WWYD? Re: Pet sitter

[BLAZEY]

Um the OP paid her and paid her in full even though this young woman missed an entire appointment.

Sorry I miss-read that part.

 

[nkereina]

I hear what you're saying but really though this is the teen's job though. She willing put her services out there. I'm positive that in my neighborhood there are plenty of pet owners and parents for that matter who do things all sorts of different. But a pet sitter or a baby sitter needs to be able to adapt to each person.

It's not really the person's job to question why the person who hired them wanted them at a certain time. If the teen felt it was too restrictive on the times and rules, such as walking the dogs separately, then the teen could have absolutely passed on the job. However, she accepted the job and thus needs to do as the owner asked. She could have texted the owner or called her and asked if it would be ok to come at "X" time rather than the required time otherwise she's going against what she was hired for.

From the OP's first comment:
The first day she arrived in between the window of 5pm and 6pm (at 5:30) with no problem
Still on the first day she was supposed to arrive between 10pm and 11pm but never showed up
Second day she was supposed to arrive at 8am but didn't arrive until 9:30am
Still on second day she was supposed to arrive at 1pm but showed up at 12:15pm

She also lied about coming on the second time frame on the first day and about coming at the requested time on the second day and brought another person over without the owner's permission.

So all in all she didn't arrive for one part she was hired for, she arrived an hour and a half late to another part she was hired for and then she arrived 45 mins early to one part she was hired for. She was also given multiple chances to back out of the job or to ask questions. Me personally as a pet owner I would have been able to shrug off coming late or early for ONE time but not showing up at all and coming late one time and early another time is unacceptable.

But did the teen advertise herself as a pet sitter in the neighborhood? I don't know if it's in the thread, but the original post just says the OP hired her for it. I don't think we know if it was just a neighborhood girl who was offered up for the task, or if she was trying to establish herself as the neighborhood choice for pet sitting.

You describe a scenario where the OP should be considered her employer so to speak, which is fine if she's trying to build a business in the neighborhood. If she agreed to let the dogs out with her time being compensated for in return, as a favor and a way to make a quick buck as 16 year old, then I just feel like that's a different story for how things should have been handled from jump street. She's not signing W9's and submitting references.

 

[LisaR]

I think I would have used the cameras in a very different manner.

You used them to CATCH her doing a poor job. But your pets weren't being well taken care of in the meantime.

I think I would have used them to PREVENT her from doing a poor job. I would have told her up front that I had cameras and that I would know when and how often she was caring for my pets. And the very first time she didn't show, I would have been on the phone.

I agree that it shouldn't have been necessary. But I wouldn't be looking for the moral high ground, I would be looking for good care for my pets. Letting her know she was being watched would have accomplished that.

You make a good point and if I ever decide to hire a total stranger again, I may just take that approach. But just to be clear, I didn't set out to catch her and never thought to prevent any mishaps. The cameras are there and I barely think about them. I only turn on the alert system if we are going to be gone for awhile and I forget half the time. I turned them on before we left and never even gave a single thought to getting an alert that would allow me to check up on her. When I got the first alert at 5:30, I was thrown for a minute to see a text that said movement was detected. I thought to myself why the heck would there be any....Oh! The pet sitter. Once I saw that and realized I would be getting alerts while we were away, it did make me feel better, but I honestly never even thought about it before leaving. If I had any reason to believe in advance that I needed a way to check up on this girl, I never would have hired her in the first place. Of course, now I am very happy that I do have this system in place.

 

[LisaR]

But did the teen advertise herself as a pet sitter in the neighborhood? I don't know if it's in the thread, but the original post just says the OP hired her for it. I don't think we know if it was just a neighborhood girl who was offered up for the task, or if she was trying to establish herself as the neighborhood choice for pet sitting.

You describe a scenario where the OP should be considered her employer so to speak, which is fine if she's trying to build a business in the neighborhood. If she agreed to let the dogs out with her time being compensated for in return, as a favor and a way to make a quick buck as 16 year old, then I just feel like that's a different story for how things should have been handled from jump street. She's not signing W9's and submitting references.

