“[Am I The Jerk] For Telling My Neighbor That We Won’t Ever Watch His Dogs Again?”
You know what’s the problem with good deeds? The fact is that if you do something for another person simply out of good intentions, then in the future, they may consider it your direct responsibility – and they will be quite seriously offended if you do not do it again. And if you were given some kind of payment for your service, even if it was symbolic – then their entitledness goes out of bounds!
Neighborhood dramas come in all sorts, but the story shared by user u/wilberteinstein, which we will tell you today, might make many people think twice about whether it’s worth doing a neighbor any favor at all.
The author of the post once faced the neighbors’ request to look after their two dogs when they were away
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Image credits: Eric Sonstroem (not the actual photo)
The guy decided not to refuse since they had moved in recently and he didn’t want to sour relations with the new neighbors
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Image credits: wilberteinstein
The man said he needed no pay, but the owner Venmoed him around 20 bucks for the whole week or so
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Image credits: Peter Kaminski (not the actual photo)
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Image credits: wilberteinstein
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Image credits: agenziami (not the actual photo)
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Image credits: wilberteinstein
The owner ended up aggressively texting the author demanding that he spend more time walking and feeding the dogs
So, the Original Poster (OP) and his wife moved into their new home a few years ago, and Candice and Jackson, a slightly older couple with two children and two dogs, became their neighbors. According to the author of the post, just a few days after they met, the neighbors were leaving on a trip with their kids, so Jackson asked if the new neighbor would agree to look after his dogs.
We do think you already understand perfectly well what was going on, but the OP just did not get it. He worked remotely, so he had the opportunity to devote some time to the neighbor’s pets – to feed them, give them water and take a little walk. Yes, and you probably don’t want to refuse to a person with whom you will probably be neighbors for years to come.
The original poster admits that he politely declined the offer to pay him, but Jackson Venmoed him something like 20 bucks for the whole week. Well, a deal is a deal, and the OP had been honestly looking after the dogs for a few days. And on the fourth or fifth day, when he had an important online meeting, he quickly fed them, walked them a bit and went to work.
And here Jackson showed himself in all his glory! The OP received an angry text from him, where the neighbor, in an orderly tone, demanded that the author follow the strict schedule of regular walks and feeding his pets (which the owner had not mentioned earlier). Jackson also told the OP that he has an outside Ring security system installed in his house, so he and his wife watch when the author comes and goes.
Of course, the original poster was outraged by such behavior – especially for some $20 for a whole week, and more so the introduction of new rules after the fact. In general, the man told the neighbor that he found his behavior rude, passive-aggressive and inappropriate, and that, of course, he would look after the dogs until they returned, but they should not count on his help anymore. Needless to say, upon their return, the OP did not have any gratitude from either Jackson or his wife. Moreover, they repeatedly told everyone in the area how lazy and unkind neighbor the OP was.
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Image credits: Elvert Barnes (not the actual photo)
We must say that the OP’s neighbors really saved quite a lot by using his services and Venmoing just 20 bucks or so. For example, according to HomeGuide, dog walkers charge an average of $20 per 30-minute walk, with prices ranging between $10 and $35. Hourly rates typically cost $30 to $60 depending on location, but overall, an owner pays $0.50 to $1 per minute to have the dogs walked, no matter how long the walk is.
In other words, if Jackson wanted his two dogs to be walked 2-3 times a day at least around the block (and we still don’t know what breed the pets were), then just for walking them for a whole week, the owners would have had to fork out certainly much more than twenty dollars. But the neighbors also demanded regular feeding and watering of the animals! In any case, if you already care about your pets, you should definitely hire professionals. And probably try to avoid possible problems with neighbors.
The people in the comments also completely agreed with the original poster’s outrage. Firstly, according to commenters, if the owner of the dogs loves and cares for them so much, he should have hired a specialist from an agency to look after them. Well, or at least pay a decent amount to the neighbor, having previously specified all the possible aspects of taking care of them.
And besides, even with all that in mind, commenters suggest that Jackson should have just written a way kinder text explaining that he is worried about his pets and since he forgot to tell the neighbor about their feeding and walking schedule, politely asking would it a problem for him to devote a bit more time to caring for the dogs. “You have your life too. You have to schedule things around your work,” folks in the comments remark reasonably.
However, when you ask your neighbors for a favor related to your pets, this often leads to various issues – like this couple who once hired the neighbor’s teen son to feed their cat – and he lost it just a few days later. And, of course, if you’ve ever faced or witnessed a similar story as well, please feel free to share it in the comments.
People in the comments supported the author in his indignation, claiming the neighbor should have hired a professional dog walker
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This is why I prefer cat sitting. No one expects anything of you except to feed them. And throw away the "surprise" dead mice they think is a gift.
I volunteered to watch my neighbors dogs after her divorce while she was at work. "Watch" meant let them out throughout the day and feed them. Nothing at all too demanding and she offered to pay me $20 a day, so $20 for the entire time OP is watching them is ridiculous. Obviously it was just a way for the neighbor to do exactly what he did...demand more and complain about OP to others with the caveat...I pay him to do this.
This is why I prefer cat sitting. No one expects anything of you except to feed them. And throw away the "surprise" dead mice they think is a gift.
I volunteered to watch my neighbors dogs after her divorce while she was at work. "Watch" meant let them out throughout the day and feed them. Nothing at all too demanding and she offered to pay me $20 a day, so $20 for the entire time OP is watching them is ridiculous. Obviously it was just a way for the neighbor to do exactly what he did...demand more and complain about OP to others with the caveat...I pay him to do this.
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