Hi, I have a pup that I bred coming to stay next week whilst her new owner is on holiday. I will not be taking any payment from the new owners and have just asked them to bring a bag of food for her. This is the first time I have had one of my pups back to board and feel that I should agree some form of contract with her owners in the unlikely event that she becomes ill whilst staying with me. What does everyone else do in these circumstances ? She will be 15 weeks old and I would much rather have her here than in a boarding kennel but just not sure how formal the arrangement needs to be ?

Hi I had one of my pups back for a wks hol but as it was just a casual arrangement, and this would only be on rare occassions, and not as a business, then I didn't feel the need to agree a contract.  I guess if people are running a business then it is a different matter.  I believe that a friend does the same.  If anyone advises differently, and in case you have anymore on their hols then I would also take their advise.

Think a read of this thread would confirm that it's a good idea to have an arrangement in place for where responsibility falls, even if it's not a 'contract'.

M.

yes i was going to point you to my thread as well!!!

How did it end up, Sam?

It's so easy to get what seems to be the most minor of injuries, with a huge vet bill to match, so very important to agree what's what I think. My dog running in the woods and just splitting her ear open cost me hundreds! If the OP is in the same area as the puppy's owner, maybe there could be an agreement that the pup is taken to its own vet so insurance can be used, if necessary.

M.

It's an interesting post and whilst I do not expect this puppy to get bitten or anything like that, it does raise the question of responsibility for any unfortunate incident that happens whilst you have someone else's dog in your care. I am doing this purely as a favour (not a business arrangement) and she will obviously receive the same care my own pup gets.  I guess it's the culture of litigation that is now in this country that makes people nervous about doing good deeds these days !!

I think that it is an excellent idea to have some form of contract especially as the pup is only 15 weeks old, you never know how people will be if anything should go wrong.

I've often had my pups for weekend stays and the odd holiday, if there is an option to kennels you can't blame new owners wanting the best for their pups, especially in the first few months of their lives, never had a contract myself and never had a problem, but it has probably been pretty silly of me not to have some form of protection, people can be wonderful and you can think that you know them well, but until a problem happens you don't see the bad side of people, so I would agree in having a little protection much as the kennels do. :-)

Doesn't have to be a bite - could be stung by a dozy autumn wasp and react badly to it, break a leg, get one of the many tummy bugs that are around ... the possibilities are endless. So much easier to have the conversation up front and repeat what you've said here - the pup will be cared for as if it were your own, but on that basis any vet's bills are the owner's responsibility.

M.

I have a few of my puppies back for holidays etc, I make sure the owners understand they pay all vets fees, I dont charge them for food, care, walking there dogs, but make sure they understand the situation, most of the time, I would take the dog to my owns vets, where I know they will treat the animal well, also have the owners details, and veterinary details, incase of requiring notes on the animal.

I had one of my pups back to stay for two weeks why his owners went on holiday, he was about 19 weeks old.

I did not charge them, they gave me his food, toys etc and I asked for a contact number of a close relative that I could contact if pup was unwell or injuried, also they gave me the address and telephone number of their own vet and the policy details of their pet insurance.
I made it clear to them that if he was injured/unwell while in my care I would contact the close relative and take him to my own vets and that we would sort out any vet fees when they returned from holiday.
Luckly everything ran smoothly and we had no problems, I woulddo it again but only for pups up to 6 months old as I think it would be too much having entire males and females already in my house!! plus the kids and husband!

jaybyjasper i wasnt expecting it either .....but it happened :(