We’ve all met somebody who thinks the world revolves around their desires and requirements. It might be your boss who demands you to prioritize work above all else, irrespective of the emergency in your life. You are not compelled to emphasize the needs of another person merely because they are a family member. Woman wonders if she is bad for not canceling her customers so that her parents may take a vacation without their dog. Read the story and what would you do in such a situation.
Source: Reddit
I am the owner and only employee of a small business that provides dog walking and house/ pet sitting services. I usually book sitting stays about 6-9 months out, with the exception of peak travel weeks and holidays (which are often booked a year in advance). I always try to be accommodating to last minute bookings but they are not always something I can work into my schedule and I am very upfront and honest with my clients about it when I can’t.
In June, my parents decided they wanted to go on vacation. They booked two separate weeks in July and then contacted me, asking me to watch their 15 year old beagle mix. I happened to have a cancellation earlier in the day for the first week they wanted and was able to accommodate that set of dates, but the other set of dates had been booked nearly a year prior and I informed my parents of this. I made it very clear I was not available for the second set of dates.
Flash forward to the first set of dates and suddenly (two days before the stay starts), I’m informed I’ll not just be watching the 15 year old dog (who can barely walk) but I’ll also be watching my sister’s 3 month old puppy as well. I had to monitor and keep the overly enthusiastic puppy shenanigans to a minimum around the old dog and keep their feeding areas separate to prevent fights. These dogs don’t live together regularly. It was stressful and a lot to handle by myself especially since the decision to leave the puppy was last second.
Now the second set of dates are coming up.
Yesterday, I picked up a few doggies and took them for a walk in my parent’s neighborhood – my mom found us and asked me if I’m excited to watch her dog in 2 weeks… which I am not. Because like I said (a month before) I’ve had that week booked with another dog for nearly a year. My mom rolled her eyes and asked me to cancel on them. I am not canceling because my parents decided to travel at the last minute. I said this directly to her face. They are also going somewhere dog friendly, so it’s not that they can’t take her with them, they’d just prefer not to take the 15 year old dog with them (which is understandable, but still not my problem?)
My mom messaged me a few hours later saying “you’re really stiffing us on this vacation??”. Does it even qualify as “stiffing” someone on something if you’ve already told them multiple times in advance that you are unable to do the thing? Am I being unreasonable about this? What are your opinions?
Here are a few comments on the story where it was originally posted:
