Many people would positively jump at the chance to pet sit. As spending quality time with an adorable dog, cat, or other cuddly creature is the equivalent of heaven to many people.
However, for all the fun, warmth, and comfort it brings, it is also a huge responsibility.
After all, the animal’s self and well-being are your responsibility while you’re in charge.
Redditor BlackDynamite_7 willingly agreed to watch the dog of his good friend. However, while the original poster (OP) was watching the dog, he found themselves in the midst of an emergency.
While the OP did what they thought was best, his friend was anything but grateful for his actions.
Concerned he may have crossed a line, the OP took to the subReddit “Am I The A**hole” (AITA), where he asked fellow Redditors:
“AITA for taking my friend’s sick dog to an expensive vet without her consent while she was away?”
The OP explained why he left his friend furious over what he thought was heroic behavior:
“I (20 M[ale]) agreed to dog sit for my friend Alma (22 F[emale]) while she was away for a week to see her parents.”
“On day three, her dog, Cherry, started vomiting and refused to eat.”
“I called her, but she didn’t pick up (she was at a festival).”
“I panicked and took Cherry to the emergency vet, where they diagnosed her with a blockage and did a $1,400 surgery.”
“Cherry is fine now.”
“Now when Alma got back, I gave her the bill, explaining it was an emergency and that was my only option.”
“She completely blew up, saying she’d never have approved such an expensive option and would’ve waited to see if Cherry improved.”
“She says she’s broke and can’t pay me back.”
“Our mutual friends are split some say I saved Cherry’s life and didn’t have anything better I could have done, others say I overstepped by not waiting longer coz ‘it’s not like a dog could die that quick’.”
“Alma is now ignoring me and told everyone we know that I ‘forced her into debt’.”
“AITA?”
Fellow Redditors weighed in on where they believed the OP fell in this particular situation, by declaring:
- NTA – Not The A**hole
- YTA – You’re The A**hole
- ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
- NAH – No A**holes Here
While the Reddit community was somewhat divided on whether the OP was the a**hole for approving the expensive, if life-saving, surgery:
Many felt that the OP did exactly the right thing, as they were correct that had they waited and done nothing, Cherry very well could have died, even if some felt getting Alma’s permission first was important:
“NTA.”
“A blockage can kill any dog quickly.”
“You literally saved her life by taking her.”
“Well done for noticing she was really unwell, it can be tricky to spot.”
“The vet wouldn’t just go ahead with a surgery without exploring the option of making the dog sick first to see if whatever is causing the block could come out.”
“This obviously wasn’t a viable option.”
“Some vets will get it wrong, of course, we are human.”
“I’m right in this instance, and so was the treating vet…second opinion wasn’t an option for OP.”- Witty_Count289
“NTA.”
“She’d be crying about how you murdered her dog if you’d taken the ONLY other humane route.”
“You absolutely did the right thing.”
“$1,400 isn’t even particularly expensive for that kind of surgery.”- EffableFornent
“NTA.”
“You did what you had to do, and it was the right call if there was a blockage.”
“Your friend should absolutely pay you back…with her gratitude that you saved her dog’s life.”
“I have left my cats for friends/family to watch.”
“I let them know that they could call/text; however, I also left them with information for our regular vet and an emergency vet.”
“I let them know to do what they think is right, and that I would pay them back for any expenses.”- Hello_JustSayin
“NTA.”
“This is why pet insurance and emergency funds exist.”
“I legit have a savings account dedicated to putting money aside for emergencies involving my pets.”
“Your friend should be happy you took the dog before it got bad.”
“If money is tight she could have worked out paying you in installments or something.”- SpaceAceCase
“NTA.”
“Blockages can kill.”
“In fact, by not waiting you saved the dog’s life.”
“However, I do understand the friend being upset to come back to a huge bill as well, it’s a shock.”
“She should still pay it, even if it’s on a payment plan or something like that.”
“I’d ask my friend what she’d prefer, pay $1400 or a dead dog?”
“I bet if you had waited, and the dog died, she’d be angry just the same.”
“This is why whenever I leave my cats with someone, I always give them my vet’s details, my preferred emergency vet, my contact details, and a backup (if not my partner, then my mum).”
“I also have an explicit conversation about what to do in emergencies.”
“The conversation is ‘they are worth more than money to me, but not at the cost of their quality of life’.”
“Next time might be worth having that conversation prior to pet sitting to try and mitigate this happening.”- kingcasperrr
“NTA.”
“You did the right thing.”
“She shouldn’t be a pet owner if she can’t pay for emergency vet bills.”- Suspicious_Culture49
“At the very least, the blockage could have caused the pet to lose some of its intestines.”
“I have (not infrequently) seen blockages kill pets (worked in vet med for several years).”
“Many times, it is not noticed until too late, people ‘wait’ to see if the pet improves, or they want to try other (cheaper) methods first.”
“Since they can kill pets so quickly, it is 100% an emergency as soon as it is noticed.”
“It takes time to become symptomatic, so once an owner (or pet sitter) notices, it has already been blocked for a time.”
“You saved the dog, and if it were my dog, you would be my pet sitter for life and be getting a huge bonus/present/something.”
“$1400 is a great price for emergency surgery on a blocked pet too!”
“NTA at all.”- SeorniaGrim
“You’re not the NTA for taking care of an animal in distress.”
“But an emergency vet is $400 just to walk through the door.”
“So the next time you pet-sit for somebody, make sure you’ve talked beforehand about that possibility and their ability to absorb that cost.”
“Pet sitting is about more than just throwing so food in a bowl.”
“You need to go over the kinds of emergencies like the one you encountered and make sure everybody is on the same page as to how to handle it.”- UnabashedHonesty
Others, however, had a bit less sympathy with the OP and agreed with Alma that he should have waited for her approval before doing anything, with others wondering if the OP might have been responsible for what caused this “blockage”:
“How old is the dog?”
“Did you tell the vet that you were not the owner?”
“Did you ask if the surgery could wait 12-24h until you could contact the owner?”
“No matter if any of us think it would be immoral not to treat the dog, it is ultimately the owner’s choice to treat or not.”
“They may have opted to euthanize it, especially if the dog was old.”
“I’m going to say YTA for the moment depending on what was said and asked.”- Rorosi67
“I.N.F.O: what was the blockage caused by?”
“Back when I was volunteering with a shelter/vet, there was a husky that was brought in with a blockage.”
“The blockage turned out to be a pair of underwear that it ate, amongst other things.”
“If the blockage was caused by something natural or out of your control, then it isn’t your fault.”
“If it was something like an item being left in the dog’s reach that isn’t supposed to be, then it is your fault and you need to pay it in full.”
“YTA.”
“Based on your lack of answering this question after multiple people asked, it is very telling that you’re at fault.”
“You owe the owner for your mistakes.”- Lima-Bean-3000
While a few didn’t think there was an a**hole in this situation, feeling the OP did the right thing, but sympathizing with Alma and the bill she was left with.
“NAH.”
“U did the right thing.”
“Ppl saying ‘wait and see’ clearly never had a sick pet, a blockage can go real bad real fast. Sucks about the money but like.. would she rather Cherry die??”- Oceanbloomm
Coming home to discover a $1400 bill is a rude awakening, to say the least.
That being said, Alma did leave the OP in charge of Cherry’s health and safety.
And it seems fairly likely that had the OP waited as Alma claimed she would have, she might have come home to something far worse than a $1400 bill.
All the more reason why all pet sitters should leave “in case of emergency” instructions.