Pet Sitting

[Jones]

My brother is in Afghanistan. His wife and his dog--large Akita mix-- moved in with us. Large Dog stayed outside a lot of the time, coming in to visit and at night to sleep. Everyone was happy.

Then his wife moved to an apartment. Although her landlord has animal apartments, the one he rented her was not pet-approved. So we still have the large, dopey, friendly, clumsy dog. It's winter so her outdoor time is restricted; don't want snow and ice packing into her paws. She didn't used to chew, but being abandoned at our house while her People are gone and being as bored as she can get seems to have affected her; she'll sneak things to chew on, from kids' toys to garbage (which small dogs pick apart after she's done and results in big messes). Fortunately she's been smart about important stuff, like shoes. Today I looked up and there was a dining room full of fluff, a piece of a pillow in her big furry mouth.

Do I think it would be great if my brother/SIL reimbursed us for the things she's chewed? Yes, it would be great. But I also know, as a dog owner, that it's our own bad for leaving things where the canine can get to them. The kids are learning to protect their toys, DH and I are looking forward to Brother coming home again, for a reason that seems rather unpatriotic. Really, we look forward to it for other reasons too, but it will be great when Brother gets his dog back, and I think she'll be a lot happier about it as well!

Exercise her more and she'll probably stop chewing as much.  She's definitely bored.  I wouldn't worry too much about her paws getting packed simply because Akitas (even mixes) are known to be fastidious about their paws and she will probably clean the packed snow out herself.

Good to know! I wasn't too worried about the paws until the first day of snow and she came in limping, then was fine after a bit; I figured she'd gotten some snow stuck in there. I try to exercise her, it's a workout for me too, and really really wish my SIL would come visit her once in a while (she only moved a mile away) but...that's another thread.

[Isisnin]

You should open up the conversation with him when he gets back:

Brother:  "How was everything?"
Sister: "Great.  Though he/she did chew up baby's new present.  Oh well.  Live and learn."

Then he may offer to pay.

But, and this may be the most important part, he then will know that his dog chews things up when he's gone (as people have pointed out, dog may not do that when brother is home).  Then when he needs a sitter again, he can warn potential sitters.

And .. having this conversation with brother now makes the conversation in the future a lot easier when he asks you to sit again:

You:  "just to be clear, I know dog chews when your gone.  Anything else I should know?  Food protective? Impatient with kids?"

Kudos to you for taking care of brother's dog.

[Mental Magpie]

My brother is in Afghanistan. His wife and his dog--large Akita mix-- moved in with us. Large Dog stayed outside a lot of the time, coming in to visit and at night to sleep. Everyone was happy.

Then his wife moved to an apartment. Although her landlord has animal apartments, the one he rented her was not pet-approved. So we still have the large, dopey, friendly, clumsy dog. It's winter so her outdoor time is restricted; don't want snow and ice packing into her paws. She didn't used to chew, but being abandoned at our house while her People are gone and being as bored as she can get seems to have affected her; she'll sneak things to chew on, from kids' toys to garbage (which small dogs pick apart after she's done and results in big messes). Fortunately she's been smart about important stuff, like shoes. Today I looked up and there was a dining room full of fluff, a piece of a pillow in her big furry mouth.

Do I think it would be great if my brother/SIL reimbursed us for the things she's chewed? Yes, it would be great. But I also know, as a dog owner, that it's our own bad for leaving things where the canine can get to them. The kids are learning to protect their toys, DH and I are looking forward to Brother coming home again, for a reason that seems rather unpatriotic. Really, we look forward to it for other reasons too, but it will be great when Brother gets his dog back, and I think she'll be a lot happier about it as well!

Exercise her more and she'll probably stop chewing as much.  She's definitely bored.  I wouldn't worry too much about her paws getting packed simply because Akitas (even mixes) are known to be fastidious about their paws and she will probably clean the packed snow out herself.

Good to know! I wasn't too worried about the paws until the first day of snow and she came in limping, then was fine after a bit; I figured she'd gotten some snow stuck in there. I try to exercise her, it's a workout for me too, and really really wish my SIL would come visit her once in a while (she only moved a mile away) but...that's another thread.

The limp was probably just from the uneven surface from the snow. Akitas don't need too much exercise, just enough to keep 'em occupied for a bit.