Have you ever received a dog for boarding that you believe isn’t being treated correctly? How did you approach the owners about it?

I had a case where I was hired for in home sitting. The woman owned two pitbulls she had not trained at all and let them have free reign of 75% of a house and she would only use the front room for an office. The dogs were so bad she would throw the bags of toys straight from the store tags and all into their part of the house or an open can of food and that would be it. They pissed and shit in the house about half the time.

I actually sat for her a couple times in that squalid house. The first time I worked on their training and got them easier to walk and a lot less amped. They weren’t dangerous to people but just a lot to handle and totally neglected. I also spoke with the random woman living in the basement to see what the real situation was. After learning that the owner spent unlimited money on them but what I saw was their usual life I recommended a more robust training program for them which she did, but didn’t keep up on the training and they went back to how they were before. I contacted the local pit bull rescue and explained to her that one of them especially really needed to be rehomed and live a more active life.

In the end one went to a new home and the other was manageable on her own and lived a more normal life with the overwhelmed owner.

Are you doing Meet and Greets prior to accepting bookings? If not, I really recommend that you do! During the Meet and Greet would be a great time to address any concerns you may have. It also lets you know how the dog(s) will do around your cat.

Any time I notice any medical issues I am not shy to ask the owners. It is always best to ask the owner as soon as you notice an issue. Sometimes the owners will notice the problem at home other times they had no clue there was an issue.
Best of Luck!