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Listen, we all know that pet sitters can be expensive. And this makes sense, because these are adult professionals, whose animal care skills are being put into practice as their actual career. So naturally they’re paying their own wage and gas money, as well as their taxes and business insurances – and there are a lot of insurances and policies required when you are spending your days looking after people’s beloved pets. So of course, a professional pet sitter comes at a cost – and wouldn’t you want that, given they’re caring for your pet and entering your home unaccompanied? Of course you want someone reputable.

However, as much as that is true, a lot of folk simply do not want to pay the high price that a professional pet sitter commands. So whenever they go out of town – whether that is on vacation, for work, or for some kind of event – they often rely on friend or family members to feed, walk, and otherwise care for their pets. Whether this is paid below the market rate, or a reciprocal arrangement, it’s totally common. After all, who do we trust more than our loved ones?

But for the young woman in this story, who is dog sitting for her parents, it really doesn’t feel like they trust her at all.

Read on to find out why.

AITA for refusing to watch my parents dogs after they locked me out of their bathrooms the last time?

I (22, female) recently moved out of my parents home.

They (mom, dad, and two younger siblings) all are out of town this weekend for my older brothers wedding (I am not at the wedding because I could not afford air travel to it).

I was asked to house sit and watch their dogs.

I am sick, but regardless, yesterday I arrived at the home to watch the dogs.

Let’s see how this dog sitting went down.

I needed cough syrup, so I called my mom to ask where I could get some. She directed me to her bathroom.

The door was locked. She seemed surprised.

I heard over the phone my dad asking why I needed to get into their bathroom. I immediately got the sense my dad locked the bathroom without my mom knowing.

I hung up, and found cough syrup in the fridge.

But that wasn’t the worst of this.

I felt pretty awful about the door being locked (it felt bizarre and like psychological warfare) and just needed a hot shower.

I go to the guest bathroom. There is no soap or shower supplies in there.

I go to my brother’s bathroom to borrow some, it is locked too.

I basically break down into tears and find DOG shampoo to go take a shower and try to calm down.

Read on to find out how she felt about all this.

I genuinely sobbed for an hour and then took cough syrup and went to sleep.

I told my aunt, she was infuriated at this treatment and she told me to not dog sit for them again.

They are going on a family a trip in December and I have been asked to house sit again.

Would I be wrong if I tell them no the next time they ask me to house sit, given that this time they locked me out of two out of three bathrooms in the house, and the only one I had access to only had dog shampoo in it?

AITA?

This is such a weird situation – after all, this wasn’t a stranger pet sitting, it was literally their daughter.

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There is no reason to lock her out of all but one bathroom, and to hide bathroom supplies from her – after all, she’s doing them a massive favour by looking after the dog.

It’s no wonder her aunt was mad, and she’s quite right not to dog sit for them again.

Let’s see how folks on Reddit reacted to this.

This person thought that her family were treating her completely unfairly.

While others thought that there were some serious inequalities in this family.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about two kids trying to earn money by mowing grass, and decide to solve their gas issue by stealing some of dad’s.

Meanwhile, this Redditor explained how things should be done.

First of all, it’s horrendous that her parents – who presumably paid for her younger siblings’ airfare – would refuse to help her out in buying a plane ticket to attend a family wedding. She has only just moved out and is financially independent for the first time, and at only 22 you’d expect as a parent to help her out from time to time. After all, becoming financially independent takes some adjustment and can lead to you being very poor for quite some time while your income catches up to your new expenditure – and big things like plane tickets to milestone family events can be really difficult to afford.

But of course her parents didn’t want to pay for her airfare, because if they did, there would have been no one to look after their dog. So not only is she being financially excluded from a family event, her financial position is being taken advantage of as they can rely on her to dog sit instead. And while that would be fine if the cupboards were stocked and the house was welcoming for her stay, she’s been locked out of the bathrooms and away from the amenities she needs. And that is horrifying, something there is no excuse for. They are taking advantage of her, and being cruel to boot.

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Author

Kyra Piperides

Kyra Piperides, PhD | Contributing Science Writer

Dr. Kyra Piperides is a contributing writer for TwistedSifter, specializing in Science & Discovery. Holding a PhD in English with a dedicated focus on the intersections of science, politics, and literature, she brings over 12 years of professional writing and editorial expertise to her reporting.

Kyra possesses a highly authoritative background in academic publishing, having served as the editor of an academic journal for three years. She is also the published author of two books and numerous research-driven articles. At TwistedSifter, she leverages her rigorous academic background to translate complex scientific concepts, global tech innovations, and environmental breakthroughs into highly engaging, accessible narratives for a mainstream audience.

Based in the UK, Kyra is an avid backpacker who spends her free time immersing herself in different cultures across distant shores—a passion that brings a rich, global perspective to her writing about Earth and nature.

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