Woman's 'insane' list of rules for dog sitter who must sign contract slammed

Choosing the right pet sitter is important. Often people take hours reading through CVs or interviewing people to see if they are the right fit for their pet.

But one dog owner has gone to the next level and posted an "insane" and strict set of rules for looking after her dog Zero, and it hasn't gone down well.

In an advert, which doesn't reveal how much she'll pay the dog sitter, she stated: "Looking for an incredibly trustworthy and loving person to walk and feed Zero next week."

It sounds relatively fair. But that's when the advert kicks up a gear.

"They must: love dogs, love Zero, be able to walk him three to four times a day, be able to feed him twice a day and must be acclimated to Zero".

The dog walker must also "be able to hold a roughly 130 (59kg) to 140lbs (64kg) dog pulling intensely on a leash because he is excited over other dogs and people, must be able to provide open communication about when you arrive, walk, feed him and leave, and must spam her phone with photos".

But it didn't end there.

She also wanted to make sure all of the requirements were met by demanding the dog sitter "sign a written agreement".

Zero's owner also threatened that the dog sitter would be "held liable [if] anything happens to Zero or our home and belongings".

Most readers shamed the woman for her crazy demands, while some were worried she'd pull out of payment claiming the dog sitter broke the contract in some way.

One user said: "Leave our stuff alone so you don't know just how much s*** is already broken that we will claim worked like new and you are now responsible for.

"They are legitimately looking for someone to scam. Best case scenario the 'damages' you caused will magically be covered by whatever payment you agreed to. They will claim it's worse than that but will call it even."

In agreement, another user added: "True, that seems like a great way to scam their way out of any payment (if they were even planning on offering any, I can't tell).

"They actually just turned someone down who offered to watch the dog at their own apartment, so it's looking even more like that could be the case."

A third user said: "That 'must agree that you will be held liable if anything happens to Zero or our home and belongings' sounds like a scam waiting to happen."

This article was first published by the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.