I have been watching dogs for a little over a year now and have not had any problems… until now sadly.
So, I had a meet and greet with the owners, and their dog, a couple of months ago. The dog is a Bull Terrier. They told me that the dog was a rescue and she had anxiety aggression. I also could not pet the dog and I should have know, right then and there, that this was not a good fit. The people were very nice and they booked the dog to stay with me for a week.
I suggested that the owner and dog come back 2 more times for brief visits, before the stay, for me to feel more comfortable around the dog and for the dog to get used to me and my home. They did that and I still felt uneasy but went through with the booking.
So the dog arrived Friday morning and was totally fine. Even let me pet her. She slept in the doggy bed behind me, while I worked. We also played some fetch in the house.
So now it’s dinner time. I fed her in the kitchen like I do with all my guests. She didn’t seem interested so I brought the bowl into the living room, like I have done in the past, with other dogs, and that’s when things took a turn. I know I should not have done that and I will never do it again! I was too close to the bowl and I could sense this right away. She lunged at me with a snarl. I put my left arm up to block her, I yelled No really loud and grabbed a big pillow and swatted her to protect myself. She was still snarling. I went to another room and and closed the gate behind me. I felt pain on my chest and she had broken the skin, enough for it to bleed.
I cleaned the area and covered with a bandage. I am totally fine and don’t need to see a Dr. And the dog is fully up to date with it’s shots.
She slinked into the kitchen with her tail between her legs. I put a gate up to keep her in the kitchen, put her food bowl back in with her and a dog bed so she was comfortable.
I checked in on her and sometimes she would wag her tail, but her ears were still back. I took her outside, made her sit a couple of times and gave her treats for following my command but I still felt uneasy.
So I let her be and tried to fall asleep but couldn’t. I was getting more anxious as time went on. How will get through the week? So I texted the owner, through the pet sitting app, so everything was officially documented. They were on a cruise to Bermuda, so I didn’t know when they would get the message, due to cell service on the ship. They replied back to me this morning. They were very apologetic and so was I. They had a friend pick up the dog and I feel soo much better. I called Rover.com and reported the incident and they will get a refund for all but 1 night.
So what I learned is TRUST YOUR GUT! This goes for everything in life. I will stick with the cute, little, friendly dogs from now on.
He Left, Look at ME Now! 