Paige Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 We have had such a problem finding a reliable pet sitter. Unless a personal friend comes by, which isn't always possible, it always ends badly. We've had several say they are coming regularly and don't, and others who leave a mess and do a terrible job. SO, this new pet sitter was great last time, but this time I know she's lying. We have sensors on our doors and motion detectors in the house that alert DH when people come and go and where they are. We aren't spying on them- there's no camera, but it's a security feature we turn on when we're out of town. The sensors did not go off on the door one day and the motion detectors did not pick up a human sized person. I asked her about it the night she didn't come (texted) and she said she was there and had already left. I don't know much about the sensors, so I said maybe the power had gone off. DH says that our sensors are not dependent on electricity, and when we got home it's obvious the power never went off. Also, none of the pets had any food left and two of their water dishes were completely dry. The litterboxes were overly full and my cat who gets medication had obviously missed a dose. I know how much she had when we left. what should have been gone, and what was actually gone. We know she missed a day. She's saying she didn't. WWYD? Would you just pay her for the whole week or refuse to pay for the day she missed? I'm really disappointed because she did such a good job last time. I forgot to remind her this time that we have the sensors and know when people are in the house- last time I made that very clear. FYI- you all should check up on your pet sitters! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne in CA Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 That would really annoy me and I would be tempted to skip paying for the day she didn't come... but I probably would just make sure to leave an online review, if possible, and if not let anyone looking for a pet sitter know, not her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 I'd pay her and be done with her -- and never hire her again. To me, it's not worth the conflict to argue with the pet sitter, and it's certainly not worth the few bucks to not pay her. Frankly, paying her for most of her days and just subtracting for the missed shifts sends the entirely wrong message -- as it's sort of saying that It's OK to miss some shifts, which obviously it is not. BTDT many times . . . We have a lot of pets, and we hire sitters when we travel. It's really hard to find reliable ones. We *own a vet hospital* and still have trouble finding reliable pet sitters, despite having a dozen or so competent employees at work at any given time, lol. It's really hard to find trustworthy pet sitters. When you find one, pay them *really* well and stock the house with snacks they like . . . and hope for the best . . . My theory has been to overpay pet sitters, hoping they'll love the easy money so much that they'll do an extra good job. Works sometimes, not all the times . . . If you have a pet that needs meds, you're probably best off using your vet hospital for boarding for that pet unless/until you have a SUPER reliable long term pet sitter. Oh, also, we require pet sitters to *stay* at our house over night. That at least guarantees that they'll be around AM & PM . . . But, you do have to pay $$$ for that service. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 I would probably no say anything - but I'm getting to the point in my life I'm more willing to stay something. keep in mind - she's running a business, and it is appropriate to let her know you noticed. I would start by saying how disappointed I am with the inconsistent care the animals received - and I would say what I saw that was wrong. (dry water dishes, no food), including the fact you KNOW the cat missed a rx dose. If this is a repeat provider - I would bring up that you were happy with her previous service, but after this one, you don't know if you can entrust your pets to her again or not. how she responds will tell me if I'm willing to try her again. if she's apologetic, etc. ok, I might. if she makes excuses and doesn't accept responsibility - no way. I'd go somewhere else. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted December 30, 2016 Author Share Posted December 30, 2016 If you have a pet that needs meds, you're probably best off using your vet hospital for boarding for that pet unless/until you have a SUPER reliable long term pet sitter. My vet told me he did not think any of the vet hospitals would be good for boarding my fragile cat. He recommended putting her to sleep rather than stress her like that. :thumbdown: I told the pet sitter up front that if there was terrible weather I didn't want her to risk her safety trying to get to the house and that they would be ok. There wasn't any bad weather, but maybe she thought it meant she could blow off a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
school17777 Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 I don't know how I'd handle your situation. I would not want to pay for the missed day for sure. I would also be upset to find a messy litterbox and dry water bowls. I don't think she earned her money. Just a note on my sister's professional pet sitter - he sends a text with a picture with the cat and I think the newspaper (so she knows that he didn't just take a bunch of pictures one time) every time he visits. Maybe something to ask for in the future so there is no question about the visit. 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 (edited) Tell her you know. "I know you didn't come because of our security system, the cat missed his medication, they had no food and water, and the litter box had not been cleaned. Now I am not paying you for the day you did not come, and you endangered my animals and lied to me. How do you propose resolving this situation?" Never use her again, and follow up with whomever recommended her to you and anyone to whom you recommended her. Edited December 30, 2016 by zoobie 26 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Wow, this thread makes me SO thankful for DH's cousin, who dog-sits for us. We leave our dog at her house, though, so somewhat different. She always has a few boarders and my dog loves being there. Doggie camp! For $25 a day. :) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 I would not tell her the clues if there was any chance I might need to hire her again. I'd be afraid she'd cover up if she didn't come every day. (I wouldn't want to hire her again.