I don't understand why this would make a difference? My daughter did some house and pet sitting when she was younger. She wasn't building a business, but she was still professional and did what the owners asked. Each owner had different things they wanted done. Some said to get the mail and put it in a specific spot. Others just said to get the mail without any specific directions above that. She did what she was told and what she was hired to do. It wasn't up to her to decide that owner 1 wanted their mail put in a basket, but owner 2 didn't care so she was going to throw owner 1's mail someplace different because she wasn't building a business and owner 1 was being too picky! This girl was hired to do a very specific job at somewhat set times. She failed. I don't have a clue if this girl was trying to build a business.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

But did the teen advertise herself as a pet sitter in the neighborhood? I don't know if it's in the thread, but the original post just says the OP hired her for it. I don't think we know if it was just a neighborhood girl who was offered up for the task, or if she was trying to establish herself as the neighborhood choice for pet sitting.

You describe a scenario where the OP should be considered her employer so to speak, which is fine if she's trying to build a business in the neighborhood. If she agreed to let the dogs out with her time being compensated for in return, as a favor and a way to make a quick buck as 16 year old, then I just feel like that's a different story for how things should have been handled from jump street. She's not signing W9's and submitting references.

Well to be fair the OP said she hired the teen so I'm presuming (I know that can be tricky to assume though) that the teen put herself out there somehow as a pet sitter rather than the OP just randomly picking her..and maybe I'm wrong about that.

Just my opinion here but it doesn't matter if a person is trying to build a business or not. If you're hired to do a job you do it and if for any reason something comes up that changes your ability to do it you tell the owner you don't lie about it. That neighborhood kid who sometimes mows people's yards isn't likely trying to make a business out it but sure as heck is expected to follow the owner's request regarding treatment of their yard. Same goes for pet sitting.

I guess I don't see the situation the way you do which is perfectly fine. Doesn't matter if she was doing a favor or trying to "make a quick buck" responsibility is responsibility and you don't have to be an actual employee who is signing W9s and submitting references to understand a requirement (i.e. show up at X times) for taking a job.

 

[nkereina]

I don't understand why this would make a difference? My daughter did some house and pet sitting when she was younger. She wasn't building a business, but she was still professional and did what the owners asked. Each owner had different things they wanted done. Some said to get the mail and put it in a specific spot. Others just said to get the mail without any specific directions above that. She did what she was told and what she was hired to do. It wasn't up to her to decide that owner 1 wanted their mail put in a basket, but owner 2 didn't care so she was going to throw owner 1's mail someplace different because she wasn't building a business and owner 1 was being too picky! This girl was hired to do a very specific job at somewhat set times. She failed. I don't have a clue if this girl was trying to build a business.

Well to be fair the OP said she hired the teen so I'm presuming (I know that can be tricky to assume though) that the teen put herself out there somehow as a pet sitter rather than the OP just randomly picking her..and maybe I'm wrong about that.

Just my opinion here but it doesn't matter if a person is trying to build a business or not. If you're hired to do a job you do it and if for any reason something comes up that changes your ability to do it you tell the owner you don't lie about it. That neighborhood kid who sometimes mows people's yards isn't likely trying to make a business out it but sure as heck is expected to follow the owner's request regarding treatment of their yard. Same goes for pet sitting.

I guess I don't see the situation the way you do which is perfectly fine. Doesn't matter if she was doing a favor or trying to "make a quick buck" responsibility is responsibility and you don't have to be an actual employee who is signing W9s and submitting references to understand a requirement (i.e. show up at X times) for taking a job.

But the teen wasn't unprofessional or irresponsible. What we know is that the teen did not follow the OP's instructions as they were explicitly written. Was she wrong not to follow them? Sure. But she still got the job done and the dogs were still cared for. If the OP didn't have the cameras and wasn't able to track the girl's moves, then likely the OP would not have known the difference and all would have ended well.

 

[okeydokey]

But the teen wasn't unprofessional or irresponsible. What we know is that the teen did not follow the OP's instructions as they were explicitly written. Was she wrong not to follow them? Sure. But she still got the job done and the dogs were still cared for. If the OP didn't have the cameras and wasn't able to track the girl's moves, then likely the OP would not have known the difference and all would have ended well.

Of course she was unprofessional and irresponsible. She LIED to the OP about what she was doing and not doing.

 

[nkereina]

Of course she was unprofessional and irresponsible. She LIED to the OP about what she was doing and not doing.

