How do you deal with bad experiences with pets and owners?

Aw. This almost made me cry. Because I've been there. I know it hurts and it's embarrassing too when you try your absolute best and then you're blind sided and made to feel weird about it, among other things. Hang in there. I say keep doing it until you have a wonderful experience and a great day again, that makes you forget all that and remember why you loved doing it in the first place!

Hi Rikki!

I'm so sorry you had this experience, I know first hand how you are feeling and want to make sure you don't feel like you did anything wrong.

I have had quite a few "unruly" (to put it nicely) dogs over the last year or so sitting for Rover. I've learned that most dog owners do not like to hear anything negative about their dogs and take it personally. One of my first bad experiences was with 2 dogs that would gang up and attack one of my dogs. It was so bad that I genuinely feared for my dogs life. I have a ring camera in my backyard that caught the whole thing and even though it was really hard to watch... I sent it to the owner to show them what had happened. They were also on vacation and expressed how sorry they were. They offered to try and find a different sitter but I ended up reassuring them it would be fine and that I would just keep them separated until they come back.

I think the owner in your situation definitely over reacted and should of communicated better about her intentions to have the dogs picked up early. But in my experience, even if I have a *horrible" dog, I just suck it up and deal with it until they can be picked up and then depending on the owners "vibe", I would tell them about their behavior (which is probably like half the time... I just make a personal note to not book that dog ever again).

But I promise that a majority of the dogs I sit are overall well behaved and I've developed so many relationships with clients and their dogs, that some even feel like family. Don't let this one bad experience make you quit. It really can be a rewarding experience! I think the "trial" night is a good idea, but I feel like in reality... it's not really feasible. I feel like I would've missed out on a LOT of bookings if I required one. But I do "meet and greets" for most of my new clients, where they come over to my house and I can meet the dog. I always ask about any "weird" or "unusual" behaviors I should look out for. I'm usually able to tell within 10 or so minutes whether the dog is going to be a "bad" dog or not.

Just remember that everything is a learning experience and you'll learn what works and what doesn't. Don't give up! :)

Omigosh that sounds like a horrible experience!! I wouldn't resort to doing trial overnights as a result though. In my four years of experience in pet-sitting, most clients are cool, and straightforward about their pet's behavior. Once in a blue moon you get a naughty pet. But you just gotta try and learn from it, and then never book with them again! Honestly, I think I've had more bad clients than bad pets! I've had rude, uncommunicative clients. Clients who are demanding, clients who don't show much appreciation, clients who are unaccommodating/unhospitable when I go to stay with their pet, clients who are completely unresponsive while I'm taking care of their pet and a question or concern comes up. Far more than the pets, it's the owner behavior that has me upset and shaken up in this business. But rude clients, just as much as bad pets, is very much a reason to never book with that client again.

It sounds like the owner over-reacted (especially since you never said you couldn't manage the situation or the dogs needed to go) and the neighbor friend was unfairly blowing off team when berating you. I think you should continue and keep providing care. If you want, you can call Rover support to discuss. Some of the support reps also dog sit, so sometimes talking with of them helps.

Going forward, I'd highly suggest booking a 1 night stay with any new client's pets. It mostly benefits the pet in helping them adapt, but also helps the sitter and owner ensure it's a good fit before a longer booking and develop the communication-relationship.

Most owners really don't want to hear about their dog's less than perfect behavior, so it's very common to choose words carefully to gently deliver constructive feedback, and often wait until the booking ends and share at time of pick up, unless an unmanageable situation (which threatens dogs' health & safety) exists. It' a fine line to honestly and delicately communicate. It gets easier with more experience.