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaraby Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 We use a pet sitter for our emotionally fragile Golden :rolleyes: when we travel and I always thought it was odd the number of texts/pictures of our pets we got when we were away. I thought it was nice, but didn't really think there was a purpose beyond catering to pet owners who probably are more emotionally attached to their pets than I am. I guess based upon replies in this thread, it's probably a good thing she does this. No newspaper in the picture, but the picture file has the date taken. She could probably fake the date, but that seems like a lot of work and there would be easier ways to make money. We've used her several times now and she's been very reliable. I kind of took that for granted, but I won't now! 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 We have had such a problem finding a reliable pet sitter. Unless a personal friend comes by, which isn't always possible, it always ends badly. We've had several say they are coming regularly and don't, and others who leave a mess and do a terrible job. SO, this new pet sitter was great last time, but this time I know she's lying. We have sensors on our doors and motion detectors in the house that alert DH when people come and go and where they are. We aren't spying on them- there's no camera, but it's a security feature we turn on when we're out of town. The sensors did not go off on the door one day and the motion detectors did not pick up a human sized person. I asked her about it the night she didn't come (texted) and she said she was there and had already left. I don't know much about the sensors, so I said maybe the power had gone off. DH says that our sensors are not dependent on electricity, and when we got home it's obvious the power never went off. Also, none of the pets had any food left and two of their water dishes were completely dry. The litterboxes were overly full and my cat who gets medication had obviously missed a dose. I know how much she had when we left. what should have been gone, and what was actually gone. We know she missed a day. She's saying she didn't. WWYD? Would you just pay her for the whole week or refuse to pay for the day she missed? I'm really disappointed because she did such a good job last time. I forgot to remind her this time that we have the sensors and know when people are in the house- last time I made that very clear. FYI- you all should check up on your pet sitters! What's she going to do, sue you for one day's missed pay? I wouldn't pay her for the day she missed. If she does take you to small claims court or something, keep the documentation of the motion sensor logs and the state you found things when you got home concerning the pets' food dishes and medications. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 My vet told me he did not think any of the vet hospitals would be good for boarding my fragile cat. He recommended putting her to sleep rather than stress her like that. :thumbdown: I told the pet sitter up front that if there was terrible weather I didn't want her to risk her safety trying to get to the house and that they would be ok. There wasn't any bad weather, but maybe she thought it meant she could blow off a day. "Don't go in extreme weather" does NOT mean "it's okay to blow off a day for no reason." 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Kate Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Tell her you know. "I know you didn't come because of our security system, the cat missed his medication, they had no food and water, and the litter box had not been cleaned. Now I am not paying you for the day you did not come, and you endangered my animals and lied to me. How do you propose resolving this situation?" Never use her again, and follow up with whomever recommended her to you and anyone to whom you recommended her. Okay...I am the most non-confrontational person in the world, but if I could get up the nerve to do it, I would say this exactly. Your pet sitter was extremely irresponsible and you really should bring it to her attention. Is this someone who runs a pet sitting business? If so, I would be even more likely to speak up. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustEm Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 I honestly wouldn't pay her at all until the issue is resolved. Your pet didn't get at least a dose of medication if not more. I would tell her since you have evidence she didn't come you need to take your animal to get checked out by the vet. You will be deducting that amount from her bill because her not coming is the reason the animal needs to be checked. If she has a problem with that then she can choose to address that with you if she chooses. But if you have direct evidence that she didn't show up then she knows if she pursues it she will lose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 I'd pay her and never call her again. Trying to get her to admit this will just prolong your annoyance. How old is this person? If you hire a young person working their first job in the future, as you orient them I'd casually throw in something about your security system. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Let her know you KNOW a day was missed, etc. She may come clean that she has an employee she sent - or thought she had. You may find out she doesn't do all the pet care herself...and she may find she has an errant employee. And folks pissed to find she wasn't the only person with access to your pets and house. Just a thought. