Pet Sitting

[franny]

   I am watching my brother's dog for a week while he is out of town. The dog is very sweet, but she got into one of my son's Christmas presents and chewed it up. I'm not too upset since it's a piece of a fairly cheap puzzle, and it's partly my fault for leaving it where she could get it. The piece is splintered and I can't give it back to my 19 month old son.
 
   Would it be reasonable and polite to ask my brother to pay for a replacement puzzle? Or, is this just part of the risk I took when I agreed to sit the dog? What if she destroyed something with more value, like a pair of leather shoes, or an electronic device? How would you approach this situation?

[ClaireC79]

I'd say you were in charge of the dog therefore your risk

[SiotehCat]

Did your brother tell you that his dog was a chewer?

If he did, then I think you were responsible. If he didn't, then you can certainly ask him to replace the puzzle.

[Hmmmmm]

I think since you were in charge of the dog and left the item where the dog could get to it, then you can't hold your brother responsible.  It would be like your brother baby sitting your son and him leaving a marker accessible and wanting you to pay to reprint his walls after your son did some creative interior design.

[Luci45]

You were in charge of the dog, so it is your responsibility. It doesn't matter if Brother knew that the dog is a chewer or not. And I don't think the cost of the item has anything to do with it. Our dog was not a habitual chewer, but did ruin 3 things in her 8 years with us.

I think you were lucky the dog didn't ingest the splinters and end up in doggie ER.

[bonyk]

I agree with others who said you were in charge of the dog, therefore it's your responsibility.

[Amava]

Yes, what others said... Sorry but I really do think it was your responsibility, and my first worry in such a case would be "is the dog okay" - like Luci said, too; I cringed when I read "splintered" and I really hope the dog didn't swallow any or hurt his mouth.
What is it? Wood? Plastic? How long ago did this happen? I don't mean to scare you but sharp pieces inside of a dog can be bad news.
Though on the other hand, I can't list the things my Helena has chewed up back when she was a chewer, and she never had any severe consequences. So here's wishing you and doggie good luck! Fingers crossed.

[franny]

   Thanks everyone for the quick replies. "Splintered" may have been overstating the case. The puzzle is made out of pressboard, cardboard and paper. I caught her pretty quickly and took the item from her. I don't think there's any question of her having ingested anything. I was more trying to get across that the edges and surface were roughed up and the toy was not usable any longer.

   You have confirmed my instinct that this is my own problem and I shouldn't mention it to my brother. Although I would like to say that if my child did something destructive while in someone's care, I would expect to bear at least a portion of the cost of repair or replacement.
   

[SPuck]

I'm torn on this one. The dog was your responsibility, but if she was a problem chewer like SiotehCat mentioned then part of the fault is also on your brother. The first time I baby sat my brother's dog I was not warned she was an escape artist. (She was banned from her kennel because the kennel wasn't expecting a 60 pound dog to scale a six foot fence like she was a squirrel) While I was driving with her in my car she jumped out the back window when I was stopping. (The window itself was halfway up) Nothing happened to her, but if something did I would have been pissed for getting blamed for the dog's problems because I hadn't been warned of her habits previously.

[Shoo]

Even if everyone here told you it was the dog owner's responsibility, would you really want to pursue it?  I mean, how much does a cardboard puzzle cost?  Would it be worth the bad feelings it might cause to pursue it with your brother?

[Judah]

Even dogs that are not regular chewers can start chewing due to stress and change in environment (likely in your case), illness, or he was just in a chewing mood that day.  I don't think whether he's an habitual chewer or not is relevant.  He was under your care and was your responsibility, so any damage caused to your property is also your responsibility.

[EMuir]

I agree that it's your responsibility.  My opinion would change only if the puzzle was left in a normally inaccessible place and the dog still got to it, but because it's only a puzzle I still wouldn't worry about it.   Same for the toddler in the care of someone else; if the babysitter left a marker on the table and the toddler drew on the wall, well that's too bad.  If the toddler climbed to the top of the fridge to get the marker and then drew on the wall, maybe it's the parent's fault for not warning the babysitter the toddler could climb.

[RooRoo]

Did your brother tell you that his dog was a chewer?

If he did, then I think you were responsible. If he didn't, then you can certainly ask him to replace the puzzle.

This.

I had a pet sitter once; she stayed in my house while I was gone. My dog was 6 months old, and in a massive chewing stage. I told the pet sitter to put the dog in her crate, with a chewable, whenever she couldn't actively watch her, like when she was taking a bath or reading a good book.

I came home, and she expected me to pay for a pair of shoes and a book. They got chewed while she was taking baths. She didn't crate the dog because she thought it was mean. 

[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!

[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.