Young Employee Dog Sitting for Her Boss Refuses to Share the House with a Stranger
"The whole thing would have been really out of my comfort zone."
A 21-year-old woman agreed to dog-sit for her boss and his husband for two weeks, thinking it would be a straightforward job. It was supposed to be about feeding pets, keeping things calm, and getting through the vacation window.
Then, on night one, her boss texted asking if an old friend of the husband could “crash in the basement.” The basement had no bathroom or bedroom, and the only access ran right by her own room, which had no locks. She said no to an overnight stay with a man she didn’t know, and suddenly her boss acted like her boundaries were the problem.
What made it worse was how quickly the guilt started to creep in, even though the request itself was the red flag.
The OP asks:
RedditA 21-year-old woman agreed to dog-sit for her boss and her husband for two weeks while they were on vacation.
That first text about the basement guest is where the whole “just dog-sitting” deal stopped making sense.
Commenters overwhelmingly backed the employee, stressing that her safety and comfort should come first. Many noted that it was inappropriate for a boss to put her in such a position, especially given the power imbalance in their relationship.
Some even found the request suspicious, pointing out that if the man was trustworthy enough to stay in the home, he could have been trusted to watch the dog instead. In the end, most agreed she had every right to say no and that protecting her boundaries was far more important than keeping her boss happy.
On the first night, her boss texted to ask if a man, an old friend of her husband, could “crash in the basement.”
The arrangement felt unsafe and uncomfortable: the basement had no bathroom or bedroom, and the only access was near her own room, which had no locks.
She politely explained that she didn’t feel comfortable with a man she didn’t know staying overnight.
Her boss responded that it was fine and the man would find other accommodations, but her short replies left the sitter feeling guilty and worried that she had upset her.
"She was totally in the wrong to even ask."
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OP should leave work at work for the foreseeable future.
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Some workplaces wouldn't even allow it.
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"It was such a weird ask."
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The sitter’s polite refusal turned into awkward silence, because her boss kept replying like she was being difficult.
This echoes the partner debating whether to leave the mother to babysit during a blizzard.
Commenters latched onto the power imbalance fast, especially since the boss could have trusted the friend with the dog instead of the house.
By the end, the real takeaway wasn’t the dog, it was that nobody should get to move strangers into your space and call it “fine.”
This Redditor would do:
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Thinking about potential issues...
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What a ridiculous request.
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Dog sitting is a big deal.
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She didn’t just protect the dog, she protected herself from a situation that was never hers to manage.
Want another workplace power-struggle vibe? See what a teen asked after teasing their sibling over ice cream.
