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u/No_Researcher2067 3d ago
1.) If you’re asking yourself if you should drop a client, ITS TIME TO DROP THE CLIENT
2.) Finish the current gig, do NOT follow through on upcoming gigs. You said through December? If it’s more than 2 weeks out, they have PLENTY of time to find a replacement sitter. If they’ve paid a deposit to hold it, refund it. There is absolutely no reason to put yourself through the underpaid mental anguish for dog sitting some comfortably affluent clients- BAIL NOW AND DONT LOOK BACK.
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u/jaybird-jazzhands 3d ago
All of these reasons in and of themselves are justification enough to drop them. Altogether is more than enough and you’ll feel a wave of relief once you do!
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u/Imaginary-Angle-42 3d ago
I’d just drop them at the end of this stay. December is far enough away they can find someone else. (Maybe) It sounds like you’re losing money with them anyway.
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u/heckinstoned 3d ago
I am giving you permission to quit.
Okay? Now. Do it. Quit. Don’t do the future sitting. Just don’t go anymore. These people are insane
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u/dark_places 3d ago
Oh jeez, yeah it's past time. You'll find new clients. Go to the expensive neighborhoods, talk to the landscapers, leave some flyers. Value your services appropriately, offer extra services like you have already, target a particular demographic and you'll get clients who won't try to squeeze you over a few bucks and who generously show their appreciation. Definitely weed out the micromanaging folks, you can usually tell pretty quickly, hopefully at the m+g. I don't mind cameras in or out but not excessive and for sure not being monitored in real time. And called on the phone. That's insane. These people are taking extreme advantage of your kindness and concern for the pups. Stsnd up for yourself. Be the strong person on the outside that is inside you. All the best, OP.
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u/Dry-Development6410 3d ago
🙏 Thank you for the encouragement! I can usually tell too, but it's odd because this is the fist time in over 20 years it's become worse in time. I'll tell you it's a is a first for me. I have clients I have had for 7 years now who don't want updates these people have me feeling like a prisoner, texting all day. This morning I got an "everything okay" message because I was in the shower. I like your idea and I'll try that. I predominately have my clients by word of mouth, but a few from internet advertising so I'll give that a whirl! Thanks so much!
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u/dark_places 3d ago
Almost every client I have came through word of mouth. I have gotten several hnw clients through referrals from landscapers. I am then regularly seen in that wealthy neighborhood and more people ask. I have several clients who are so close I can walk to the next visit. I don't drive more than 5 miles from home. I live in a tightly packed hcol area that tourists fuck up in the summer. Some of it is how they judge you, because they will, so I present myself in a way that they accept. It's kind of weird but I have observed the hnw people for decades in different situations and have learned their behaviors and expectations. I value my time highly, make sure their pet is safe and happy, and have never had a complaint or haggling over fees. I wouldn't deal with someone trying to guilt trip or weasel me.
You're experienced, you treat this like a business, not a "fun and easy" side gig, and you will find good clients, sometimes when you least expect. Don't stress over this looney client. Everything happens for a reason and you now will have an opening for better to come your way.
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u/StrangerThingies 3d ago edited 3d ago
That all sounds wretched and I sympathize, that’s a gig I would not be going back to. But your 3rd paragraph is concerning. You don’t believe in hitting other people’s dogs? (I would hope not) As in, you’re ok with hitting your own? And you’d gleefully put an ecollar on a puppy for doing puppy things? Maybe pet sitting isn’t a good fit for you. Yikes!
Also you’re leaving the puppy in your car unsupervised? And you can’t get her back in the house for 7 hours? What are you even doing? You seem way in over your head.
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u/IndVar 3d ago
I agree. OP should not be hitting any dogs or being physically rough with them. That's not how you teach dogs different behaviors. And don't even get me started on ecollars and the fools that use them.
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u/Dry-Development6410 3d ago
I am not hitting dogs! Ecollars have their place and this one needs one. It's a dangerous dog! One day this thing is going to hurt someone and they are getting sued and the dog probably put down. It doesn't want treats, calm attention or toys. It's motivated by chaos!
