Situations... in Diary

I’ve been walking Roxy the rottweiller almost every day for the last three years. Each day I text them to see if they want me to come. Some days they’re out so they let me know yes or no. Last Tuesday (26th April) was the last time they responded and they’ve never gone this long without replying. I’ve texted them every day since but haven’t received a reply, even though I can see that they’ve been reading them. I’ve been saying “Is everything ok? Have I done something wrong? Are you alright?” etc. etc. but still no response. They owe me £42 and normally pay me in cash on a Friday, but when I asked for it last, they swore down that they gave it to me already so I’m wondering if that’s the reason why, they think I’m trying to steal from them. But if I wanted to do that, I could have done it already as they’ve often thought they owed me money when they didn’t, so I could have just taken that when it was offered.

I used to give them a receipt every time they paid me, but they asked me to stop because they just put them straight in the bin. THIS IS WHY RECEIPTS EXIST. I keep track of all my payments on my spreadsheet and I can detail the exact reasons they didn’t pay me from one day to the next so I’m 100% certain they haven’t paid me.
Friday - They hadn’t been to the bank.
Saturday - They had to take their car in for unexpected repairs so didn’t have the money.
Sunday - I didn’t walk the dog so didn’t see them.
Monday - They were nowhere to be seen when I returned with the dog (presumably upstairs) so I just let Roxy in the house and left.
Tuesday - I asked for the payment and this is when they swore they’d already paid me.

So I feel a bit stuck. Do I keep texting them and hope they eventually reply? Do I stop texting them and ask them to contact me when they’re ready, but then there’s a risk of them forgetting I exist and not getting my money? Do I go round to the house to find out what’s happening? I don’t want to barge in there uninvited when they could be having a crisis or something. It’s not just about the money, although it is a nice top up to my income as they’re now my last remaining regular customers (the others are all ad hoc when people go on holiday and need me to care for their pets) I enjoy our walks. I’ve built up a bond with Roxy and it gets me some extra exercise. Also, if no one else is walking Roxy, she’s stuck in the house all day, not getting any exercise and nothing to stimulate her brain by sniffing other dogs’ “messages”, leaving her own, seeing what’s happening out there.

I don’t know what to do and I’m uncertain about our future :o(

EDIT
Just after I posted this they replied (it’s like they were watching me…!) and said they didn’t want to face me as they don’t have my money yet. Ridiculous, I keep telling them they have 28 days to pay and it’s only been two weeks! So we’re back on now…

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The other thing I’m worried about also involves pet care, of a sort. Jay’s cousin is going on holiday next week and wants me to look after the cats and their house while they’re away. They originally asked me to stay in the house as they had an elderly dog, but they sadly had her put down last week so now it’s just the two cats. Cats can pretty much look after themselves and one of them lives outside most of the time so my new plan was just to pop round twice a day to make sure they’re fed / open and close the curtains / pick up the post etc.

I went round last night to talk about details and they dropped something quite scary on me. A bit of background.

She has a brother who has a very chequered past. He’s a heroin addict who will do anything he can to get his next fix, including stealing from his own family. When their mother died, she split her money equally between her children but tied it all up in a trust so he couldn’t spend it all at once on drugs. Even though she did this for everyone so she wasn’t singling him out, he was more upset by this than he was by the death of his mother because “It’s my f*cking money, I should be able to do what I want with it.” That’s the kind of person he is.

Well, apparently he went round to visit his sister (Jay’s cousin who I’m pet sitting for) and she decided it was a good idea to tell him they were going on holiday and the exact dates. He then proceeded to wander all around the house, inside and out, checking out the security cameras, asking where they all were, did they have an alarm, will there be anyone in the house while they’re away, obviously casing the joint. He also decided to tell them that there’s a spate of burglaries in the area at the moment with 15 in the last week, as if he was setting them up to expect it.

She told him that “Jay’s girlfriend” was going to be looking after the house. So she’s basically told an experienced criminal that a female is going to be in the house on her own for two weeks.

Now, I’m bloody terrified. Should I stay overnight in the house for extra security? Would he break in even if I was there, would I be in danger? If I stay there, my new £5k car will be outside, will he steal my car? If I don’t stay and he breaks in, I’ll feel partly responsible for not being there when I know the place is at risk. I’m going to be so scared every time I go to the house now.

Oh my word, what a situation. So many questions about both things…

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Last updated May 04, 2016