to Karen's calculations, you make about $100 a night, and I am sorry to say this but it just seems that with a good pay, there was a catch, these helicopter parents.....

I suggest to call ROVER, they are extremely pleasant and helpful. I always call if there is something I am not sure how to handle, and they will talk to you. It doesn't mean you should quit. But trust me, they will listen and try to help you. Good luck. Stay strong! Sending positive energy!

Comments

I did know they needed attention and I can give them constant attention when I’m available. We talked on the phone before setting up a meet and greet and I told him that I’m gone about 2-4 hours twice a day for other clients. He said okay. At the meet and greet the same thing happened. Then in

Person when I showed up the morning they were leaving, he told me they’re only crate trained for up to 2 hours once a day. I did tell him that this was not the agreement and that he could find another sitter last minute or would need to work with the schedule I had told him previously. He said okay.

Now when I’m gone for over two hours, I’m spammed through Rover and then questioned once I walk through the front door over the camera intercom thing. I just repeat what I’d said when I arrived. AND they woke me up last night using the cams to tell me I need to find space on the (twin) bed for the

Pup who was on the floor.

OMG! Have you called Rover because you know they are going to leave you a negative review. Do you have something in writing (a Rover message) or text that confirms their understanding of your terms?

I have considered calling Rover, but I don’t really have any “evidence” because the owner only wants to talk over the phone. It’s through the numbers given by Rover, but I don’t have messages for it and I doubt they record calls? I’m not too worried about a negative review right now because I’ll

Have to quit Rover soon (I don’t have a car during the school year) and I’m booked almost fully up until then, but a bad review will kinda hurt my self esteem.

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Sorry but you agreed to accept the booking knew about the camera's and didn't understand the client's expectations - suck it up and finish the booking. If you decide to call support to find another sitter you will probably have your account suspended at least temporarily, lose the fee for the booking and probably get a 1-star review, so it's your choice. Just chalk it up to a bad experience.

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Thank you for saying that I knew I was going to be harassed through the cameras about every ten minutes. I appreciate your knowledge. Also how did I know about the expectations? I made sure they knew about my 2-4 hour breaks during the meet and greet. It wasn’t until I showed up to stay there that

They told me I could only be gone for 2 hours max. So please explain how I already knew this because I must be missing something.