Manipulative Karen dog owner demands professional pet sitter watch her pup on vacation for free, she gaslights by calling them 'greedy' for expecting payment for their "passion"

Author image for Blake Seidel
Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager
May 28, 2025 11:00 AM EDT

We love animals, fam. We always have. We will go out of our way to pet a dog on the street. We will crouch for five minutes to try and coax a stray cat to come to us. But if you ask us to watch your pets for an extended period of time, we will, of course, enjoy doing it, but you should pay us. Just because we love doing something doesn't mean that our services aren't of monetary value. And that's just if it's for a friend, if it were for a complete stranger, you best believe you better fork up some cash. You don't want to cheap out on the person who takes care of your fur baby while you're away.

Well, enter Karen, stage left. She expected this professional pet sitter to watch her golden retriever for seven days while she was on vacation, train him, bathe him, take him for walks, and provide him with a menu that changed daily. Yeah, right. Scroll down to see what happened to Karen and the pet sitter below!

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  • 01

    She wanted free dog-sitting for a weekplus daily updates, grooming, and training

    'It's ridiculous. I thought this was your passion. Why are you charging if you love animals?'
    via SB Arts Media

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

  • 02
    I offer pet sitting through a local app and get pretty great reviews. A woman messaged me about watching her golden retriever for 7 days while she goes on vacation.
    via u/BernaBeloved
  • 03
    Cool. I quote her $200 for the wee-pretty standard considering I'd be feeding, walking, and spending time with the dog daily.
    via u/BernaBeloved
  • 04
    She replies that it's ridiculous. I thought this was your passion. Why are you charging if you love animals? Okay, red flag number one.
    via u/BernaBeloved

  • Remember that saying “You'll never work a day in your life if you love what you do”. Well, apparently that's true, but not because it doesn't feel like work, you won't work a day in your life because Karens like this won't pay you because you love doing it.

  • 05
    Then she asks if I'll also do stuff like brush the dog daily, trim his nails if needed, train him to stop barking at strangers, send her photos and videos every few hours and give him a special diet she'll text me about each day depending on her mood
    via u/BernaBeloved
  • 06
    All for free, of course. Because in her words, I seem like someone who does this out of love, not greed.
    via u/BernaBeloved
  • 07
    I told her I'd need to be paid for that kind of time and effort.
    via u/BernaBeloved
  • 08
    Her response was that I don't care about dogs. Ends up sayings she'll find someone who actually has a heart. Well, good luck with that.
    via u/BernaBeloved
  • 09
    h_ny_reader • 8h ago $200 for a week is already insanely cheap. I pay $125 per Day lol
    via u/h**ny_reader
  • 10
    Cheezburger Image 10510294016
    via svetikd

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

  • 11
    jlm20566 8h ago • "Her response was that I don't care about dogs.". I would've flipped the script by pointing out that, if that's true, then she must not care about her own dog since she's leaving him behind while she goes on vacation.
    via u/jlm20566
  • 12
    Pascale73 • 7h ago I'd pay you $200 for the week in a heartbeat! That's a great rate!
    via u/Pascale73
  • 13
    bamf1701 .7h ago Unfortunately, the people who you pay the bills to don't accept love for dogs as legal tender. It's not greed, it's survival. She is insane.
    via u/bamf1701
  • 14
    labtech89 8h ago . I paid $25 for a 30 minute visit and all they had to do was let one of the dogs out of his crate and then to go outside in the backyard. She was the best but $200 for a week is a good deal.
    via u/labtech89

  • $200 for a week is literally nothing. We pay like $60 a day, minimum. All because she was being cheap, she's missing out on a great deal, actually. Good luck to her to find someone to do it for free!

  • 15
    Nice_Rope_5049 · 7h ago What a manipulative, entitled D Said your time and effort is ridiculous and then accuses you of not loving animals. Don't you wish you would've said, "You're the one
    via u/Nice_Rope_5049
  • 16
    Cheezburger Image 10510294272
    via cyberhawk

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

  • 17
    who doesn't love your own dogs or you'd be willing to pay the going rate for their care" or "The price has just increased by another $100. That's my fee for being insulted."
    via u/Nice_Rope_5049
  • 18
    I'm not a pet sitter, but I volunteer at a small cat sanctuary, it's part of a larger nonprofit that does cat TNR, adoptions, fostering, etc. I met a woman through that. She was going on a trip week and
    via u/Nice_Rope_5049
  • 19
    needed her 2 dogs looked after. I guess she thought that because I volunteered for a legitimate NONPROFIT that saves animals who would otherwise certainly suffer and most likely di, that I would want to pet sit her dogs for her for free.
    via u/Nice_Rope_5049
  • 20
    I told her I'd come over and feed, water, and hang out for an hour with the dogs for $15 a visit. She was surprised. I told her on the two days I volunteered at the sanctuary, which was right next door to her, that I'd do those days for free.
    via u/Nice_Rope_5049
  • 21
    Then she asked if that included walking them. No, I'm not walking two 50-lb dogs by myself on those winding roads that have no sidewalks.
    via u/Nice_Rope_5049
  • 22
    She then had the audacity to ask me where I lived and how long did it take to get to her house anyway! Because $15 per day minus the 2 free days was a too much? Then she
    via u/Nice_Rope_5049
  • 23
    suggested I take the freeway (which was under construction). I told her I wasn't going to go that way, and that this wasn't about time or gas money.
    via u/Nice_Rope_5049
  • 24
    Dawned on me later she wanted it for free. She left a message saying she got a friend to do it. I was just about to call her back and say I couldn't do it. I wish I had thought to just tell her,
    via u/Nice_Rope_5049
  • 25
    "Obviously you thought I was going to do a job for you, a practical stranger, for free. Go ahead and call some professional pet sitters."
    via u/Nice_Rope_5049
  • 26
    This lady owns a house in an upscale area with an Airbnb behind her house (the lots are huge), it's not like she couldn't afford it. She sees me pull up in my then-18-year old jalopy car. I guess she thought I was a silly pushover for volunteering for a nonprofit. What a trash bin of a person.
    via u/Nice_Rope_5049

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Tags

pups dogs manipulative professional passion gaslighting dog owner pet sitter greedy payment animals karen vacation
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