Am I working?

Siblings can be harsh in a way that gets under the skin. I have a friend that cat sits , she works hard and the client is able to go on holiday. Your sister may resent your lovely career, but that’s her problem. Nice thing about being around animals is they aren’t usually spiteful.

Is this the only topic/area of life in which your sister is less than 'nice'? Several posters have touched on this. It is most definitely work. My 'paid' work is a doddle compared to looking after my four dogs (although I love it all - fortunately). I would give her 'her answer', as they say!

Georgesgran

Looking after numerous dogs is hard work! At one point we had 10 and it was almost a full time (unpaid) job to take them out, in groups, two or three (summer nights) times a day, plus feeding, etc.
Personally, it does sound as if your sister is jealous, for whatever reason, best known to herself. You don’t say how old either of you are, which could be a factor?
I assume you are properly insured, declaring this income and paying the necessary tax?

Omg , The Op was asking “‘Am I working “?
And you question her about her business !!!
Which is just as bad if not worse than her Sister’s comments !

Yes I agree with the majority. Your sister is jealous and I would suggest it is because you are happy with all those lovely wagging tails and she for whatever reason is not happy with her lot. Otherwise why would she try to upset you.

Here’s another suggestion 🖕No words needed.

Whatever you are doing, if you are paid for it, it’s work. ( and the tax man would agree!). No need to get emotional or have ‘beliefs’. Your sister is factually incorrect….for whatever reason….if she says it again, you can rightfully, say that it’s paid work and leave it at that.

Of course you’re working! In fact you are a small business owner. Your sister is not nice 😵‍💫

I'm self-employed part time and find people think I don't really work (including my husband).

There was no one more hard working than my Mum. She brought up 3 children and dogs and she worked from home for a local factory making canopies for Hammocks and bags for Fishing rods. . She cut to pattern, and sewed on home sewing machine, She was supplied with bales of material and the finished goods were collected by the factory. All this done for years from home. Don't listen to anyone who telsl you working from home is not a job. It can and most certainly is. It is hard too.

It's like looking after someone else's children, that's a job too.

My Mum and Dad didn't like me being a registered childminder.
If they were coming for the weekend I noticed they wouldn't arrive until after the last child had gone home.
I asked why and Dad said it was "humiliating" when the parents paid me 🙄

Don’t you have to be registered and licensed with the local authority if you are paid to look after any dogs in your own home? That surely makes it a business.

I worked with my husband on our business my family never took it serious. It’s just a ridiculous trait some people have it’s called jealousy ignore your sisters remarks.

Family attitudes to their sibling's work life is really interesting.

Most of my siblings have retired and it is interesting how they often banged on about still working to the older retired ones until they themselves retired. I did it myself too!

We have a younger sibling who now bores us all with mentioning her 'work' at every opportunity, I think just to prove something to us, although we're not at all interested.

Maybe you should just say 'I'm doing my dog job,' or something similar.

I don't think it is jealousy as such, maybe she just doesn't want to know about your working life. Don't make a big thing of it.

Back in my 20s, after 6 years of part-time study whilst doing a full-time job, I qualified as an Accountant. As planned, I then had my first baby and to help the family budget I did the accounts of sole traders, at home, juggling it around childcare, housework and baby naps. My mother never agreed that I was "working" because I did it at home.

The tax office didn't agree with her, neither did the National Insurance folk, nor the Professional Indemnity Insurance people.

When I asked her to have my daughter now and again she refused, saying if I was at home I could look after her myself!

Later I got a "job" as an Examiner for a Professional Accountancy body which I also did at home. My mother didn't think that was a job either, even though over the following 25 years it earned me today's equivalent of about £25k a year. The tax office took its cut of that as well.

When my mum had to go into a care home at the end of her life, guess who paid the top-up fees for her (and willingly)?

You will never win with your sister, and as others have said, make a light-hearted joke of it and enjoy your lovely job.

Just say, 'if you say so... and the money's a bonus...'

I was always amused to be asked "Are you a housewife, or do you work?".

Try reading my second post NanaTuesday!

It’s a job and you’re paid!

Your sister is being very rude!

You probably wouldn't want to waste the money, but I might be tempted, at coffee or lunch to say 'My treat, I'm in funds - had a lot of work last week'.
Smile!

Jane is spot on.

Astitchintime

"Do a job you love, and you'll never work a day in your life".

You evidently enjoy looking after the dogs or you wouldn't be doing it would you? But you are providing care for the dogs, so in effect you are working.

I think your sister is jealous, she's either seething that she didn't think of doing it before you or she is possibly doing a job she doesn't particularly like and envies the fun you clearly have with the dogs.

Just carry on doing what you do, rise above your sisters envy.

Definitely highly worthy and wise advice.

You are qualified at it, committed to work for your customers at regular times, they pay you for it, and you pay taxes etc on your earnings. That sounds very like a job to me - if you were a trained hairdresser, turning up at a salon and doing things to people's hair, for money, and fulfilling all the legal and fiscal requirements, would she still say you didn't work? Ask her what her definition of work is, that'll put her on the spot.

Of course you are working. In fact, you are a small business owner.

Sounds as if your sister is jealous of you. Maybe even though she has work hard all her life, her career has not been as successful as yours?

If she mentioned it again, you can tell her if your business grow vey big, you may consider employing her.

What a wonderful job you have. Not all jobs are in shops or offices. It takes an army and your part of it. 🐶

JaneJudge

So it is a job you are even qualified for I think I'd be inclined to tell her to piss off

What Jane says 👍