Situation Summary:
I recently started using a dog daycare service owned by a friendly acquaintance. We met at the dog park, and I was impressed with how well-behaved the dogs in her care were.
During my dog’s first day, he played with a larger, more boisterous dog. My dog seemed overwhelmed at times, but I didn’t intervene.
The daycare owner seemed pleased that her dog had a new playmate, which made me uneasy.
My dog later developed an injury that the vet says might have occurred during rough play.
The owner has been texting frequently for updates, which makes me wonder if she’s worried about potential blame.
I want to talk to her about how to ensure my dog has breaks during playtime and ask what her policy is if a dog gets injured under her care. However, I’m concerned she might take it the wrong way and damage our new friendly rapport.
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**(everything above this point I’ve used google gemini to summarize to save ya’ll some reading time.)**
From my experience walking with her and the group of dogs she looks after, I have come to think of her as someone that communicates positively with dogs, enjoys them dearly, and prioritizes that they have fun and feel safe. She manages them so well – like a Miyazaki character might! She’s always seemed empathetic to me.
My question: How do I have this conversation without sounding accusatory, especially with someone I’m just getting to know?
1 comment
Try focusing the “blame” on your vet or the dog rather than her. So instead of “hey, I need *you* to watch my dog and give make sure they don’t get hurt”, say something like “*my dog* plays so hard they get hurt, so the *vet* is telling me to give them extra breaks. Is that something you can help with?”
The fact that she’s checking in so often makes me think she feels worried and guilty, not offended, so that’s great! As long as you don’t get angry or accusatory it sounds like it’ll work out all fine!