<p>And meanwhile, please REVISE your directions for future dogsitters, that Piper is only to be fed X, and that the only treats that are acceptable are the treats that you send with, and no more than 1 a day (or whatever). I think both you and this dogsitter are so eager-to-please that you give people room to maneuver where they shouldn’t – you didn’t have the guts to say that the dog should only eat X for fear of offending her, her little heart melts when she feeds your dog her homemade stuff, she puts the check in the dog food container, you think the fact that her heart was in the right place is meaningful, you won’t make a move without your husband … It’s time to act decisively instead of all this hyped-up drama.</p>
<p>I’m not a lawyer, but I’ve dealt with businesses screwing up badly and paying up. Your vet fee should be covered by the sitter’s business liability insurance, unless you signed a waiver or something like that. If she is running a pet sitting business and does not have insurance, she is insane.</p>
<p>Pizzagirl-Did someone wake up on the wrong side of the bed today? I appreciate you advise and will take it all into consideration, but I would like this to be something my husband and I do together. Maybe I am not as confident in myself as you are, but my husband and I work as a team, especially with something that could potential end up in small claims court or even if she want to sue us. I don’t know how far this woman will go, and I will not screw it up by sending and email or letter that is not well worded and thought out. Just my opinion.</p>
<p>As far as the next time I board my dog, you can rest assure my written instructions will be very detailed as well as my discussion with the future sitter. This episode made me realize I need to be more to the point and ask more questions in the future. I have boarded this dog for almost 8 years without an incident; never would I have thought this would happen.</p>
<p>That all said, this sitter would have fed my dog her cooked meals, I believe no matter what my written instruction said. She felt her way was the best way and was going to prove me wrong as far as what my dog could eat. After talking to my SIL, it is clear to me the sitter is very fanatical about the foods dogs eat. I just wish she would have shared that with me when we interviewed each other before the first boarding visit. I would have been happy to go with another sitter if I had know what she was going to feed my dog.</p>
<p>You are always so rational, snowball. I am very surprised at how this thread is progressing (It isn’t, as you seem to be ignoring all advice.)I happen to agree with Pizzagirl’s observations. Did we both get up on the wrong side of the bed? This is my last post here.</p>
<p>I think PG’s letter is an excellent beginning and was well-meant.</p>
<p>Oh for goodness sake. Lighten up, people!</p>
<p>I didn’t have a problem with Pizzagirl’s letter, it has some very good points; it was the 5 posts all in one day which i felt she just blasted me. If I misread her intent, I apologize. I didn’t think me responding to the sitter yesterday to not delay a reply any longer was a bad idea. I received a response back from the sitter thanking me. Waiting an extra day or two for my husband and I to draft a letter also did not seem like a terrible idea.</p>
<p>I know not everyone would agree here, which is why I posted in the first place; to bounce ideas off of the member of CC. We all come from different walks of life and it is always an eye opener for me to see how others will handle a situation. I learn a great deal here, even on the most trivial threads.</p>
<p>I have my rough draft ready and my husband said his is in his head. We will merge them and send the final draft tomorrow morning.</p>
<p>Toledo-I just noticed you edited you post, so I need to edit mine. I do not think I have ignored the advice at all. Someone suggested I not wait any longer, which is why I sent the email yesterday to the sitter telling her my husband and I had not had time to discuss this. When the sitter and I spoke on Friday, I told her I would talk to my husband and get back to her. I wanted to let her know we had not had the opportunity to discuss this in detail and to give me a few more days. I think I was being far by not ignoring her again, and letting her know we would be in touch. As far as my statement to her about a far outcome, or whatever I wrote, that is a line we got from an attorney who has done some work for us.</p>
<p>A letter was mailed to the sitter this morning explaining we would not be paying her fees. We kept a copy for our records along with her email to my SIL, her bill and the vet bills. I will hold onto this file in the event she decides to pursue collecting her fees, or we need to resort to small claims court.</p>
<p>Thank you to all that offered suggestion and their thoughts. You words helped us make a decision and in writing the letter. We kept the letter very short and didn’t resort to finger pointing; we just stated the fact.</p>
<p>Keep us posted!! I suspect you will hear back from her but I hope you do not. Good luck :)</p>
<p>The sitter’s email to your SIL deserves to go to passiveagressivenotes. </p>
<p>Our former veterinarian made a serious and idiotic misdiagnosis with our dog, leading to a year of useless, expensive treatment. We sent him a non-emotional letter detailing the history of what happened, and the costs we’d incurred. We asked for a check covering the useless treatments and one procedure that another vet had to do as a result of the first vet’s incompetence. Our expectation was that the vet would tell us to pound sand, and then we’d head off to small claims court, with stops to file complaints with the state veterinary board and Yelp.</p>
<p>A few days later, we got a check in full and a short note saying that the vet was sorry. That prompt response and the apology was a great investment for the vet, because we didn’t file any complaints. I might be Pollyanna-ish about this, but I honestly think that the guy was seriously rattled at how badly he’d screwed up. There’s actually a fairly straightforward way for him to avoid this kind of misdiagnosis in the future, and I’m guessing that he’s put those protocols into action. At the very least, he was business-savvy enough to know that he needed to apologize, stat.</p>
<p>snowball, I don’t think your sitter is really sorry: she says she is, but she’s still expecting to be paid. She’s not accepting any responsibility for her actions.</p>