She was wrong to lie, yes. But at the end of the day, both the teen and the OP could have done things differently. The question at hand is whether the OP handled things appropriately, so my opinion on that is no. But as I said upthread, what's done is done and the OP knows going forward that other options will be better for them and their dogs.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

But the teen wasn't unprofessional or irresponsible. What we know is that the teen did not follow the OP's instructions as they were explicitly written. Was she wrong not to follow them? Sure. But she still got the job done and the dogs were still cared for. If the OP didn't have the cameras and wasn't able to track the girl's moves, then likely the OP would not have known the difference and all would have ended well.

You think that letting the dogs, at least one of whom is elderly, go 16 hours without being let out to go to the bathroom is responsible? I'm not sure how she could've slept that night knowing they hadn't gone - and then been late in the morning, too boot! Nope, to me, that's the definition of not caring. Character and integrity mean doing the right thing when no one's watching. I'd cut the girl some slack since she's 16 and we all do stupid things at that age, but knowing she didn't really care about my dogs wouldn't sit well with me. I would absolutely let her know what the issues are, because, as someone who does have to give sometimes-uncomfortable feedback to people, people don't always understand what they did wrong - in this case, why you won't hire her again or give out references, etc. Cutting her some slack, to me, means giving her the chance to see clearly what the problems were. Without direct feedback, people are left guessing, or attributing the problem to someone or something else, not themselves.

 

[nkereina]

You think that letting the dogs, at least one of whom is elderly, go 16 hours without being let out to go to the bathroom is responsible? I'm not sure how she could've slept that night knowing they hadn't gone - and then been late in the morning, too boot! Nope, to me, that's the definition of not caring. Character and integrity mean doing the right thing when no one's watching. I'd cut the girl some slack since she's 16 and we all do stupid things at that age, but knowing she didn't really care about my dogs wouldn't sit well with me. I would absolutely let her know what the issues are, because, as someone who does have to give sometimes-uncomfortable feedback to people, people don't always understand what they did wrong - in this case, why you won't hire her again or give out references, etc. Cutting her some slack, to me, means giving her the chance to see clearly what the problems were. Without direct feedback, people are left guessing, or attributing the problem to someone or something else, not themselves.

Fair enough. But the way the OP describes the situation, or the way I'm reading it, is that OP called out the teen point blank almost in a confrontational way. If the OP wanted to teach the teen a lesson, simply explaining that they have security alerts when the door opens and closes and they didn't receive those alerts at the times they specified would have been sufficient. No need for questioning or getting answers. It just could have been handled differently, IMO.

 

[piccolopat]

Long post.

I hired a new pet sitter (16 y/o that lives in the neighborhood that I didn't know). I view it as a complete disaster.

Had her over three weeks ago so I could meet her, she could meet the dogs, and I could explain exactly what I would need done for some up coming trips.

Emailed her a few days later and offered her her first job. In the email I explained the four times she would need to come over for a short trip and exactly what she would need to do.

Had her over on Thursday to see the dogs again, do a quick recap of what needed to be done, and to give her the key. I also went over the schedule with her and had it written down on a note on my table. I also left notes taped around the house for reminders (blue bowl for one dog, green for the other, poop bags in here, etc).

Her job:
Friday: Between 5- 6pm feed and walk both dogs
Friday Between 10 - 11pm let the dogs out in the yard for a quick pee
Saturday (today) - 8am Feed and walk both dogs
Saturday 1pm - Walk dogs

What she didn't know is that we have security cameras.

Here's what she did:
Friday @ 5:30: Arrived at the correct time and did exactly what she was supposed to do!
I sent her a text and asked how it went and she said "Everything went great. The dogs were really good!" Excellent!

Friday between 10-11pm: Based on my security cameras, she never showed up.
I didn't sleep well. I wasn't sure if it was a glitch in the system or she didn't come over.

Saturday: Didn't show up at the scheduled 8am. At 8:30, I sent her a text. This was our conversation:
Me: How are the dogs doing this morning?
Her: Good!!
Me: How'd they do last night when you came by to let them out in the yard?
Her: Great! They both went.

So now I am thinking maybe my security cameras simply weren't working properly. They worked because I could get live feeds, but I wasn't getting any alerts that she had come over. I was able to relax a little until...

9:30am: I receive an alert. She is just arriving to feed and walk the dogs. I am pissed! She lied this morning about the dogs being fine. She hadn't even been to my house.

Her last scheduled visit was supposed to be at 1pm. Instead, she showed up at 12:15. Since she came late this morning and early this afternoon, instead of five hours between visits it was less than three hours.

