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

A.Jones

I wouldn't pay. They wanted to borrow the dog and they were meant to be looking after it.

piedeleu57

Yes, i do think you should pay, it's your dog that did the damage!
You saved money by not having to pay for expensive kennels i know that it was spooked by fireworks but that doesn't excuse it, if your dog hadn't been there the curtains would'nt have been damaged.
If you own a dog you must be prepared for what ever damage youre dog does whether that be attacking people or curtains.

A.Jones

alggomas wrote: »

However, What if you were playing with your dog outside and it suddenly ran next door and damaged an expensive vase?
Would you pay then?

That is a completely different situation. There, the owner is looking after the dog, so should be responsible for damage to anyone else's property.

In the situation here, the neighbours are responsible for looking after the dog, and they have allowed it to damage their property.

HeliG_2

If it was me I would be really upset and embarassed if my dog had done damage and I would definitely offer to pay for a repair at least and if it is so bad I would pay towards new curtains. The neighbours shouldn't have put the cage so close to curtains but it looks as if they are not used to animals. I think they were trying to help you with dog sitting in the future too

spelter

I think this depends on exactly what happened, and this isn't clear. Were they in the house at the time, and couldn't control the dog as he went berserk with the fireworks? In that case, you should pay; or did they put the dog in the cage, and leave him there while they went out? If so, how did he get out? If you supplied the cage, and they locked it properly, they're not to blame if the dog escaped - did he bite through something? Or did they put him in the cage, and not secure it properly? In that case, it's entirely their own fault. I think you should establish the facts in detail. Also, dog owners know that fireworks can drive dogs mad, and you must have known this, but did you explain this to your friends? If so, they shouldn't have left the dog alone that evening, (an inconvenience that comes with owning a dog). If you didn't warn them about the fireworks, they can't be blamed for leaving him alone, can they? After taking all these things into account, you can decide what if any, to contribute. Maybe kennels next time?!

nickj_2

GinG wrote: »

At £10 - £15 per night...I would have a guess at quite a few nights!

if you have 3 weeks holiday a year that your dog needs to go into kennels then that is only 3 years worth give or take ,

slimmer1

we look after dogs occasionally for friends. It is our responsibility to ensure the dogs come to no harm or trouble, it is the responsibility of the owner to ensure all salient info is passed onto the dog sitters. Once, dogs came in from the wet & muddied our lounge carpet, our fault for not cleaning them as they came in although the owners were upset & offered to pay for cleaning of carpet which we declined as we have a caroet cleaner, if not we'd probably have shared at the cost. Perhaps the relationship between the people needs loking at, do they have the same set of values? A cage was mentioned, why weren't the dops in the cage on bonfire night? It's hardly a secret that all animals are subject to fright on loud noises.

This problem, rests with the dog sitters, they were the responsible adults present (or absent!) at the time of the problem.

milvusvestal

Yes, you should certainly cough up the full amount.

How would you like it to be caged rather than free-roaming? How would you feel, panic-striken and unable to escape from what, to you, are terrifying explosions? Restricting the dog's movements is like shackling it to a ball and chain in a dungeon.

No normal, well-treated dog would behave in that fashion, and it might be a lesson to you and anyone else who appears to think that imprisoning an animal such as a loyal dog is perfectly acceptable in terms of pet welfare.

I fervently hope that your neighbour appreciates that cages are only for transporting animals when absolutely necessary.

John58_2

I'd say no. It was really their own negligence that the dog was alone and near enough to the curtains to damage them. They of course won't see it like that and the friendship is likely to be over if you don't cough up something.

guineapig

I have had three dogs and would have cut off my own legs before leaving them ANYTIME around bonfire night/New Years Eve ( and any other potential fireworks night)!!!!!!

Many Years ago when I was working, I had a dog sitter to take them out/spend time with them, but in between her leaving and me getting home, some !!!!!! let off fireworks ( this was day time in October) and my dog chewed through a GAS PIPE in the kitchen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!( in the days when we had wall heaters) The smell hit me as I opened the door, good job I have never been a smoker *gulp* The gas board came out and sorted it.

Dogs are terrified of fireworks why ANYONE would want to set fire to money to make loud bangs is beyond me, but then unless I was going to a close family members funeral or having life saving surgery I would never have left my dog with ANYONE on or around bonfire night, it's bad enough that they have to suffer the fear of the fireworks without their owners not being there when they are most needed.

The only time my dog ever had a cage was for travelling from a to b in the car.

I had a "friend" in the USA who caged her dog when she wasn't at home, her house burned down and her dog died, trapped in it's cage.

If a posh house is more important than a much loved furry family member, DON'T GET A DOG!!!!