Dog sitter staying at our house --- guidelines? UPDATE PAGE 3

[Minnie_me]

We're going out of town next week, and a colleague is watching our dog. She suggested that she stay at our house, since that's what she usually does and that's what's easier for the dog. After I agreed, I started wondering: where would she sleep? I'm assuming on the couch? Would I be expected to stock the fridge for her?

I have absolutely no experience with this, so any advice will be helpful. Thanks!

 

[dakcp2001]

How much are you paying her? I normally pay 25 a day for my cat sitter to spend an hour with my 2 cats once a day while I am away. I don't know what the norm is for dogs, but I imagine they need to be walked a few times a day? If you are paying her well, I would not plan to provide food. I would spell out where I want her to sleep and set some rules (no long distance no pay per view etc) and make sure you set rules on guest and company., Will she have her kids with her? Her boyfriend? Her own dog?


It really depends on how well you know her, how friendly you are, and how much you are paying her.

 

[monsterkitty]

My niece stays at our house when we go on vacation. I used to stock the fridge but now I just leave a $100 Kroger gift card for her. She likes to cook her own food and try different things so that works better for her. She sleeps in the guest bedroom.

Since she is now over 21 we also tell her to help herself to anything in the bar. We also tell her she can have friends over. They are all good "kids" so we don't worry.

 

[Minnie_me]

OP here with more info. She's youngish (27), but doesn't party or have a boyfriend. She's a homebody, likes to read and cook, etc.

I don't have a guest room. It's my bedroom, my daughters' bedrooms, and that's it. It's just kind of awkward...........like what do I say, "I'm assuming you'll sleep on the couch? I left some blankets and pillows out for you." ???

As for her pay, she told me that she does it for free because she's single and is able to help out her friends this way. However, I absolutely will be paying her! I'm going to call a couple of friends who have dogs and ask what they pay, so I have an idea of the going rate in this area. Things like this can vary greatly across the country.

 

[NMAmy]

I always have someone stay at the house with our dog. I pay $25 per day and I stock the fridge with food they like. I wouldn't have someone sleep on the couch but we have a couple of guest rooms.

I don't really have any rules for a housesitter but I've ad several different people (all college students) stay with the dog over the years and have yet to have an issue. I would definitely pay a good rate and treat it as a job if I wanted the person doing it to think of it as a job, as well.

 

[DavidG1966]

You want her to treat your dog well? Give her a bed to sleep in and plenty of her favorite food stocked in the fridge! Otherwise Fido may pay the price for your lack of hospitality.

 

[NHdisneylover]

DD17 cat sat for friends recently. Their cat had had surgery and they did not someone just popping in one a day, in case it pulled on stitches, etc.

They do not have a guest room either, but told her they had made up their bed with fresh bedding for her. Why would it be awkward for someone to sleep in your bed if the bedding is washed?

They also stocked the fridge for her (and like your friend, she was doing it as a favour and not paid otherwise). She still did a bit of shopping to get things she wanted that were not in the house, but she did mostly eat their food--which seems like a small cost for them to pay for near 24 hour care for their pet (she did leave twice for under an hour to shop and drop some paperwork off, and they knew she would be doing that when she agreed to cat sit).

 

[wilkeliza]

Since it is a work person I would put her in your daughters room or get her an airbed.

My situation is a little different. We basically have people begging us to watch our dog. It is a perk of living in NYC and having a dog haha. So many friends want a dog but can't have one or don't have time for one full time that when we go on vacation there is a bidding war of sorts on who gets to watch our beloved pooch. They are all great friends so they don't even ask for anything. We usually bring them something back from the trip and ask if they need any food money etc. Most of them say no thanks to compensation because our apartment is compensation enough

We have a doorman building so our rules are a little different. We have who ever is dog sitting give us the name of two friends who may stop by. We approve those two extra guests and give all their information to the doorman. Then the night before our vacation or trip the dog sitter comes over to give them keys and let them know what is up. We have a pillowsac that transforms into a full size bed so we let them know that they have the option of the couch or if they like we have set out all the necessary things to make the pillow sac a full size bed and all they have to do is push the ottoman out of the way. They are allowed to use everything that is in the house and eat anything in the fridge.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

I do quite a bit of in-home pet care but the animals stay in my house. Most of the animals have some sort of medical condition and I charge $100 to $150 per day depending on the complexity of their care. I do watch some healthy animals as well and charge $40 to $50 per day for those pets.