In addition, there is some other girl with her on the video! I made it very clear that the dogs needed to be walked individually, but the new girl took one dog while the pet sitter took the other dog and they went out together. My dogs are very well behave, but they feed off one another if another dog is out. You need to know how to control them so that is why I always have pet sitters walk them separately.

We got home at 6pm. In addition to all of the above, the first thing I notice is that she didn't throw any of the poop out where it belonged. She picked it up and threw the bags in a pile in our yard instead of the community receptacle that I showed her.

The obvious is that we will never, ever use this girl again.

Curious what you would do?

Husband: Let it go. Pay her, don't say anything because she lives in our neighborhood, and move on.

My kids (21 and 19): Do not pay her a single red cent! Tell her everything she did and tell her she doesn't deserve a penny.


What I did: I sent her a text that I was home and to bring back the key and I'll pay her.
When she arrived, it went something like this:
Me: I need you to be honest with me about a couple things. When I sent you a text at 8:30am asking how my dogs were doing this morning and you responded with "good," you didn't actually know they were good because you hadn't been over to my house yet, right?

Her: Um....I...well, I think I....

Me: I have security cameras.

Her: Oh. I think I got here at 9.

Me: No, you got here at 9:30. I hired you to be here at 8am.

Her: Oh.

Me: You had no business telling me that my dogs were good if you hadn't even been here yet. And then you came back at 12:15. They really didn't need to go out that soon since you got here so late this morning. But the part that bugs me the most is that you brought someone with you.

Her: Oh, that was my....

Me: I don't care who it was. It doesn't matter if it was your sister, your mom, or your best friend. You let a stranger into my home. I didn't hire that person to walk my dogs, I hired you and only you. You had no right to allow someone else into my home. I specifically told you I wanted the dogs walked separately and you ignored that by having someone I didn't know walk my dogs.

Her: Sorry.

Me: One more question. I didn't see any proof that you came by last night to let them out for a quick pee.

Her: I did. I swear. I went to the football game and came over as soon as it was done.

Me: Strange that my cameras glitched at that exact time. Anyway, I am not remotely happy with the job you did and I will not be using you in the future. Here is your money (handed her the full amount and showed her out).

I know that others think this approach was very preachy and I have to agree on that point. However, when kids are starting to work, it is important that they get specific feedback on what they did right and what they did wrong. To simply pay her and then not use her again wouldn't help her understand the importance of following instructions and being honest and why her services were no longer needed. Too many kids aren't provided with that kind of direct feedback and grow up to be adults who think it's ok to not do certain things and then lie about it. The approach could have been less of an interrogation but I believe the feedback was absolutely necessary.

 

[BigAlsGal]

I think you just became "the crazy dog lady down the street."

That's about the only lesson you taught her.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

But the teen wasn't unprofessional or irresponsible. What we know is that the teen did not follow the OP's instructions as they were explicitly written. Was she wrong not to follow them? Sure. But she still got the job done and the dogs were still cared for. If the OP didn't have the cameras and wasn't able to track the girl's moves, then likely the OP would not have known the difference and all would have ended well.

As others have said the teen really was unprofessional and irresponsible by lying and not following directions properly. She didn't actually get the job done..the job done would have been following the OP's instructions as hired to do..leaving the dogs from 5:30pm-9:30am is def. not doing her job. She was given 4 times to come over and came over 1 out of those 4 as requested the rest of the times she didn't follow the OP's request. Like I said she could have texted and talked with the OP if one of the times didn't quite work out and asked for permission to adjust that time. The OP might have really said "no I need you to come at that time" or "sure that's fine" but at least there was communication with the owner of the dogs she was taking care of.

All ended well..this time. We really don't know though if the dogs had discomfort due to not being able to go to the bathroom for such a long time. And it only takes one time for something really bad to happen. Either the teen is a 16 year old who is "just a kid" and in unable to handle full responsibility for another person's animal (or child for that matter if she was going to baby sit) or she's a 16 year old who is responsible enough to not lie and follow instructions or talk with the owner if she is unable to fully meet her responsibility (mind you things come up for sure it happens but communicating is needed when you are in this teen's situation).

