Dog walker problem

jp1004

jp1004

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Sep 30, 2004
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Hi everyone,

I'm a new puppy owner and hired a dog walker. I'm paying her for a full 30 minute service including walks, play time, feeding, and etc. I recently set up a web cam to watch my puppy while I'm at work and discovered that for the past two days, my dog walker has been coming in for 5 minutes only! She did not walk the dog, she only filled out her daily notes and simply left. I have caught it all on web cam.

Has anyone had a similar problem? What can be done? Of course she will be fired. I'd report her to her boss, but she owns the company. I am extremely upset. Are there any other actions I can take to make her pay for her actions? Now I do not know if I can trust any dog walking service.

Thank you
 
I don't think I could trust a dog walking service either. YOu did a smart thing setting up the web cam. If I were you, I would try to find someone that I know. Maybe you've got a friend that just needs a little extra cash.
 
If you want to sue her or something like that, I think you have grounds. I mean you have it all on video and if she signed something saying that she stay 30 minuets with then dog, I would sue. However, that is just me. Let us know what you decided to do. Good luck and find someone you can trust, or maybe just let them know that you have a web camera set up watching what they do.
 
If you have a written agreement with her you should have recourse in whatever court handles small claims (usually under $15,000).

If you decide to do this, let me know and I'll try to walk you through it as best I can. Different places have different court systems, but most operate in roughly the same way. I can usually look up state statutes for different states as well.
 
Renee - not to get off subject (I tend to do that a lot ;) ) You are an attorney in Tennessee? I work for some attorneys in Nashville. I was just curious because I noticed you were from Tennessee. I am in Antioch right outside of Nashville. Where is White Pine?
 
No, I'm not an attorney, but I am a paralegal and legal investigator - have been for well over 15 years. White Pine is about 30 minutes east of Knoxville down I-40.
 
I talked to my doorman and he told me that he has never seen her take the dog out once!! Just incredible! I am not paying her for this week and I am demanding full money back. A lawyer friend told me that it will cost me $100 to file a small claims case, but it is not worth it. I've only paid her $108 so far...It would be nice if I can justify the cost of the web cam in the claim. Telling the judge that I spent money on the camera because I was suspicious. Then it would be worth it. If I do not take this to court, my lawyer friend is going to help me bully her with his attorney title and his cool letterhead :p This girl cannot be too bright if she thought she'd get away with this. The web cam is directly in front of the puppy crate and hard to miss. And of course the doorman would notice her. I'm hoping we can intimidate her into reimbursing me.

What can I do to let others know about her and her company? Someone told me about BBB but her company was not listed there.

Thanks everyone for listening and for your advice! My own boyfriend is no help at all, telling me "these things happen when you hire help" :mad:
 
Okay, first off - GREAT! You've got a lawyer friend who will help you!

Getting your money back will be a good start, but I just know you want to spread the word about her. Get your lawyer's advice before you do anything in writing or contact any vets or groomers to spread the word. You really don't want to open yourself up to a libel case. If your doorman is willing to back you up in any letters you might send, so much the better. How did you find her when you needed the service? If someone referred you they might want to know that you've had this problem. Just use your lawyer's advice. They really are useful. Everyone should have a pet attorney. :D
 
I only hired her because she is my boyfriend's friend's girlfriend. I thought having someone we somewhat know is better than a complete stranger. Boy was I wrong!She's also a vet tech and I fear for all the pets she works with! If she can be so inhumane to my puppy, I'm sure she's capable of much more. I've got to find out where she works and let them know.
 
Great responsability!

First of all.Don't get me wrong,I don't want to judge you or get you upset but if you knew you'd get a dog and that you couldn't be around him/her every time and HAD to hire someone to walk him/her and everything else...why did you get a dog in the first place?

A dog it's a very big responsability..It's like a kid when you get a babysitter...You HAVE to have time for them!The proper care for your dog is ONLY to take care of him YOURSELF.

Anyway, this is my point.Hope I didn't get anyone upset with this.
Kiss Kiss, Nicco
 
^There are some good reasons for a dog walker. My husband's sister lives up north and she works too far away from home to let her dog out during the day. she has a house, but her yard is weird and not fenceable, plus it is split into a duplex and she rents the other side out. she has a mastiff and she takes him to the cape regularly and walks every night and he has play dates with other dogs. she just can't get home at lunch to let him out, so she has a dog walker that lets him out while she is at work. Her job is in forensics in the Mass. State Police, so sometimes she has crazy hours and sometimes she has normal/short hours. I think that is one of the biggest reasons people get dog walkers. at least i would imagine so. If I didn't have a big fenced in back yard, I would want my dog let out during the day while I was at work. I just am not a very trusting person, so i would have to find one that was bonded. but I am lucky enough that Brady's dog he plays with, jenny, lives 4 houses down, so we take turns keeping each other animals in a pinch. I think dog walkers can be a good thing, if you get the right one.

jp1004 - There are people out there that love animals so much and is why they are dog walkers, but yours is obviously not doing her job. I would be so mad, but more on the fact that I found out my dog was not getting to go out. That is the whole point of a dog walker. If she is your boyfriend's friend's girlfriend, why don't you ask her what the heck she was doing to earn the money you gave her besides perfecting her note writing? This isn't a charity, it is a business. You can also report her to the Better business Bureau too.
 
nicco said:
First of all.Don't get me wrong,I don't want to judge you or get you upset but if you knew you'd get a dog and that you couldn't be around him/her every time and HAD to hire someone to walk him/her and everything else...why did you get a dog in the first place?