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted December 30, 2016 Author Share Posted December 30, 2016 She has no employees. She's about 60yrs old and doing it herself. Sometimes her spouse comes, but she's the only one who can do one of the meds. We hired her because she was the only one we could find in our town or the surrounding ones who was familiar with a treatment my cat needs. I don't think she pet sits for anyone else or advertises. We use the same vet and her cat used to need the same treatment. I'm going to find whoever has the best reviews and see if he or she is willing to come over and get trained on how to do my cat's meds. It's not hard, but I'd want someone who has done it a couple of times. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaraby Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 What's she going to do, sue you for one day's missed pay? I wouldn't pay her for the day she missed. If she does take you to small claims court or something, keep the documentation of the motion sensor logs and the state you found things when you got home concerning the pets' food dishes and medications. It's also unlikely she will take you to small claims court. Unless she's charging you a premium price it probably wouldn't be worth the time and expense, but yeah, save your records and document everything just in case. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 FYI, we asked at our vet's whether they could recommend someone to come over when our cat was needing daily meds. They gave us two names of their own assistants who did this on the side. This was wonderful. We hired one of them, and she came over and did the meds every day and played with the cat so she wasn't so lonely. When we got back we gave her a huge tip when we saw how nice our place looked and how happy the cat was. I am astounded that your sitter didn't even cover her tracks by making sure that things looked 'normal' when you got back. Even a deceptive person would usually do that, I would think. That makes me wonder whether she is really losing it, and even if she didn't lie to you I'd be trying to find someone else. I think you were very wise the first time to let her know that you had sensors in place. Disclosing that is ALWAYS a good practice, not as a threat but as information and a little accountability. Given that you have a lack of choices in your area, I think I would pay her (because one day of pay is not that much in the greater scheme of things) but start looking for an alternative. And if you have to hire her again, which I very much hope you don't, emphasize the sensors and every day or two ask her to send you pictures. Make it sound more like you miss seeing what your cat is doing and less that you're checking up. Because if she is getting forgetful, that will give you a way to nudge her/remind her to go over. But really, I very much hope that you can find someone else. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Adding on assuming you are never going to hire her again, ask yourself is the money you'd save by not paying worth being bad mouthed to neighbors, church friends, the vet, etc. Is this a place you need to make a point or is it better to just move from the hassle. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertBlossom Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 This happened to us. We had a neighbor boy come to feed our chickens. Another elderly neighbor came over to collect the eggs said he had not been coming by so she starte keeping a close eye on things. The chickens were out of food and water (in the summer in the desert) and it's lucky he didn't kill them. Other neighbor toom over feeding. When I got home and asked him about it, I tried to give him a chance to admit it. He didn't. Then I told him my other neighbor said they were out of food and water when she came by. Gave him another chance to admit it and he wouldn't. I told him I wasn't going to pay him for days he didn't come by and so he said to pay him whatever I wanted but he would still not admit to skipping days. (And I know other neighbor wasn't lying) I didn't pay him for all the days, but still more than I think he came by, but I won't ever ask him again to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Man, I need to move where you guys live. I'm a fantastic pet sitter with references and experience caring for a huge range of animals. I started looking maybe six months ago and can't find a gig to save my life, even if I only charge ten bucks a day. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted December 30, 2016 Author Share Posted December 30, 2016 Man, I need to move where you guys live. I'm a fantastic pet sitter with references and experience caring for a huge range of animals. I started looking maybe six months ago and can't find a gig to save my life, even if I only charge ten bucks a day. Move here! I will hire you. There are so many people who need pet sitters near me and they fill up. Doggie daycare, dogwalkers, pooper scoopers....I see people looking for them all the time. Actually, any military town will keep a pet sitter busy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Man, I need to move where you guys live. I'm a fantastic pet sitter with references and experience caring for a huge range of animals. I started looking maybe six months ago and can't find a gig to save my life, even if I only charge ten bucks a day. Really? That is too bad. We have friends who run a dog walking/pet sitting service and live off of it. It has been in business for many years now and they have lived off of that until about 2 years ago when her husband got a part time job on the side to cover their daughter's college expenses. I would hire you! (the above people don't live close enough to me to actually watch my pets.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Yeah I'd pay her and find someone else. How frustrating! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Man, I need to move where you guys live. I'm a fantastic pet sitter with references and experience caring for a huge range of animals. I started looking maybe six months ago and can't find a gig to save my life, even if I only charge ten bucks a day. Your new avatar pic is gorgeous. Move to California. You'll never run out of clients. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 I would pay the pet sitter, but tell her that you won't need her services again. She'll know why. I would tell the vet about everything so he doesn't recommend her to anyone else. I'm sure other pet sitters would be willing to be trained as long as you were willing to pay for their time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 Man, I need to move where you guys live. I'm a fantastic pet sitter with references and experience caring for a huge range of animals. I started looking maybe six months ago and can't find a gig to save my life, even if I only charge ten bucks a day. I'm serious, this is what I'm thinking, too. My DD has done a couple pet-sitting gigs and was lauded with praise by the most recent one. Maybe this is why. She did a great job, I'm sure, but I didn't know it was so praise-worthy that she did fully care for and play with her charges every day and even photographed the pets. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 (edited) We use a pet sitter for our emotionally fragile Golden :rolleyes: when we travel and I always thought it was odd the number of texts/pictures of our pets we got when we were away. I thought it was nice, but didn't really think there was a purpose beyond catering to pet owners who probably are more emotionally attached to their pets than I am. I guess based upon replies in this thread, it's probably a good thing she does this. No newspaper in the picture, but the picture file has the date taken. She could probably fake the date, but that seems like a lot of work and there would be easier ways to make money. We've used her several times now and she's been very reliable. I kind of took that for granted, but I won't now! This is gold. Maybe Op could request whoever she uses next time to send a time date stamped photo of the pets each day when they are there. Alternatively you may have more joy with house sitters as it should be harder to forget for someone who is in the same house as the pets. Edited December 30, 2016 by Ausmumof3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 Because of too many of these situations, we finally got a camera. It just shoots the front door and gets feet. So we know when the sitter comes, how long she stays etc. I let her know and explained our past situation. I made it clear that no cameras are spying in the living room, kitchen etc. But I also didn't say it's aimed at the front door feet. Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 I'm serious, this is what I'm thinking, too. My DD has done a couple pet-sitting gigs and was lauded with praise by the most recent one. Maybe this is why. She did a great job, I'm sure, but I didn't know it was so praise-worthy that she did fully care for and play with her charges every day and even photographed the pets. I watched a tortoise for two weeks one summer a few years ago and took him on (very, very) slow walks around the yard every day to get some sun. :D I love animals. I wish I could get more work around here. I've only been able to pet sit for friends for free so far. Well, one guy (a coworker of dh's) was supposed to pay me for watching his four cats and his fish for a week, but he kept "forgetting" the money and we finally just gave up. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 Your new avatar pic is gorgeous. Move to California. You'll never run out of clients. Aww, thank you! I wish! :P Dh would never go for it, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmingMomma Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 I have a couple of milk cows and some poultry. We ONCE paid someone to milk my cows for me for a weekend while we went to another ranch to brand calves. On the second day he didn't show up to milk until 10 in the morning (I know this because someone else was staying at our house to take care of the small animals). Now I just don't go anywhere ever that requires me to miss milking time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 I keep wondering who these terrible pet sitters are too. My daughter just finished 2.5 days of dog walking. She hated every minute of it because the dog was an undisciplined purse dog and yapped and pulled during walks.... AND my dd got sick with a cold. But she did it 2x per day because *she agreed to do it*. I can't even fathom someone NOT doing it when they agreed to do it. Terrible. She'd love to do it more (with better disciplined dogs, of course), but I think most people in this area get professional walkers/sitters, so a college kid doing it on the side doesn't have a chance. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaillardia Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 That's terrible that your pets weren't cared for properly. It's all fine for us to tell you what we'd have said, but I know how hard it is to do confrontations. I'm at the point in my life where I might really let her have it though. Discredit her on social media as well unless she would like to go ahead and tell the truth. I so dislike being lied to, worse than the original offense. I have a friend who is licensed and bonded and does all kinds of stuff for people, including paying bills, making cookies, taking care of pets, cleaning the house, house sitting, driving folks to wherever they need to go, etc. Try to find a person like that. My friend is squeaky clean, reliable, dependable, and honest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 Don't pay for the missed day. You KNOW she missed. It's not JUST the sensors telling you this. Pay for the other days and never call her again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted January 1, 2017 Share Posted January 1, 2017 Pool maintenance folks tend to be like this around here, too. I don't know anyone who has one that is truly reliable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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