Fair enough. But the way the OP describes the situation, or the way I'm reading it, is that OP called out the teen point blank almost in a confrontational way. If the OP wanted to teach the teen a lesson, simply explaining that they have security alerts when the door opens and closes and they didn't receive those alerts at the times they specified would have been sufficient. No need for questioning or getting answers. It just could have been handled differently, IMO.

If you read my first comment I said I would have spoken to the parents rather than the teen herself as the teen was a minor. That is the only thing that I would have done differently. I'm not giving the OP grief however for talking to the teen herself I'm just saying what I personally would have done.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

We really don't know though if the dogs had discomfort due to not being able to go to the bathroom for such a long time.

Sixteen hours is two thirds of a full day!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Sixteen hours is two thirds of a full day!

It sure is. I know the dogs probably were uncomfortable but didn't want to be like "yes they were" when I'm sure there is someone out there who can say "well my dogs...and they weren't uncomfortable"

I for one would not want to be holding it for that long

 

[luvsJack]

Do you see the teen as an "employee" or not? If she is then talking to the parents would not have been appropriate. Her boss at McDonalds's isn't going to do that. But then he/she isn't going to fire her for her first mess up either. Most bosses talk to the person, tell them what they did wrong (not try to catch them in a lie), and give them a warning or whatever. I think you were wrong in not just telling her what she did rather than trying to catch her in a lie.

I have three dogs that I love dearly. They are a huge part of our family. But, I just don't know that I would have made this big a deal out of all of this. I would have told the girl what she did wrong and given her another chance if she wanted it. Like I said before, I don't give specific times as I know the kid usually has other responsibilities too. If they will just spend 30 minutes every day playing with our biggest dog, I am happy. Bringing someone with them wouldn't have been a big deal either. If two dogs don't get along, why does having someone to handle each of them not help? I can understand being upset that my directions are not followed to the letter, but as a boss, you have to manage your frustration too and understand that sometimes a person has to be trained to understand why these times and these things are so important to the job.

 

[Magpie]

It sure is. I know the dogs probably were uncomfortable but didn't want to be like "yes they were" when I'm sure there is someone out there who can say "well my dogs...and they weren't uncomfortable"

I for one would not want to be holding it for that long

My dog just wouldn't hold it that long, and the young lady would've been cleaning up a puddle (at minimum).

Her bladder is good for nine hours, max.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Do you see the teen as an "employee" or not? If she is then talking to the parents would not have been appropriate. Her boss at McDonalds's isn't going to do that. But then he/she isn't going to fire her for her first mess up either. Most bosses talk to the person, tell them what they did wrong (not try to catch them in a lie), and give them a warning or whatever. I think you were wrong in not just telling her what she did rather than trying to catch her in a lie.

I have three dogs that I love dearly. They are a huge part of our family. But, I just don't know that I would have made this big a deal out of all of this. I would have told the girl what she did wrong and given her another chance if she wanted it. Like I said before, I don't give specific times as I know the kid usually has other responsibilities too. If they will just spend 30 minutes every day playing with our biggest dog, I am happy. Bringing someone with them wouldn't have been a big deal either. If two dogs don't get along, why does having someone to handle each of them not help? I can understand being upset that my directions are not followed to the letter, but as a boss, you have to manage your frustration too and understand that sometimes a person has to be trained to understand why these times and these things are so important to the job.

I think you're confusing the situation at least it comes off that way. When you hire a person to do a job at your residence you are under no obligation to use them in the future. You never have to see them again after the job is complete either. When you are hired at McDonald's laws protect both the employee and the employer. The employer, even as an at-will company, still has certain reasons why they cannot legally fire someone. This is why companies are typically careful for the reasons the let go of someone. Sure at McDonald's you would expect to be talked to by your manager. If a person works for an actual company for pet sitting you could talk to the actual pet sitter regarding your disatisfaction OR you can go to the company themselves. The company can deal with the employee as they see fit and you as the owner do not have to use that pet sitter again. I'm the only one, at least that I think, that has said that I would talk to the parents so don't confuse that with what the OP has stated.

With pet sitting, even under a company, the person who hired you for the job (the owner) isn't under obligation to use a particular person all the time. They don't have to see them for every pet sitting appointment. You don't have to give them a warning if you don't want to-you can just not use them again with or without telling them why.

