Rant: Grossed out and exhausted
Hey everyone - I hope you're all doing well with your current sit, or break between sits
I've just reactivated my pet sitting profile after taking a few months off. The last time I was sitting I ended up being focused on caring for a single doggo with weekly home visits and frequent sits (1 - 3 weeks long) while his mum was away for work.
I loved that dog so much but the whole situation ended up getting too stressful because his mum was super chaotic (incl. constant package deliveries, piles of cheap impulse purchases were piled up everywhere, heaps of materials for random projects added to all of these piles inside the main living areas) and she increasingly chewed up a lot of my personal time (e.g. by never leaving when she said she would, even for interstate flights, then making me feel like a captive audience), while showing less and less consideration in terms of cleanliness, usability of appliances and spaces, plus there was a particular unfinished project combined with extended wet weather caused HEAPS of extra work due to mud constantly being tracked into the house...
But here I am today, the first sit in ages and I'm questioning my life choices.
The puppy is over my 6 month threshold, but...but they have SO many bad habits that weren't apparent at the meet and greet (I now understand why Dad was playing with him the entire time...it completely obscured the reality of the situation).
The most challenging behaviours are jumping up to play bite me at every opportunity and almost constantly licking (exposed skin is his favourite - so overstimulating!!! Ughh!). The crazy thing is they've taught him almost nothing in the 5 months they've had him, but he's shown himself to exceptionally easy (and willing) to train. Unfortunately the jumping and licking and ingrained habits (he's trying hard though).
And this is a beautiful, stylish home...so why did they leave me with a wet, dirty, mouldy bathmat to use, the gross shower puff on the shower nob (it's not possible to turn the water on without touching it), and a dirty towel on the only available hook in the bathroom? I would personally be mortified if any kind of guest had to interface this volume of my moist, DNA soaked fabrics...🤢
Not only that, they initially showed me where I'd be sleeping - a lovely room with a made up bed, but when I arrived for the sit it was stripped with some folded bedding tossed in the corner...
I'm mega stressed at the moment and have major assessments to work on (which they knew about), so the extra labour, the inability to relax or slightly chill around this puppy, and the complete lack of consideration around bathroom hygiene has left me feeling exploited and disgusted.
When I did a year of pet sitting in a major city here in Australia (a place that was way more superficial, busy and impersonal), it was rare that I encountered anything like this. But, strangely, being back in this regional area where I grew up - an expensive coastal town - this seems to be the norm instead of an exception...and no matter how I adjust my profile information (which people don't even seem to read - most enquiries are for the types of service I don't offer or for locations I don't serve) I haven't found any ways to prevent these things from repeating.
None of this is worth it for the price I'm charging... And the lack of basic respect and consideration is just so hard to comprehend.