How do you handle situations in which a client is dishonest?

I've been a full-time sitter on rover.com for a little over 4 years. I've completed over 600 dog-sits, and am lucky enough to have built up a pretty good group of repeats. My account is normally offline, but I occasionally take new clients during slow months. I recently accepted a new client.

Dog-sits don't always go smoothly, but we learn from our mistakes and try to perfect our dog-sitting techniques in order to minimize incidents. Just because a Meet & Greet went smoothly doesn't mean a visit will. The dog may become anxious and start tearing things up after the owner leaves. He might start showing aggression when he otherwise wouldn't. When an owner tells you during the Meet & Greet that their dog isn't aggressive or anxious, maybe they're telling the truth. It's difficult for me to look an owner in the face and say, "You didn't tell me about this behavioral issue." But what about flat out lies?

I am currently watching this new client's dog. We had a Meet & Greet at my house last week, which seemed to go well. The dog got along with my dogs, as well as other guest dogs, and seemed well-tempered. This "dog" is actually a 9 month old Boxer puppy, so naturally I asked about the kennel situation. Multiple times. The owner stated that the pup stayed in a kennel while she was at work during the day. She also stated that he was well socialized. I made sure she understood there would be multiple dogs in my home over the Holiday weekend, and she seemed comfortable with it. Overall, this seemed like a good pup. I told the client that as long as she brought a kennel he could not break out of, I would be happy to accept him. And yes- I've had dogs break out of their kennels, eat holes in my wall, tear my curtains down, attack me- you name it.

The owner messaged me the day before our visit and asked me what she should bring. I said, "Food, bowls, toys, leash, KENNEL." No response. She showed up the next day without a kennel and seemed to be in a hurry. I mean, she literally handed me his leash and rushed out the door. It was an awkward situation and I didn't know what to do. She had a flight to catch.

My QUESTION IS: Did I have the right to decline/cancel the sit when the owner showed up without the kennel? Rover.com seems to have strict policies regarding cancellations, and I was worried that my account could be suspended. BUT I did not agree to sit a 9 month old Boxer puppy without a kennel. "Without a kennel" means the dog can't be kenneled. I have extra kennels, and tried one with him to see how he responded. The response was what I expected. Excessive crying and panic ... (more)