A dog it's a very big responsability..It's like a kid when you get a babysitter...You HAVE to have time for them!The proper care for your dog is ONLY to take care of him YOURSELF.

Anyway, this is my point.Hope I didn't get anyone upset with this.
Kiss Kiss, Nicco
Click to expand...

I think this is completely off topic...and I don't think you should be judging her based on the fact that she had to hire someone to take her dog out..because obviously she is caring and responsible enough to realize that her dog CANNOT be in the house all day and it has to be taken outside...she is spending quite a bit of money to ensure that her dog is happy...its not her fault that the person she hired is a total fraud...some people do work throughout the day and that doesn't mean they should never get a dog...as long as they plan out a proper schedule and the animal isn't alone all day..and is taken out to do its business..i don't really see a problem. I go to school and work so I'm not home for most of the day...does that mean I can't have the two dogs I currently own? I'm sorry but I just found this post almost offensive when we know that this lady here cares alot for her dog...not everyone hires a dogwalker...they do get quite expensive you know.

As for this dogwalker...JP I definately think that you've gotten some good advice here...I would inform the workplace that she is at of how irresponsible and dishonest she is..you never know WHAT she could be doing to those animals in care at the vet's office...my goodness I wonder how these people chose her...do they ever do proper interviews these days or is she just a really really good actress? I wish you the best of luck and I hope something is done about this twirp of a girl...let us know what happens..I'm really curious! :)
 
It was just my opinion.And you don't have to be so dramatic about it or get upset or whatever...Around here we are not very familiar with this kind of job,a dog walker...Here either YOU take care of your dog or you DON'T GET a dog...
 
And OK I've understood that a dog walker is really a great help.It's just that (like I said) we are not very familiar with this kind of job...
Nicco :)
 
You know, Nicco, you could start a new growth industry in your home. There's no opportunity with as much upside as being the first - and only - to provide locally a service that's already used in other places. And, there's very little capital involved in it!
 
Renee,I've thought about it and I even posted some adds that I would walk people's pets (dogs) but you know, here it's a different thing about dogs,they are either really loved or really hated.And I'm very ashamed to say this but most of the people around here don't like dogs very much...
And here it's not the same living as it is in America or other countries....I don't really want to get into all this.

Most of the people who get dogs they just don't understand that it's a big responsability and they don't educate the dog,they don't understand that the education is a very important thing in a dog's life and they don't even get the dog to a trainer or something.And if anybody takes the dog to a trainer (by the way,most of the trainers around here are not very good and they traine the dogs only for the money...there are also good, very good trainers but few..I wanted, before becoming a canin hairstilyst, to become a dog trainer but I realised it was very hard and had to spend a lot of time to practice and practice and practice and I hadn't this kind of time)...and like I was saying if anybody takes the dog to a trainer it's also like the trainer is a dog walker (but not for a long time).

People around here don't have the patience to understand that a dog walker is a very big help if you want to get a dog and you don't have the time to walk him yourself...Some people don't have money to get a dog walker or people who have the money and don't have time most of them have houses with yards and they let the dogs out in the yards...Or even worst.I've heard a story about a lady that had gotten a dog (a yellow boxer) and she abandoned that dog in the forest because she didn't know how to educate him.She said that the dog pooped in the house and chewed all kinds of stuff and this was her excuse to abandon the dog.I couldn't believe that...

Anyway...I didn't want to upset anybody by posting the other forums.
Kiss Kiss, Nicco
 
There are people like that here, too, Nicco. It's terrible that they can be so self-centered and callous.

I wish I could remember the source, but someone very wise once noted that the measure of a civilization is how they treat their animals . . .
 
I know it's Nicco's opinion and I tried not to take offense, although the suggestion that working people should not have dogs hurt me. I've always wanted a dog but I also want a career. The decision was made carefully and the big responsibility factor weighed heavily. I did days of research online and even took tests to see if I was truly ready to be a dog owner. And I was happy to find out I was! At first I was getting a new pet, but very soon afterwards, I realized that I got a new family memeber. I'm sure Pepper (my baby Boston) would prefer that I stay home with her, but I give her 110% after work to make up for it.

Update on the dog walker:

She stopped by Friday to drop off the spare key and she insisted that she walked Pepper everyday! She has some nerves. She was very upset and stormed out.

Some things I am doing so others do not have the same problem:

-I am reporting her to BBB.
-I am submitting an article to a local pet newsletter.
-I am telling everyone I meet during Pepper's walks.
-I am telling my vet and other local vets.
-My lawyer is sending her a formal letter.

I want to tell the office she works as a vet tech about her, but I am not sure if that is legal. I'll have to talk to my lawyer. Then I need to find out which office it is...This will be hard.
 
Check with your lawyer before you submit an article or anything in writing to any publication - you don't want to have to deal with threats of libel suits.

*********************

One of the things we all have to remember on a forum like this one is that we're given a chance to communicate with people from all over the world, and have to remember that situations aren't the same everywhere. Sometimes it causes misunderstandings. So please, don't feel hurt by Nicco's post. As she explained in her later post, people where she lives don't have the same outlook as they do where you live. Even here in rural Tennessee, people would laugh at you if you talked about going to an animal behaviourist - but 30 minutes away in Knoxville, you'll probably run into all sorts of them.
 
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