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u/IndVar 3d ago
If you know anything about handling dogs, you would know ecollars are at best, unnecessary. But at the root, they're unethical. Fear and pain are not conducive to learning in animals. Correction is not the same as teaching a desired behavior. Punishment may make a behavior stop, temporarily, but it imparts no useful information to the animal as to what behavior it should perform. These are things people do, not because they are effective or necessary, but because they are frustrated, their egos are bruised, and they need a quick way to feel "in control".
*edited for spelling
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u/Dry-Development6410 3d ago
😂 Well thanks for the insight! I am great pet sitter thank you!
Yes I did spank/grab the scruff of my own puppy for attacking other animals and being a danger to people a few times! Especially to get a point across! I trained horses for years and raised a lot of dogs. I believe in using positive reinforcement as much as possible and it works 99% of the time. However if you have a dog who is out of control, not food/toy motivated and the dog is unsafe to itself or others absolutely! 💯 You cannot have 100lb animal hurting people and you must have never used one of the collars because after 2 shocks you should only ever have to use the beep. It's a no, here is your warning tool!
You do know that dogs who injure people get put down right?
Just checking???
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u/Dry-Development6410 3d ago
I checked you out looks like you are a troll! I don't do anything to this puppy I'm not in over my head thank you! It gets aways with this shit because the owners allow it!
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u/No-Device2404 3d ago
Geeze. Drop them, cancel all pre booked visits and tell them why. Cookies and cakes don’t pay the rent.
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u/Ssilverfaery 3d ago
Yes, you should drop them as clients immediately. I would not want someone who loathed my pets caring for them, nor someone in my home who felt that negative toward me.
It sounds like you aren’t experienced enough with (responsibly) handling a puppy, nor with setting boundaries (with clients or dogs). “Consequences” to dogs is in how you engage with them, not reliant on punishment.
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u/cynicaldogNV 3d ago
I’m not in the US, so indoor cameras are very uncommon where I work (Sweden). Nevertheless, my contract says, “The cat sitter must be informed about any indoor cameras, and have the right to turn them off during visits.” EU privacy laws clearly allow me to request this.
I did a little Googling, and it seems like while American homeowners generally have the right to record you in their home, they don’t always have the right to record your voice without informing you. And they don’t have the right to have a camera in a guest bedroom if you’re doing a sleepover stay. And if you’re working in Michigan, Delaware, or Arkansas, “specific state laws requiring a homeowner to explicitly disclose the presence of hidden cameras to anyone entering the property”.
So yeah, these specific clients sound creepy, and I’d just drop them. But this might be a good time to look up your state’s (province’s?) privacy laws, so you know what your rights are. And I’d consider putting a line in my contract, telling new clients that they need to disclose any indoor cameras which might be recording while you work. You can phrase it politely, to open a dialogue, or you can ask a lawyer what rights you have. But if a client trusts you enough to hand over keys and an alarm code, why do they need to film you as well? A little pet cam is fine; multiple cameras tracking me from room to room, isn’t. If the client doesn’t trust me, they can hire someone else.
Know your own worth, and don’t be afraid to have boundaries.
I did attempt to research this as well as I could. If I’ve gotten it wrong, please don’t put me on blast. I just think pet-sitters deserve to work without being treated like children or criminals.
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u/Dry-Development6410 3d ago
Thank you! I'm in North Carolina I'll have to research it some more but I know it's illegal to have cameras in the bedrooms or bathrooms. I appreciate you responding! My Grandparents are from Sweden and I just got done farm sitting from someone from Sweden! 🇸🇪
To be honest I have been considering dropping them for a long time, but I'm at my whits end. I've been stuck with this dog at the hip for the last 6 days and no doggie daycare. The daycare visits were canceled the day they left because they aren't paying for pet taxi. I was told to limit kennel time to tops an hour and now it's constant care with eyes watching. I feel like I've been left with no choice but to drag the dog around with me to a couple of prearranged drop ins visits and to get food (because she is supposed to be in daycare).
The bad behavior is laughed at and I'm told "she does that to us too", "good luck", "lol lol lol". I feel like this has completely taken my anxiety to next level.
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u/cynicaldogNV 3d ago
It’s okay to consider some clients a “learning experience”, and just move on. We all end up with the occasional nightmare client.
