How to handle an owner who probably lied about dog's age?
We are watching a young dog who started out being wonderful. Honestly, she is still a sweetheart but she has caused a host of problems. And we suspect the owner lied about her age to avoid paying puppy rate.
I won't get too into the various issues she's caused because I think a lot of them come from being a young dog left at a stranger's house for the first time. But, she has had an excessive amount of accidents despite numerous long walks and access to our patio. Her owner says she uses the patio at home for the bathroom so its not a new concept. We were warned she may have the occasional accident because it is a new place, but this is not occasional it is constant.
This, plus her behavior and appearance, lead me to believe she is younger than a year old. My sister who is a vet tech says that just going by her teeth, she believes she's well under a year. I know we should've realized at the meet and greet that she was younger, but we've had plenty of younger dogs act very hyper and crazy on the meet and greet only to calm down once they adjust. She has not calmed down. She has endless energy and constantly needs attention and supervision. Exactly how my dogs were when they were maybe 7-8 months.
My puppy rate is only $3 more than my regular rate so I'm not sure why there was a need to lie. And honestly, maybe the owner thinks she's older, although she said she's had her since she was 10 weeks old.
Basically, this dog has ended up being much more work than what we are getting paid for and if we knew she was so young, we probably would not have accepted her at this time. I work from home on Mondays and my job is demanding but I've had to miss the entire day of work, which will mean working through the night after she gets picked up and not sleeping. My boyfriend is leaving work early to come home and help me take care of her, so he is missing some work as well.
I know there isn't much I can do besides just not booking in the future, but I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas for how to broach these issues with the owner, or if we even should. I appreciate any advice!!