'We reached our breaking point': Couple agrees to watch friend's anxious dog while on vacation, then demands additional compensation for the poor pupper's mental breakdown

Author image for Blake Seidel
Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager
Apr 19, 2025 9:00 AM EDT

Happy Saturday, animal fam. As an owner of an anxious dog, we know that it comes with certain challenges. No walk is simply a normal walk, and we can't ask just anybody to watch them while we're away. She is the love of our lives, but she requires an extra level of care that most normal dogs don't. If she were a derpy golden retriever, fur example, we wouldn't have these problems. But, she is who she is, and we accept it.

So, when we came across this story of a pawrent asking their friends to take care of their anxious dog for ten days while on vacation, we knew something was about to go down. We can't imagine leaving our anxious little princess in the hands of someone who is practically a stranger to her for more than a few hours, and just as we thought, it didn't go down well. The dog damaged their house, and after day 5, they called it quits and then demanded additional compensation for the damages. Who is right and who is wrong? Scroll down to find out below!

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  • 01

    Wanting compensation after dog-sitting a friend’s anxious dog who caused damage to our home?

    'We're now left with damage to our home that could have been avoided'
    via delectus

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02
    My partner and I (both full-time professionals) agreed to dog-sit our friend's 11-year-old dog for 10 days while they were on holiday. We were told the dog was well-behaved, toilet- trained, and had been left alone before without issues. We had met him a few times and he seemed like a sweet, calm dog.
    via u/Healthy-Guava9653
  • 03
    Before agreeing, we made sure to ask about his ability to be left alone during the day (for up to 8 hours) and whether he'd be okay sleeping on his own at night. Our friend reassured us that he would be fine, so we agreed and even installed a rental-safe pet door for him to use the backyard while we were at work.
    via u/Healthy-Guava9653
  • 04
    We were aware that caring for a pet comes with challenges, and we've looked after dogs before, so we thought we were prepared. The dog never toileted inside and was always sweet when around people.
    via u/Healthy-Guava9653
  • 05
    However, once the dog arrived, things turned out to be more difficult than expected. It became clear he had severe separation anxiety. He barked and howled whenever left alone, and our Ring camera showed him pacing and scratching furiously at our white door whenever he heard any sound- almost every hour. The scratches are noticeable and permanent.
    via u/Healthy-Guava9653
  • 06
    He also couldn't settle at night, even with my partner sleeping on the couch next to him. He continued pacing and whining, and none of us were able to sleep well. It was heartbreaking to see him so distressed, and it was exhausting for us.
    via u/Healthy-Guava9653

  • It's heartbreaking to watch an animal go through emotional distress. If they were a hooman, you could reason with them and help them work through their emotions. But with dogs, you just have to do what you can and hope for the best. We know from personal experience.

  • 07
    After a few days of this, we reached our breaking point and asked our friend if they could find someone else to take over. To their credit, they did manage to find another sitter, so we only had him for 5 days instead of the full 10.
    via u/Healthy-Guava9653
  • 08
    Before the dog left, we mentioned the damage to the door, hoping for a solution or assistance. Our friend apologized but only suggested we "sand and paint it over."
    via u/Healthy-Guava9653
  • 09
    Since then, the dog has gone, and our friend has returned from their trip. We haven't heard anything further from them.
    via u/Healthy-Guava9653
  • 10
    ЛОПИДЕЕВ
    via Mikhail Nilov from Pexels

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 11
    To be fair, I don't believe our friend intentionally misled us. Their dog is used to being around family members all the time and is rarely left alone. They probably don't have cameras at home to see how he
    via u/Healthy-Guava9653
  • 12
    behaves when left alone, so they may not have known how severe his separation anxiety was. It's also likely that being in an unfamiliar environment made the situation worse for him.
    via u/Healthy-Guava9653
  • 13
    I'm torn because I don't want to seem petty or ruin the friendship, but at the same time, we weren't given the full picture, and we're now left with damage to our home that could have been avoided with more transparency.
    via u/Healthy-Guava9653
  • 14
    So, A A for thinking it might be fair to ask for some kind of compensation?
    via u/Healthy-Guava9653

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  • 15
    Normal-Grapefruit851 • 23h ago The solution to your door is to fill, sand and paint it. The solution to the sleepless nights was your friend finding someone else reasonably fast to get their dog.
    via u/Normal-Grapefruit851
  • 16
    You said yourself you don't know that they knew about the separation anxiety so not sure how you then say more transparency would have avoided your "losses".
    via u/Normal-Grapefruit851
  • 17
    When I read the title I was expecting those losses to be greater than a scratched door. Dogs with serious separation anxiety can do wild amounts of damage!
    via u/Normal-Grapefruit851
  • 18
    NAH. In your position I probably wouldn't ask for compensation. But I don't think it makes you an a hole if you do. But that compensations should be limited to a pot of paint and some filler for the scratches. No one needs a new door for some scratches.
    via u/Normal-Grapefruit851
  • 19
    Good-Soup7 · 1d ago NTA, they told you basically it would rainbows and sunshine. They owe you compensation for damages.
    via u/Good-Soup7
  • 20
    Cheezburger Image 10494937088
    via Carolina Almeida from Pexels

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 21
    el_grande_ricardo . 14h ago The dog wasn't damaging stuff deliberately. He was basically having a mental breakdown. It wasn't his fault.
    via u/el_grande_ricardo

  • Yes, let's make this one thing pawfectly clear: it is not the dog's fault. The dog had no control over this situation and was just acting as any dog would if it were left alone in an uncomfortable place. The fault lies on the owners, and on the couple who agreed to watch them without any experience with anxious dogs.

  • 22
    And it wasn't your friends fault, either, if they never saw this behavior before.
    via u/el_grande_ricardo
  • 23
    Obviously not your fault. Except you did take the dog for 10 days instead of doing a trial run before they went on vacation.
    via u/el_grande_ricardo
  • 24
    I would just sand and repaint. It's not worth losing the friendship. NAH.
    via u/el_grande_ricardo
  • 25
    AndromedaRulerOfMen 19h ago • Personally, I believe that your own dog is your own responsibility EXCEPT for when someone else agrees to take on that responsibility on their behalf. So basically, whoever agreed to be in charge of an animal at the time the damage is done is responsible for the damage.
    via u/AndromedaRulerOfMen
  • 26
    That would be you, since you agreed to watch the dog. What the dog does while under your care is your responsibility to deal with. If you let the dog damage your door while you were responsible for the dog, then you are responsible for the damage to the door.
    via u/AndromedaRulerOfMen
  • 27
    Sorry, but that does make YTA for expecting them to do the repairs.
    via u/AndromedaRulerOfMen

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demands dogs anxious poor pupper mental breakdown doggo compensation couples animals vacation
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