Real life MMD: Our dog ruined the neighbour's curtains - should we pay?

Former_MSE_Penelope

Money Moral Dilemma: Our dog ruined the neighbour's curtains - should we pay?

Our friends offered to look after our dog while we were away on holiday "to have a trial run on what it's like to own a dog". The dog was kept in his cage when left alone (he's used to that) but fireworks distressed him and he managed to pull nearby expensive curtains into the cage and ruin them. Our friends' home insurance won't cover damage by pets and neither will our pet insurance. They say the curtains are worth £1,000 and expect us to pay up.

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Petaldust

Did you warn them beforehand that your dog is petrified of fireworks? If so, surely they are partly to blame for leaving him on his own around the 5th November. If not, you should probably give them at least something towards the curtains - if they'd never owned a dog they may not have realised they usually hate fireworks.

ironlady2022

I would offer something but not cover cost for all as it is expensive. Also they did offer and they must have expected your dog to at least do some damage. If the dog weed on the carpet, should you replace that?

scoobydoobydoo

I would offer to replace them rather than pay them £1k. That seems a hell of alot for curtains, are you absolutely sure that they cost that much?

I hope that it has proved that they shouldnt own a dog. To !!!!!! off out on the one night of the year that anyone with half a brain knows that pets can go crazy shows that they are not qualified to own a pet! Idiots.

scotsbob

If they hadn't been so nice and offered to help you out, they would still have their curtains. Be big and pay up.

map_man1

If you can afford to pay £1000 for curtains in the first place then you can probably afford to replace them. But as they offered to look after the dog in the first place, I would offer to go halves with them.

Beverley

They offered in order to decide whether they were capable of caring for a dog. They clearly weren't and your dog suffered. You didn't ask them for the favour of them being stupid enough to leave the dog within reach of expensive curtains. I wouldn't pay as their stupidity caused the problem - but then how important is it to you that you settle this amicably?

bogwart

scotsbob wrote: »

If they hadn't been so nice and offered to help you out, they would still have their curtains. Be big and pay up.

But the neighbours weren't doing it to be nice, they said they wanted to have a trial run on what it's like to own a dog. Well, now they know. And how much do you need to know to realise that Guy Fawkes is a scary time for some dogs, especially those in a cage.

Did the OP warn the neighbours - assuming the dog was more than one year old - that it was likely to be spooked?

In any case I don't think the neighbours have acted in a responsible manner. I don't know what dog boarding costs these days, but I don't suppose it's cheap. My suggestion would be that the costs involved should be shared.

elliep_2

How near to the cage were the curtains? By 'ruined' what do they mean? (i.e. is it something a competent seamstress could repair? perhaps by letting out some of the gather and shortening the width of the curtain a bit?)

It sounds like they made a mistake in leaving your dog alone when he was scared. As inexperienced dog people perhaps they didn't realise the potential problem but I still feel that it was their error, however as it was your dog maybe you could offer to pay something towards it.

How much would this affect your finances? Can you explain the situation to your neighbour? Generally it's a good idea to do what you can to preserve a good relationship with your neighbour so even if you don't think you should pay towards the curtains then if you can afford it then it'd be a good idea to do so to preserve the relationship.

aidyonline

i'm really shocked and surprised by the number of people suggesting you should pay for new curtains!

the way i see it is, they wanted to see what it was like to have a dog for the weekend. the fact that it was convenient for you is irrelevant - if they hadn't offered then you wouldn't have asked and the dog would have been put in kennels or whatever.

the fact that they then left the dog near an expensive curtain which it ruined is completely their fault, not yours! the fireworks probably didn't help, but the dog might have damaged the curtains anyway. if the dog peed on an expensive £1000 rug because they didn't realise they ought to let the dog pee somewhere at night, would you be expected to buy a new rug too?!

so, in conclusion, it is completely their fault. they offered to take the dog and the dog was in their care:money:, so what happens after that is their fault alone!

Pmarmalade

MSE_Penelope wrote: »

Our friends offered to look after our dog while we were away on holiday "to have a trial run on what it's like to own a dog".

Is it really that one-sided as you describe or were they in fact doing you a massive favour and you were more than happy to oblige?

MSE_Penelope wrote: »

Our friends' home insurance won't cover damage by pets

I want to say they really should have checked this before taking on the responsibility of a dog for any period of time but it's something most would overlook, including myself I have to admit. But still, they should have.

I think 50/50 for the curtains should be acceptable for both. Perhaps if they're paying half they will consider something cheaper. I wouldn't worry about offending them to ask to see the receipt, either...