We need to normalize saying “no” to pet sitting, especially when you have never owned a pet, have allergies, and work twelve-hour shifts. There is a weird societal pressure that suggests if you don’t immediately open your home to every furry creature in need, you are a monster. But one woman on Reddit just lived through a horror movie scenario involving an 80-pound dog and some incredibly entitled friends, and she is here to remind us that boundaries exist for a reason.
Our narrator is a 28-year-old woman who is upfront about her situation: she is not a “dog person.” She doesn’t hate them, but she is uncomfortable around them and, crucially, she is allergic. Her friend group of ten years knows this. It is a known fact. It is part of her lore. So, when her friend (30F) and her partner (31M) needed a sitter for their week-long trip, you would think they would hire a professional or ask literally anyone else.
Instead, they pulled a fast one. They started with “jokes” about her watching the dog, which she ignored because surely they couldn’t be serious. Then, a mere week before the trip, they ambushed her at a party. They didn’t ask; they informed her that they were dropping the dog off. When she tried to gently remind them of her work schedule and discomfort, the partner started yelling at his girlfriend in front of the OP, claiming they were “f*cked” if she didn’t do it.
This was not a favor; this was a hostage negotiation. Pressured and awkward, she caved and said “it’s fine.” Spoiler alert: It was not fine. It was the opposite of fine.
The first night was a disaster. The dog cried, barked, and peed all over the house. The OP got two hours of sleep. But night two? Night two was straight out of Cujo. The OP tried to compromise by putting the dog bed next to her bed, but the dog kept trying to climb in with her. When she enforced a boundary, the dog peed on her bedroom carpet.
When she moved the dog to the living room to get some space, the animal—an 80-pound beast—completely lost it. We are talking growling, barking, and physically slamming itself against her bedroom door at 4 AM. The OP was terrified, and frankly, who wouldn’t be? She was trapped in her room by a large, aggressive animal while sleep-deprived and dreading a 12-hour shift.
The next morning revealed the carnage. There was pee everywhere. The living room, the hallway, the kitchen. The dog had even broken part of the door frame. This “house-trained” angel had turned the OP’s home into a hazmat zone.
The OP reached her breaking point. She documented the damage, sent the video to her friends, and told them she couldn’t do it anymore. She did the responsible thing and dropped the dog off at their house, offering to visit to feed and walk it so it wouldn’t be alone, but refusing to let it destroy her home for another minute.
And the friends’ reaction? Did they apologize for the broken door? Did they offer to pay for a carpet cleaner? No. They asked if she fed it. That’s it. No acknowledgment of the hell she went through. No “sorry our dog terrorized you.” Just silence and entitlement.
So, is she the ahole? Absolutely not. N-T-A. These people bullied her into a favor she wasn’t equipped to provide, lied about their dog’s behavior, and then ghosted her when things went south. She didn’t abandon the dog; she returned it to its home and offered a solution that kept her safe and sane. She needs to send them a bill for the door frame and then block their numbers.
They honestly needed to get someone who the dog was used to and did not have any discomfort to per sit.