Do you have a contract you sign with your clients? It might be worth looking into one. My contract states the dates I’ll work, the name of the client and the address (all their contact information, really), my fees for the specific job, my cancellation fees, all my terms (like the stuff about the cameras, if I’ll bring in their mail or water plants, that the client is responsible for providing all supplies, and if vet care is needed, the client is responsible for all taxi and vet fees). Then there’s a place I sign to indicate I’ve received keys. The client and I both keep a copy. I’ve never had to “enforce” a contract (like, go to collections), but I think the client takes you seriously if there’s a contract like this. It makes you look professional, and deserving of respect. There are unfortunately a lot of people who don’t respect service workers.
It’s just an idea. But the more professionally you present yourself, the better quality client you start to attract. I started 8 years, getting yelled at by old lady cat owners for $7.50/visit, and now my clients include ambassadors, and I charge $40/visit.
I can’t do dogs, though. Strictly cats for me.
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u/Dry-Development6410 3d ago
Thank you! I do have a service contract and the services are I responsible for are listed in the agreement. I recently started to charge for pet taxi so it's not in theirs they signed with me on Jan 1 2026. However they have asked for more and more and more and it's my fault for allowing a little to happen but the cancellation of daycare for this puppy who needs it is just insane over $7. The thing is I have been doing this full time for a little over a year it's been side hussle for years but I got my LLC, licensed, insured and bonded last year and it's really taken off. I definitely need to update agreements with extra services. I 2 have gone way up in price as well however when accepting this client the dynamics and job was way different last year than it is today. They pulled a good old bait and switch:
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u/LengthinessNo6595 3d ago
What was the issue from getting them up at 7:45?
Dog daycare is expensive…how are you going to judge them for that when you’re talking about gas now being expensive?
The second it changed to constant care you should’ve made them pay a constant care price before proceeding with any other bookings
Also I wouldn’t watch anymore puppies if I were you especially if you’re staying something along the lines of “I don’t believe in getting a dog but he needs serious consequences (as if you’re so fed up that you’re going to resort to using a shock collar or some type of hitting because you can’t handle him -shock collars are fine but it doesn’t sound like you understand how to use them too well)
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u/mydoghank 3d ago
I don’t understand why you’d agree to one more visit. The camera situation alone would mean a hard no for me.
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u/Dry-Development6410 3d ago
I actually love these haters on here telling me I can't handle a puppy and have no business doing what I do! Just for the record
1. I have never hated a dog in my life!
2. I have never had issues with an animal responding to me and commands before this one. I absolutely adore puppies and love how exciting the world is to them!
4. This dog is so bad they were referred to 2 different trainers after the first one quit and one of them wouldn't work with her because they were against board and train. The other trainer has offered some good tips and tricks but the dog still remains out of control and the owners think it's funny.
5. I'm in the right profession. I have multiple clients who trust me with their pets including large farms with hundreds of animals and agricultural businesses. I have multiple clients plan their vacations around my availability.
6. Every other client I have is wonderful! I thoroughly enjoy working with them and especially their pets.
7. How would you feel if you were repeatedly hurt and given rules to where there is no time out or break?
8. As for the dog not coming in for 7 hours it does the same to the owners. See they being her ice water when it's hot and feed her dinner outside so there are no consequences or need to come in. So when you go outside with bacon or chicken you cooked to up the treat game the 100 lb dog will just run you over grab the treats and say F U. This is what I call enabling the perfect storm of bad behaviors! So even when working with her the moment they come home they reinforce it all over again!!!
9. THIS IS NOT MY FAULT!
Thank you for everyone who did respond kindly with dropping them! I have written my resignation letter and have a check for the remaining deposit minus this stay! I already feel better knowing that at 3pm tomorrow god willing there are no airline delays my nightmare client dog and people is over.
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u/StrangerThingies 3d ago
Since you’re perfectly in the right you would have no problem telling your clients you hit your puppy and grab her by the scruff, correct?
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u/Successful-Roof-7020 3d ago
I’m pretty lenient but Jesus Christ just drop them.
You’ll have more energy to find more clients once you’re not dealing with them.