Think about it..you don't usually go to Home Advisor or Angie's List or Care(.com) hire a worker, then give them a warning if they don't do something right;well you might do that I suppose if you wanted to but you don't have. In those above companies you are hiring someone to do a job, they are not your employee as they are employees of the respective companies but you still hired them to do a job. I don't necessarily view the teen as the OP's employee in the traditional sense (or in the way that I'm reading from your comments) but she was hired to do a job nonetheless even if the job is something the teen does every now and then or all the time.

And honestly, as much as I admit I do judge people from time to time, it doesn't matter that the OP has a stricter schedule and wants for her pets compared to you. I've pet sat for my best friend a couple of years ago for two dogs. She needed me to be more involved with her two dogs including how to take them out to the bathroom. I didn't ask why I just did as she asked. I've pet sat for the person who rents one of my mom's bedrooms. She was very relaxed about it and said "just come sometime in the morning" and "can you play for just a few minutes outside with him". I didn't ask why I just did it. I've taken care of my mother-in-law's 7 cats. The only thing she asks is "can you count that all are there" and "make sure they have food in the bowls and water in the bowls". I also have never been paid to take care of the animals, it was done just as a favor. Each pet owner is going to be different. If I'm accepting the request to take care of them then I'm accepting to do it the way they asked me-it's their pet not mine.

*sorry for the long post*

 

[Nancyg56]

But the teen wasn't unprofessional or irresponsible. What we know is that the teen did not follow the OP's instructions as they were explicitly written. Was she wrong not to follow them? Sure. But she still got the job done and the dogs were still cared for. If the OP didn't have the cameras and wasn't able to track the girl's moves, then likely the OP would not have known the difference and all would have ended well.

Holy Cow, you think allowing forcing an animal, an elderly animal at that, to remain in the house without being taken out is professional and responsible???? I hired a young man to just feed and water my cat while I was away, and the cat was not alone all day during that time. He did a lousy job of it, an that was enough for me to scrap having him ever earn a fast $10 a day to rinse a water bowl and add dry food daily. A one minute walk to my house, less than 5 minutes to clean his bowls, and that was too much work. If I had a do n that kind of care I would have lost my sox.

 

[LisaR]

Do you see the teen as an "employee" or not? If she is then talking to the parents would not have been appropriate. Her boss at McDonalds's isn't going to do that. But then he/she isn't going to fire her for her first mess up either. Most bosses talk to the person, tell them what they did wrong (not try to catch them in a lie), and give them a warning or whatever. I think you were wrong in not just telling her what she did rather than trying to catch her in a lie.

I have three dogs that I love dearly. They are a huge part of our family. But, I just don't know that I would have made this big a deal out of all of this. I would have told the girl what she did wrong and given her another chance if she wanted it. Like I said before, I don't give specific times as I know the kid usually has other responsibilities too. If they will just spend 30 minutes every day playing with our biggest dog, I am happy. Bringing someone with them wouldn't have been a big deal either. If two dogs don't get along, why does having someone to handle each of them not help? I can understand being upset that my directions are not followed to the letter, but as a boss, you have to manage your frustration too and understand that sometimes a person has to be trained to understand why these times and these things are so important to the job.

It's truly bizarre to me that you take exception to the things that I wanted done and that the pet sitter knew about and agreed to. It would be like me telling you that you are wrong for "making" a pet sitter play with your dogs for 30 minutes. I didn't tell my pet sitter to do that. Why can't your dogs go the day without having someone play with them when my dogs can? Do you see how ridiculous that is? I have specific times, you don't. Your dogs need played with, mine don't. We went over the times and she was perfectly fine with them. In my email to her I even say, "Please let me know in advance if any of these times don't work and I am sure we can come up with something that will work for both of us." That is word for word from the email I sent her.

As for walking my dogs together, first off, my dogs get along just fine, thank you. As I told her, my older dog has some problems due to aging. If the younger one sees something and even starts to let out a bark, the older one will start barking because he can't really see what is going on. We don't have any problem whatsoever controlling them while walking, but I do not want a person who isn't familiar with them walking them together. I made that VERY clear to her. She knew what I wanted and she should have done it or not accepted the job.

I get having an issue with the way I worded things to her. I truly do. As a few have pointed out, starting with "Tell me the truth...." probably wasn't the right way to start the conversation. I can see that. But taking issue for the rules I set forth blows my mind. If I hired her to come over and sing Kumbaya to my dogs everyday a noon, while freakishly bizarre, if she actually agrees to do that then she damn well better show up at noon and start singing away!