I have a petsitter that stays in my home to care for my pets while I'm away and she only charges $40 a day, but that's quite low, in my experience. She sleeps in my bed and is expected to use the house as though it's her own. She's allowed to have friends over and use whatever she wants. I provide new sheets and towels for her and leave $100 in petty cash that she can use to replace anything that runs out (paper towels, etc) or she can use it to buy pizza or whatever. I don't care how she spends it. I stock a bit of food for her and she's welcome to anything I already have, but she's primarily responsible for her own meals.

I make sure to leave detailed instructions regarding the animals' care and information about their medical histories along with a list of emergency contacts for both the pets and house related issues, like the water heater blowing out. I also leave a medical consent form, should she need to take someone to the vet without being able to reach me first. It basically lists who my pets are and a credit card that can be charged for vet bills.

I used to work in the vet field and a lot of people watched each others pets free of charge, but it was with the expectation that everyone would return the favor at some point. If she's offering to do this for free, you should find out if she's hoping you'll do the same for her in the future.

 

[maxiesmom]

Wow, I would never ask someone to dog sit and expect them to sleep on a couch or airbed. Why can't they sleep in your bed? You just change the sheets. Imho it is rude to expect them to sleep on a couch or airbed.

 

[NHdisneylover]

Wow, I would never ask someone to dog sit and expect them to sleep on a couch or airbed. Why can't they sleep in your bed? You just change the sheets. Imho it is rude to expect them to sleep on a couch or airbed.

I agree. When there are 2 empty beds in the house, that is not a polite thing to do (if people were visiting when OP was home and there were not extra beds that would be different)

 

[jam217]

My friend's daughter is house and pet sitting ( one dog and one cat) in August. I'm paying her $250 and stocking the house with food. Her duties include giving the dog at least two walks a day -- one short and one long (about an hour in the evening). I'm really not setting down any ground rules because she's a good kid (20). And the morning that I'm leaving, I'll make up my bed with fresh sheets and tell her she can sleep there.

 

[wilkeliza]

Wow, I would never ask someone to dog sit and expect them to sleep on a couch or airbed. Why can't they sleep in your bed? You just change the sheets. Imho it is rude to expect them to sleep on a couch or airbed.

Maybe it is just a way different people are raised thing. Most people we have had dog sit actually choose to sleep on the couch and not our bed. We use to give the option to sleep on the bed but they all turned it down so now we just let them know that the pillow sac (which is not an airbed but rather similar to a feather mattress) becomes a full sized bed if they want us to prepare it for them.

The couch at our place also isn't some cheap uncomfortable couch. Many night I have fallen asleep on it because it is actually more comfortable than our bed.

Every time I've dog sat while staying over for someone here in NYC it has pretty much been sleep on the couch or on the airbed your choice or you can go home and sleep at night and just spend the days here.

 

[maxiesmom]

Maybe it is a where you are kind of thing. Because I have to say if someone asked me to do a job for them and stay at their house, but pretty much told me I wasn't good enough to sleep in their bed, I'd be offended.

One of my good friends dog sits for a lot of people. And she never sleeps on a couch.

 

[Minnie_me]

Wow, I would never ask someone to dog sit and expect them to sleep on a couch or airbed. Why can't they sleep in your bed? You just change the sheets. Imho it is rude to expect them to sleep on a couch or airbed.

I used to babysit overnight for families and slept on their couches. I would never ever expect that I would sleep in their bed. I guess it's just the way we were raised? I don't really know. To me, a person's bedroom is a private domain. That's why I feel like it's awkward , and that's why I asked.

If the general consensus is that she should sleep in my bed, then I'll make that the situation. There's no need to call me rude. I'm anything but. And FWIW, *I* expected her to keep the dog at her place, but *she* suggested that she stay here. This is all new territory for me.

