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Cancelling an extended stay while dog is already in your care?

Kristin & Aaron S.'s profile image

So my husband and I have been doing this for almost 2 years now and have definitely had some rough stays, but our current one takes the cake and I dont know what to do. We did a meet and greet and things went well, but now in our care all this dog does is terrorize our 2 dogs as well as a guest dog and its starting to cause fights. We have tried separating them giving everyone a timeout to cool down but as soon as they are back together he starts all over. When we do try to separate him for any time he just barks and cries constantly, and my husband works graveyard so this is causing an extreme amount of stress. He also has not yet slept in the first few nights he has been here, which means we have not slept and no matter how much he goes outside he continues to mark in our home. I have never had to reach out thus far but Iam at such a loss of what to do. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

3 Answers

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Laura R.'s profile image

Definitely contact Rover and the owners. It's a safety issue for all the dogs in your care; any of them could wind up with an injury if you're unable to safely separate them, and the owners should be allowed the opportunity to consider other housing options if their dog is having to spend much of his time isolated from the others. A travel sitter or another boarder without other pets in the home may be a far safer and less stressful option for everyone involved. Whatever you say to the owners, emphasize that you don't feel that you can provide the best care for their dog rather than the problems their dog is causing, and that you want to do what is best for him. Let them know that the stress he is experiencing is causing him to be reactive to the other dogs, and that you are concerned for his safety if the stay continues. I doubt the owners would want you to continue trying to make it work when it's clearly not in their dog's best interest.

Sometimes admitting you're not the best fit for an animal is the best customer service you can give.

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Emily D.'s profile image

I'm not sure how long your booking is but what I do as a safeguard is ask the owner if they feel comfortable with their dog being cared for in their home the remainder of the stay. I have been a pet sitter for over a decade and have had some really rough stays. (Dogs constant barking, accidents in the house, separation anxiety etc.) If I at all suspect a dog may make my life difficult and/or cause great stress I ask the client if they feel comfortable with care in their home in case their dog does not do well in the boarding situation. Some clients do not feel comfortable with this but others appreciate that you are looking out for their dog and thinking ahead.

What a mess, I'm so sorry you are having to deal with this!

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Deb A.'s profile image

Wow, I'm sorry to hear that. I'd suggest contacting Rover Support first. It sounds like you may need their help transitioning this dog to another sitter, unless you and his parents would be okay with you visiting/walking him at his home as an option to consider. It seems less likely the dog would mark in his own home and clearly couldn't fight with dogs not there.

Comments

Thanks Deb neither us nor our dogs have felt so put out and reactive to a dog. If we felt we really couldn't do this safely any longer and I contact Rover is that what they would do, find another sitter and basically transfer the stay? What does that do against me if we had to do so?

Kristin & Aaron S.'s profile image Kristin & Aaron S.

I've never had to do so, but I think a sitter wrote about that process. I clicked on the help center link and it doesn't look like this would impact your ranking. I think Rover would want to know & help since this sounds like it could be a health & safety issue. It seems not w/ disturbing marking

Deb A.'s profile image Deb A.
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