Mum baffled by friend's request after looking after her dog last-minute

Pet owners will know how difficult it can be to find a , but one mum thought she was doing her friend a favour when she offered to look after her beloved pooch for free. The unnamed mum had made friends with one of the other mums - named Mary - while on the school run and started up a school gate friendship.

When Mary was let down last minute by her usual dog sitter before a holiday, the woman stepped in and offered to look after her dog for free. "We're not super close but chatty and friendly", she explains on Mumsnet.

"She couldn't find anyone so I offered to help. Our get on well and I'm used to having more than one, although at the moment only have one. She asked how much I'd charge but I said no bother just provide his usual food and treats, which she did. Her dogs food is a superior top end brand to the food I give mine."

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Thinking she was doing her friend a favour, the mum fed her dogs their usual supermarket-own-brand food while giving the other dog its usual premium food. "When feeding them, the dogs seemed to favour each others food and swapped between bowls," she explains.

Finding it bemusing, she mentioned it to another mum at her child's school, telling them how "my dog obviously prefers the more expensive brand while her dog liked the cheaper stuff."

This information ended up being relayed to Mary when she came back from her holiday, who was quick to pull up the woman on the dog food controversy. "Today she asked me if I fed my dog her dogs food," she explains.

"I was a bit taken aback but explained the above and of course I did give her dog its own food but sometimes dogs want what the other dog has. She was very cold and told me to compensate her for any tins I gave my dog as she wasn't there to provide for my animal! I'm totally bemused, I saved her £100's in dog sitting fees and although I'm not now going to charge her she must see she is totally unfair."

The woman said her husband encouraged her to ignore the request, while she was left worried that it would create a "bad feeling" between the pair. Taking to the forum, she asked other mums what they would do in her situation.

One person wrote: "Offer to compensate her for the tins when she's paid you £40 a night for dog boarding." Another agreed, writing: "Tell her you'll reimburse the dog food when she pays you the going rate for dog sitting for a holiday."

A third called her "ungrateful", adding: "I would be so grateful if someone dog sat for me. I would be offering them money not asking for money back. She sounds like a terrible friend."

But one person felt she shouldn't have been "joking" at the school gates about the dog food switch, saying: "She probably thinks you were taking the p***."

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