 

[wilkeliza]

Maybe it is a where you are kind of thing. Because I have to say if someone asked me to do a job for them and stay at their house, but pretty much told me I wasn't good enough to sleep in their bed, I'd be offended.

One of my good friends dog sits for a lot of people. And she never sleeps on a couch.

It isn't about being good enough or anything like that. Our bedroom is actually the only place they aren't allowed access. It is a personal space thing just as much as bed thing. We've never once had a friend turn us down or ask to sleep in the bed. Maybe these guys and gals just don't care because we've paid for trips and stuff for them so they think it evens out?

Like I've said I've seen it and personally done it both ways. I've slept on the couch while watching a friends dog and had one family tell me it was okay to sleep in their daughters bed but I better not be caught in the parents bedroom. They told me if I didn't feel comfortable in the daughter's bedroom there was a comfortable couch in the den.

I have to imagine it comes from the fact that you just don't know people no matter how close you are to them. It is different in our new place since it is a loft we can't use the bedroom as a locked key storage but in our older place we used the bedroom as a place to store any valuables behind lock and key since it was the only place in the apartment that could be locked.

Like I said we have a guest bed it just isn't traditional and have asked every sitter if they want it set up and they all say no the couch is fine for them.

 

[wilkeliza]

I used to babysit overnight for families and slept on their couches. I would never ever expect that I would sleep in their bed. I guess it's just the way we were raised? I don't really know. To me, a person's bedroom is a private domain. That's why I feel like it's awkward , and that's why I asked.

If the general consensus is that she should sleep in my bed, then I'll make that the situation. There's no need to call me rude. I'm anything but. And FWIW, *I* expected her to keep the dog at her place, but *she* suggested that she stay here. This is all new territory for me.

I agree. I was raised that someone's bedroom is their private space. That is what I was trying to get at. Also like I pointed out the people we have offered the bed to have said no thanks the couch is fine.

I don't think you are rude at all for giving a couch especially if that is what you would do for guests to your house since you have no guest room. Now if guests were to sleep in your daughters room and her on a airbed etc then maybe offer up your daughters bed?

 

[NHdisneylover]

I used to babysit overnight for families and slept on their couches. I would never ever expect that I would sleep in their bed. I guess it's just the way we were raised? I don't really know. To me, a person's bedroom is a private domain. That's why I feel like it's awkward , and that's why I asked.

If the general consensus is that she should sleep in my bed, then I'll make that the situation. There's no need to call me rude. I'm anything but. And FWIW, *I* expected her to keep the dog at her place, but *she* suggested that she stay here. This is all new territory for me.

Pets are usually happier in a familiar environment and cause damage to a home, furniture, etc, especially if they are stressed out about being somewhere new without their owners. Also, this person is younger, if she is in a rental she may not even be allowed to have a pet in her apartment.

Personally, and maybe it is a where you are from thing, I find it even odder that you would think of asking her to take your pet into her home, than that you would consider offering her only a couch to sleep on (coming at it form my experiences in varous parts of the US, Spain and Germany, but obviously some places see it differently according to your and other PPs experience)

 

[Poohforyou]

We just had a tech from our vet's office stay for a week to care for our dog and 2 guinea pigs. I set up both dd's room where the dog is used to sleeping at night and the sofa bed in the family room for her to sleep. She chose the sofa bed. I didn't stock the house with food but told her to help herself to anything she wanted. We paid her $60 a day. I didn't have any rules for her. She does this for many families and is very responsible.

As for our master suite I closed it off completely. It was one less space she had to worry about finding the dog.

 

[hj0519]

I dog sit for co-workers frequently. I always sleep in their bed (three different people), they definitely wouldn't expect me to sleep on the couch and make it clear that I should sleep in their bed. Two have spare rooms, but they're not fully furnished with real beds, or I would probably sleep there instead. They make their bed with clean sheets, leave clean towels for me, etc.. When I sit for the one of them during the summer, I sleep on an air mattress in the spare room but that's because it's the only room with air conditioning and it gets super hot in her house.

One goes crazy stocking the fridge for me with the stuff I like, which is much appreciated but not expected.

I get paid $20/day, for either one dog or a dog and a cat, but pay varies a lot based on where you live.