When I first reached out to Rachel, she asked if King was a barker because of previous experience with a dog who had barked the whole time, resulting in complaints from the neighbors. I assured her that he may bark here and there at passersby but that he has never barked continuously throughout the day. We arranged for a meet and greet, during which time I asked if Rachel would like to walk him. She told me that he seemed fine and that she had walked a larger dog before. I sincerely wish I had been more aggressive in requesting that she walk him, as we may have quickly realized that King and Rachel don't click and that this stay wouldn't work. We arrived at Rachel's apartment and King seemed enthusiastic, running around and smelling where the other dogs had been, just as he has done whenever he has stayed where other dogs have in the past. I left without issue and didn't hear from Rachel again that evening (Thursday). On Friday, I received a message that Kingsford was barking repeatedly and a neighbor had complained so Rachel was going to muzzle him for the day. I was hesitant--I have _never_ muzzled King and it is relatively universally accepted that muzzling a dog is not an appropriate means of controlling barking (sources: common sense, compassion, Google). I told her I didn't know how he would react since he had never been muzzled and of course, he did not react well: the muzzle was destroyed. I heard nothing more on Friday and nothing at all on Saturday. While at breakfast on Sunday morning, I received a message from Rachel asking what time I would be returning to NYC. I reminded her that I would be back to pickup Kingsford that evening and she asked if it could be earlier. She informed me that Kingsford had had two accidents (one in her apartment and one in her lobby), that he had been repeatedly barking every time she left the apartment, and that he was reluctant to walk down the flight of stairs. I can't put a price on the happiness of my dog; clearly something was wrong and I suggested she take him to the nearest daycare facility. At this point, I was sitting at a restaurant calling all over the place to have updated vaccine records emailed/faxed to the facility that Kingsford has not been to in a couple of years. On Monday evening, I went to Rachel's to retrieve Kingsford's items that had been left with her. She repeated what had been discussed over messages, including that Kingsford urinated in her apartment with no advanced notice, no barking or waiting at the door. She further explained to me that he was cowering and that she was struggling to walk him through Central Park. At this point, something doesn't seem right to me. Here is a dog I have had since he was adopted at 3 months old, housetrained within a month from that point, has never once had a barking issue, and has stayed with another Rover who said he would watch him again, has stayed with many of my friends, has stayed in hotels, etc. and has never had these issues. King is a dog who spends his time at home sleeping and his time outside being rambunctious. I didn't hide the ball about him, explaining that he can be rough with other dogs even though he loves them and that he's a bit of a crazy walker. Somehow, my housetrained, non-barking, excited, energetic dog was dejected, cowering, urinating inside, and barking/howling all day. This wasn't a case of separation anxiety, as mentioned he has been with others and away from me on numerous occasions. Somehow, my dog who relishes every opportunity to walk through Central Park is suddenly afraid to walk through the very same park. It leads me to wonder why it is that both he and another dog (the one she mentioned when I first reached out to her) were barking over the duration of their stays with Rachel. I don't know anything about the representations regarding the other dog. I do know I informed Rachel that Kingsford does not have a barking problem. The fact that he did while with her is a cause for concern. The fact that he has never before when staying with anyone else, stranger or otherwise, increases that concern to an exponential extent. I don't know what happened to yield this result. Maybe the two of them simply didn't click. What I do know is that my dog who has had a ton of experience away from me acted completely out of character with Rachel. I know he was having accidents in the apartment when he never does. I know he was barking repeatedly when he never does. I know he was cowering, which he never does; hesitating to walk through Central Park, which he never does. I know he was muzzled to stop him from barking which has not only never happened but is something I would never do to my dog myself. At the end of our discussion, Rachel provided me with receipts for Resolve products that she had purchased to clean up the urine and a receipt for a new muzzle since Kingsford had chewed through the one she put on him. It is certainly appropriate for me to cover the costs of products required to clean up after my dog's accidents, regardless of the reason why he was having those accidents. It is arguable as to whether it was appropriate to request reimbursement for a muzzle that I'm frankly proud he destroyed, because that was cruel conduct in the first place. Disinterested in argument, I agreed to cover the costs of both and asked her to bill me through Venmo. Five minutes after she had showed me the receipts, I receive a Venmo notification for nearly $10 more than the costs of the products. Maybe this was an innocent mistake. Regardless, it was unprofessional and left a bitter taste in my mouth, especially after everything else. At the end of it all, the daycare + reimbursement for the products cost me nearly as much as the entire Rover stay, which wasn't even completed. I paid by the nights so technically the nights were covered but the arrangement was to pick Kingsford up Sunday evening and he was dropped off at daycare Sunday morning. As I said, I won't put a price on King's happiness so the added costs, while annoying, are not the end of the world. My dog's emotional and physical state, however, are another question entirely. Rachel seems kind-hearted and I appreciate the effort she put in. A good heart and effort are not enough, however, when it comes to my dog's well-being and happiness.

Rachel is a caring and loving person for all animals, especially dogs. Her relationship with her own dog was one that of which I aspire to have with my own pets. She treats animals as if they were a member of her family, and I would recommend her for anyone that needs a dog sitter.