Employee expects calm week of watching coworker's dog for $28 a day, but when the doggo causes extensive property damage, they demand the coworker end her trip early or board the dog

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Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager
Jul 20, 2025 10:00 AM EDT

Have you ever had a dog with separation anxiety, animal fam? It's intense. They just can't understand why you're leaving them home alone and they need to do something to deal with all of those big feelings they're having. It can be anything from barking to destroying your couch, doors, or anything they can get their jaws on. Separation anxiety is fixable, but it's a long and difficult process. It also makes life more difficult because it makes it harder for you, as a pawrent, to go on vacations because your doggo needs special care while you're gone.

That's why it's especially important to make sure you have a place you trust with your dog so you can take the breaks you need. If you don't and you just "hope for the best", things like the story below happen. A coworker asked a fellow employee to watch her dog, and she didn't tell them that they were anxious, and the doggo ended up causing serious damage to their apartment. So the dog sitter gave them an ultimatum: come back now or board the dog.

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  • 01
    Hi Reddit! I agreed to take care of my coworker/friend's older dog (10yrs) while she was on vacation for the week. I originally thought I'd be checking up on her before/after work, walking her, feeding her, the typical dog watching duties. She paid me
    via emileemilee
  • 02
    day 1 after work
    via emileemilee
  • 03
    $200 for the whole week, which is about $28/day. I charge about $26/20min drop in cat sitting visits through Meowtel so I thought it was fair initially.
    via emileemilee
  • 04
    day 1
    via emileemilee

  • This is not worth $28 a day. This isn't even worth $50 a day. You can't just leave a dog with separation anxiety with anyone, they need someone who knows how to work with dogs like this. And, they need someone to be with them nearly constantly. This sounds like deliberate miscommunication to us.

  • 05
    She left me 8 pages, front and back, of instructions for her dog, wants me to stay overnight with her and pick her up to put her in the bed with me, and freaked out when I told her I had plans for my day off and would be leaving her for a few hours.
    via emileemilee
  • 06
    9 day 2 after work
    via emileemilee
  • 07
    While I was at work yesterday, she pulled the trim off the door, chewed some of the paint from around the handles, and started to chew on the drywall. Today when I got back from work, she had started to eat and rip out insulation, chewed up and rip out even more drywall, and started to chew through an electrical wire.
    via emileemilee
  • 08
    day 2 possibly eaten insulation
    via emileemilee
  • 09
    She's in another country 8hrs ahead, but would I be overreacting if I insisted she board her dog for the remainder of her trip? I cannot put my life on hold to supervise her pup 24/7, and above that, I can't stand the thought of her dog causing any more property damage.
    via emileemilee
  • 10
    day 2: electrical wire
    via emileemilee
  • 11
    What do I say? How do I proceed? I don't have the PTO to call of work, and I'm certainly not getting paid fairly for the extent of this dog sitting situation.
    via emileemilee
  • 12
    the dog and a treat
    via emileemilee

  • One thing's for sure - this dog can't be left to continue like this. It's not safe for the dog, or the apartment! Living life with a special needs dog is difficult, we know that from pawsonal experience. But, it's one we have accepted, and the sooner this coworker does, the less she'll have to spend on fixing her apartment.

  • 13
    Boysenberry • 6h ago Top 1% Commenter NOR. I assume somewhere in those 8 pages of instructions she left you her vet's phone number? Call and find out if the vet boards dogs, and then let the owner know she can either
    via Boysenberry
  • 14
    choose a boarding place herself and book the dog in today, hire a full-time dog sitter starting no later than tomorrow morning who doesn't have to leave the house at all, or you will be dropping the dog off at
    via Boysenberry
  • 15
    her vet for boarding and explaining the situation to them before the next time you have to leave the house, in order to avoid becoming responsible for the death of her pet.
    via Boysenberry
  • 16
    Question: did the instructions she left include stating that the dog has severe separation anxiety and can never be left alone?
    via Boysenberry
  • 17
    Dry-Explorer2970 • 6h ago Not only are you not overreacting, but your friend needs to come home NOW to deal with her dog. This is such irresponsible ownership on her part, and $28/day for 24 hour supervision is disrespectful and taking advantage of you. This isn't new behavior. Her dog seriously damaged your home and ate very dangerous materials
    via Dry-Explorer2970
  • 18
    Icy-To... 6h ago · Edited 6h ago . That poor dog has extreme separation anxiety. It isn't safe for him to be there. Do you know anyone who can keep him or hang out with him while you are at work? That's dangerous.
    via Icy-Tomorrow-576
  • 19
    Maybe a doggy daycare if there is one close or someone from rover. Are you walking the dog enough? Are you there at night as requested? Seems odd in her own home.
    via Icy-Tomorrow-576
  • 20
    AlanTrebek • 6h ago Oh my.... Well this is a pretty bad miscommunication. When did you realize she expected you to stay overnight, that seems like a pretty big thing to miss.
    via AlanTrebek
  • 21
    If she didn't tell you how anxious her dog is upfront, I'd say Not Overreacting. Poor pup. Maybe they can refill some anxiety meds for doggo as a short term fix if you can't get him into a kennel?
    via AlanTrebek
  • 22
    yikesya • 6h ago Out of curiosity, how old is your co-worker? I feel for the both of you but fear that none of this would have happened if she was clear and honest (or just communicated better) with what the dogs needs were? Like does she not KNOW her dog? Has she never left her alone before?
    via yikesya
  • 23
    iardaman 4h ago . If the dog has this level of separation anxiety it seems the owner would have seen this behavior when she left for work at least once.. because you'd think the worse anxiety would be with the owner leaving. This is stressful and that's a lot of damage. Doggo could use some Lorazepam or Xanax. How are you holding out? Definitely not overreacting.
    via iardaman

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