Friend Refuses to Pay for Pet Grooming: AITA for Asking Them to Cover the Costs?
AITA for refusing to foot the bill for my friend's dog's grooming after a messy mishap while pet-sitting?
A 28-year-old woman refused to eat the cost of her friend’s muddy dog. It sounds simple, until you realize she paid for Charlie’s grooming out of her own pocket after he rolled in enough mud to turn a weekend dog-sitting gig into a real expense.
OP, dog-sitting for Sarah (30), expected a quick “thanks, I’ll reimburse you” after Charlie needed a serious bath and groomer visit on Saturday. But when Sarah got back Sunday, she flipped it back on OP, saying it was her job to handle any expenses, even though Sarah was unreachable when the bill hit.
Now OP is stuck chasing messages, wondering if she’s being unreasonable for asking her friend to cover what her dog needed.
Original Post
I (28F) recently agreed to dog-sit for my friend, Sarah (30F), while she went on a weekend trip. She dropped off her dog, Charlie, with me on Friday afternoon.
The first night was fine, but on Saturday, Charlie found a way to roll in mud and ended up needing a serious bath and grooming session. I took him to the groomer and paid for it out of my pocket since Sarah was unreachable.
I thought she'd understand and reimburse me later. When Sarah returned on Sunday, I mentioned the grooming bill, expecting her to offer to pay me back.
Instead, she got upset and said it was my job as the dog-sitter to take care of any expenses. I was taken aback by her reaction.
It's not like Charlie got dirty intentionally. I feel like she should cover the grooming costs since it was beyond my control.
Now, Sarah's ignoring my messages and hasn't mentioned repaying me. AITA for refusing to let this go and asking her to pay for the grooming of her dog?