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[eugenides]

Suppose you are away for a conference for 3 days.
And there is nobody who can take care of your home-bound dogs.
(And you and your neighbor do not talk to each other)

Is it a good idea to hire your own students to take care of your dogs?
(1) to give dogs enough food and water
(2) to check if dogs are still healthy
(3) to play with the dogs, so that they will be happy

I have always wanted to try this, but I have not.
I know
(1) I have to give out my extra key to a student (s).
(2) I have to pay HI reasonably.
(I am fine with (1) and (2))

(3) I have to trust my student(s).

---
I am not worried if my studnet(s) would be nosy in my place.
I am concerned if the studnets(s) would promise to visit my dogs
but eventually fail to do so.


---
An alternative is the pets' hotel.
But I find my dogs look more comfortable and secure
when they sleep next to my bed mattress or under my desk.
So I do not want to try the pets' hotel.


Anyway. Has anybody tried your own students as dog-sitters?
Thanks

[prof_dude]

Well, even though you would be willing to pay for it, I would regard it as a personal favor (your students don't have to do that). As with all favors, I would ask myself, if it was not because I need/want something, would I interact with this person on a personal level and would I be happy to help that person if he/she needed something? So, I would probably not ask a student in one of my classes because there is no other interaction. I might ask a student in my group if we are on somewhat friendly terms (going for coffee, having conversations).

The other thing I would look for in a pet sitter is: does this person like and know dogs? If so, your dogs are probably in good hands and the student might actually enjoy taking care of them (I know, I did). I wouldn't want to impose doggie duties on someone who hates dogs (both for the student's and the dog's sake).

I would expect students to look around your house a little and get some giggles out of your movie collection/living room decor/dirty socks on the floor. If you are okay with that, that's fine.

If you don't want to ask your students, try a professional pet sitter who comes into your house to take care of the dogs or maybe even house sits with them. Your vet might be able to give you a reference. It's much the same as asking a student wthout the complications of asking a student.  :-)

[prytania3]

I hired a student to look after my cat for a week. I don't know about a dog, though. He could lose it, especially if it's a Beagle.

[schoolmarm]

I have had students feed the cats when I am gone and also to live in my house when I am gone during the summer.  I pay well, and the house sitter only has to pay the utilities and maintain (and use) the pool.

You REALLY have to have someone you trust.  Yes, they will look around your house.  There may be parties at your house if you don't choose wisely.

It is a win-win situation for my students and myself.  It is best if you are not teaching them anymore (avoid the conflict of interest thing!)

[sunny_side_up]

I hired a student to look after my cat for a week. I don't know about a dog, though. He could lose it, especially if it's a Beagle.

They could have a BBQ if it's a beagle. I heard they are very tasty!

[seniorscholar]

I have often hired a grad student to look after a dog while I'm gone -- and invited the grad student to look at books/journals on my shelves, and leave me a note for anything they borrow. This "perk" is, for people in my field, worth as much as the cash, and I've never found one that wasn't fully trustworthy.

And of course any pet-minder, even one experienced with other dogs, has to be told that Beagles turn off their ears, brains, and even stomachs when finding a scent to follow, and must not be let out or walked unless on a leash!

[prytania3]

For new people on the board, the beagle is an inside joke, but here's the story:

A chair had an untenured professor (I believe) Beagle sit for him while he was on vacation. Anyway, the Beagle did, indeed, take off. I don't remember who had the beagle, and I never did hear that he found it. (Then there were jokes about BBQ Beagles, etc.)

I think the prof blew his chances for tenure though.

Seniorscholar is right. Beagle's can shove off in a hurry.

[eugenides]

Dear Friends,
Thanks for sharing your experience and thoughts.

I realize what matters most here is "trust."
I want to see if I CAN (if I have the ability) to trust a student.
This is a trial not only on that student, but also on me.

Maybe I am not generous enough
(in terms of trust);
I have not asked any student to do things for me.

I was asked to house-sit for 2 different professors when I
was a graduate student.
I felt thrilled,
mainly because those professors trusted me.
(Financially, I did not save/earned as much as imagined)
They encouraged me to throw parties,
to check out their books.

I did not use (or abuse) their houses that much,
but I have felt good because of their trust.

[velvetelvis]

Early in my professorial career I exchanged pet sitting services with pet-owning students.  This seemed equitable, fair and not too hierarchical.  The couple in question also were "my" students per se.

