Some people will bring their dog and just casually say "She's kind of smelly. She needs a bath". I'd love to have a way to stop pet owners from bringing me a dog that smells bad but it's a touchy subject to broach diplomatically. I actually bathed a dog once but that shouldn't be my job. Have any of you found a way of dealing with this?
You're absolutely correct, it is not your job. However, you have basically two choices. You can reject the animal or you can create a charge for bathing the animal and send the owner an invoice right at the time of the dropoff, if you feel it is necessary.
It's always good to be proactive though. Create a pre-stay message that you send to clients the day before dropoff. Include information about what they must bring for their pet and what is optional. Mention that since they've chosen to board their pet in someone's home vs a kennel to please have the courtesy to ensure that pet is clean and free of odors. That is the difference. At a kennel, they wouldn't care. But this is your home and that is how I would explain it to an owner attempting to drop off a dirty pet.
I too have bathed dirty, smelly dogs. The dog, to me, seems miserable, and depending on the situation after their bath I'll comb them out with a metal comb that resembles lice comb. I've trimmed fur from over the pet's eyes and washed the pet's collar. I feel the pet appreciates it.