Questions and Answers
Common Inquiries
We know that letting someone else take care of your pet can be difficult. To make the process a little easier, we’ve put together some of the questions we're frequently asked, along with some we ask so that you can be prepared. If there’s something we’ve missed, just reach out and we’ll do our best to help.
Things we want to know:
Q: Is your dog in-tact?
Are its reproductive organs functional? This could change where we take the dog for social situations, should you like those to occur.
Q: Rabies & Bordetella (kennel cough) up to date?
Because we travel in and out of multiple homes with pets in a day, we are required by the state to be sure our clients have these vaccinations are up to date to protect all of our clientele.
Q: What do you NOT feed your fur baby?
We have dog treats of different varieties and don't want to accidentally poison your pets.
Q: What manner do you leave your home in on your departure?
Is there a TV/Radio/White Noise set up going for distraction? Do you toss them a treat or toy? Do you have a specific phrase? Do you close blinds or seclude them in any specific way?
Q: What are your pet's favorite pass times?
Reason: We don't want to be overly boring for your pets. Is tugging a rope George's thing? Is chasing a hair-tie the best thing ever for Quincy? We want to know. That way, we can attempt ALL of the things that make them happy. If they don't want to do them, that's fine. We want to at least try though.
Q: Does the outside world drive your pet nuts? What do they do?
Reason: You pets want to protect their domain. We watch windows. We listen for car doors. We need to know what to be prepared for when the Calico down the street walks by or when Andrew the postman slides his door open and closed.
NOTE: There are more things that we need to know, but all of those things are on a form we have you fill out, if you want to move forward with our services. These are just the things people forget the most.
Things you want to know:
Q: How many dogs do you walk at a time?
Oof... Only dogs from the same household, unless you've approved meetings and interactions with other dogs. Without written approval though, Only Your Household of Dogs.
Q: Do you walk the same path every time, or will you spice it up from time to time?
That is entirely based on the dog we are working with. If your dog is routine based, we will keep to a routine. If your dog is not, we may try new paths here and there. If you want your dog to explore more, we are happy to oblige.
Q: Are you guys insured?
We ARE Insured! Each of our employees is required to fill out a W4, so that they are covered by our insurance. We do not hire 1099 individuals.
Q: What if one of your employees steals from us?
We are bonded. We hope that nothing like this would ever happen, as you place a lot of trust in us and we place a lot of that same trust in our employees. We are prepared in the event of flawed human behavior however.
Q: How do you gain access to my home and is it secure?
Some people leave us a key for that specific job and we return in at the end. Some people have us keep a key on file (locked up). Some people have codes for us to use. We ALSO provide a lock box, for a $50 deposit though, which you can read about in our Services and Pricing.
Q: How far in advance do I need to contact you?
While we would appreciate two months in advance, we also know that your life is just as chaotic as our schedules. We are not going to dismiss a request, nor a last minute booking. Our availability could very well be wide open. Please don't hesitate to ask!
**We do have a Last Minute Booking fee. We MAY waive it in certain situations, like honest emergencies. Last minute booking are hard on the employees and their families. That leads to stress while in your home. That stress is not healthy for our employees or your pet. *Please see information about this fee in Services and Pricing.
Q: How long does it take to confirm a job with you?
This is not an immediate process. Barring any extenuating circumstances you should expect an answer within 24-48 hours.
Many people think that we look at the calendar and say, "oh we have an opening right here." That is not how it works. We may have it on the company calendar, but our employees may not be available. We have to check to see if we have anyone available for the period requested, then ask them if they are willing and able to take on that specific job. For some of our employees, this isn't their main job, so we have to wait for responses.
Q: Who is allowed on my property and in my home?
We don't allow non-company members on a property with us. The goal is for you to have met any human that would be entering your home. There are situations where this may not be possible though. Potential #1, a reviewing manager comes through (we review each other occasionally). Potential #2, an emergency has happened and none of the known handlers are available. NO ONE OUTSIDE OF OUR COMPANY IS ALLOWED IN YOUR HOME.
-- CHILD EXCEPTION --
Some of our employees have children who travel with them for work. See Family Notice lower on this page.
Q: Why do you say "We aren't you, and your pet knows it"?
You and your pet have a bond. We don't have the same bond. Be it our first time or our hundredth, your pet will treat us differently than it treats you. Your pet is used to you. No matter how often we are there, we aren't the same. It is impossible to replace you completely.
This includes things like Lethargy as well. They miss you. No matter how many times you go away without them, they're never fully adjusted. We've got them covered.
Jessie says at meet-n-greets, "They WILL do something out of the ordinary with us. I promise you. It's like a test. We're used to it though."
*** IMPORTANT FAMILY NOTE ***
As previously stated, there are employees with children. We do not count them as "Handlers". However, they may or may not be with their parents on jobs. If employees bring them along, they do so at their own risk.
Employees with children will use their knowledge of the pets and their children, along with their professional judgement to asses how meetings, or lack there of, should take place. There will be dogs that they will refuse to introduce the kids to (for reasons on both sides generally). There will be dogs that the managers refuse to allow them to do introductions with (for reasons on both sides generally).
If we/they feel, for even a split second, that an interaction between the kids and your pets will be a questionable situation, they will keep them apart.
Your pets overall wellbeing is of the utmost importance and we feel that our children can be just as happy, playing in a tree out front if need be.