Now I use professional pet sitters.  It's a much better arrangement. Ask your vet if there are any in your town.

VE.

[twofish]

Suppose you are away for a conference for 3 days.
And there is nobody who can take care of your home-bound dogs.
(And you and your neighbor do not talk to each other)

Is it a good idea to hire your own students to take care of your dogs?

I'd feel very uncomfortable hiring a undergraduate student from a lecture class to do anything like that, less uncomfortable if it were a graduate student, and fine if it were a student of mine in which I was in a personal mentoring role.

[rattusdomesticus]

No. Crosses a line. I hired a professional petsitter and when she moved, I found a gal who works at my vet (surprise) who does nothing but watches dogs. Much simpler to do this than to wonder if I'm taking advantage of my students--or worse yet, get hassled later by grade mongers. I say, just say No.

[mountain_ivy]

Only if the (trusted) student is no longer in your class.  It's worked quite well for me under that circumstance.

[iomhaigh]

I pet-sat for my advisor in college, as did others before and after me.  Other people pet-sat for other profs.  Some babysat; others house-sat.  It was all part of the campus culture, and we all knew not to have parties or overnight guests.   We understood the trust equation.  One prof let his house-sitters have a small group over to use the jacuzzi in the yard (and left written instructions on the "rules of the jacuzzi" -- no glass, etc.)

It was a small and tightknit school in a small and tightknit town.  You couldn't really have a party at a prof's house without the neighbors knowing - and since the neighbors were likely associated with the school.....

Now, the student who got into the prof's pot crop in the backyard did get a stern talking-to... mostly because she did not leave much for the prof to smoke after his long summer trip. 

[gesualdo]

My only concern with this is whether or not this is a house dog.  I considered hiring a petsitter once, only to find out that she charged the same daily rate as the kennel and my dog got only one daily visit.  I have to take my dog(s) out 3 or 4 times a day for potty time.  Do you really want to chance your carpet like that?  Otherwise, I don't see a problem inherent in hiring a student, as long as it's understood that you're hiring them, not expecting a favor because you're the student's ___ (prof, advisor, work-study boss...)

[infopri]

Dear Friends,
Thanks for sharing your experience and thoughts.

I realize what matters most here is "trust."
I want to see if I CAN (if I have the ability) to trust a student.
This is a trial not only on that student, but also on me.

Maybe I am not generous enough
(in terms of trust);
I have not asked any student to do things for me.

I was asked to house-sit for 2 different professors when I
was a graduate student.
I felt thrilled,
mainly because those professors trusted me.
(Financially, I did not save/earned as much as imagined)
They encouraged me to throw parties,
to check out their books.

I did not use (or abuse) their houses that much,
but I have felt good because of their trust.

It sounds to me like at least part of your motivation is to bestow upon one or more students the trust that was bestowed upon you when you were the student.  This is all well and good, but do you want your dog to be the guinea pig for this experiment?  Perhaps you want to start with something a little more replaceable, like your car?  Or perhaps your bicycle?  Maybe a plant?

I can speak only for myself, but I would never trust a student to take care of my dog.  Leaving aside all the "house" issues (can I trust hum alone in my house?), taking care of a dog is (to me) a high-stakes proposition.  Sure, when things go well, it's just a matter of food, water, walks, and companionship.  ("Just" being a relative term; it takes a lot of commitment, especially for more than a day or two.)  But sometimes things don't go well, and you need someone who knows dogs, knows what's normal, and has the ability to recognize what's going on and know what to do about it.

My neighbor hired a mature (30-something) grad student to care for hus dog.  Lovely person, trustworthy, the whole bit.  The dog got sick and the student had no idea what to do.  The dog died later the same day.  (This was the second time this neighbor lost a dog while away; the first time, it was a young neighbor who dogsat.)  Maybe the dog would have died even if its owner was home.  Actually, it probably would have.  But there will always be this little shred of "what if?" in my grieving neighbor's mind.

My dogs stay in a (good!) kennel where I trust the staff to know what to do in emergencies.  (In fact, I found this kennel through my vet.)  And, because it's a good place (big indoor/outdoor runs, the ability to put dogs from a single family together if you want, excellent care with lots of individual attention), my dogs actually seem to like going there.  With three dogs, I'd be lost without this place.