IN-HOME PET SITTING • DOG WALKING • CATS, DOGS, RODENTS, FISH, & REPTILES • HOUSE SITTING (MAIL, LIGHTS, PLANTS, TRASH, ETC) • REFERENCES UPON REQUEST
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OTHER POLICIES
RABIES VACCINATION REQUIREMENT
All cats and dogs must be current on their rabies vaccination, and the certificate (or other proof of vaccination such as itemized vet receipt) must be uploaded to your pet's profile in Time To Pet.
The only exceptions are as follows:
- feral/community cats who should have received their first rabies shot at time of spay/neuter surgery, but do not require subsequent vaccinations
- the rare occasion where a veterinarian recommends no further vaccinations due to health concerns
Any clients without proof of vaccination on file in Time To Pet, will not be able to request services. If you have an animal other than a cat or dog, please let me know and I can manually push out their rabies due dates to override the system so you can request services (such as for rabbits, rodents, goats, etc).
Note: Rabies vaccination is required by South Carolina state law. And other than the 2 exceptions listed above, this is a non-negotiable requirement for our services, just as it is for all veterinary, kennel, boarding, and playcare facilities.
FREQUENCY OF VISITS
For cats, we require a minimum of 1 visit per day. For dogs, we require a minimum of 3 visits per day, unless they have access to a doggy door in between (in which case, 2 visits per day is acceptable). Obviously, on the first and last day of service, you may have less visits depending on time of day you leave and return. This policy is in place for the safety of your pets, so that we can provide them the best care possible.
NUMBER OF PETS
All pets in your home should have a profile in your Time To Pet account. During vacation care, we will not "ignore" certain pets in the home. For example, regardless of auto feeders, we will be checking on your cats in addition to the dogs; at least checking waters and general health of any small animals and exotics; and so on.
We do not charge more for extra animals, but please take into consideration how much time is involved in multi-pet households and/or those with consistent indoor potty accidents. We may recommend a longer (30 minute) visit instead of a short (15 minute) visit if we feel the visits are taking longer than the booked time slot to perform all duties, including giving basic attention to the pets.
RAWHIDE
We do not give client dogs any sort of rawhide chew or bone while under our care due to the risk of gastrointestinal obstruction . For more information on how rawhide is made, and the potential dangers, please read this website.
There are many safer, more digestible alternatives now, such deer antlers, bully sticks, and "rawhide alternative" brands such as SmartBone, DreamBone, and No-Hide.
LEASHES
We ask that all clients please provide a regular 4-6 foot leash for walks. If one is not provided, we will bring our own.
We do not use stretchy (bungee) style leashes or flexi-leads (also known as retractable leashes). Other than maybe a leisurely sniff in the backyard for a small & elderly dog, these leashes are not appropriate for most scenarios and can be potentially dangerous for both your pet and our team. For more information on the potential dangers of flexi-leads, please read this website.
NO OFF-LEASH VISITS
For the safety of your pets, we do not allow dogs to be off leash during our visits, unless it is in a secure, fenced-in yard. This also applies to indoor cats. We prefer to keep them inside during our visits (even if you allow them outside occasionally). There is never any guarantee that your dog or cat will listen to their sitter like they do their owner, so we prefer to err on the side of caution. If a cat is absolutely miserable not getting their outdoor time, then we can let them outside if client insists, but we (the sitters) will not be held liable for anything that may happen to them outside of the security of the client's home.
KEY POLICY
Clients are required to provide us with 2 key copies for their home. These keys will be stored securely, and without any identifying information other than your pet's name & a unique (private) 3-digit number for our reference. If a client fails to provide 2 copies, we reserve the right to make a second copy, at a fee of $10, to be added to your next invoice.
While we understand that many clients prefer to use a door or garage access code, we require keys on file in the case of a power outage or potential equipment failure. Failure to provide us with keys may prevent us from entering your home and caring for your pet(s) in these rare instances.
LIMIT OF LIABILITY
As a professional pet service provider, we take our responsibilities very seriously and are not comfortable sharing the care of your pet(s) with ANOTHER PERSON. Additionally, having ANOTHER PERSON(S)* enter your home during the booking period when we are caring for your pet(s) may VOID our liability insurance, and we cannot be held responsible for any damage that may occur to your pet(s) and/or property.
* ANOTHER PERSON(s) includes but is not limited to the following: housekeepers, contractors, your teenage kids, neighbors, friends, other family members, roommates, etc.
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FEE SCHEDULE
LATE BOOKING FEES ($8/visit or $25/overnight)
While we try to accommodate last minute requests when possible, we do reserve the right to decline services if we do not have availability. Note: services are not confirmed until your requests have been approved by Jamie in Time To Pet, and you have received an email confirmation.
A late booking fee of $8 per visit ($25 per overnight) will be charged for all visits not booked within the appropriate time frames as detailed below:
Daily (weekday) visits: 48 hours
Vacation care/weekends: 7 days (of 1st visit)
Holidays & overnights: 14 days (of 1st visit)
NOTE: If it is for a true emergency (e.g., death in the family, hospital stay, etc) please message Jamie to let her know, and we will do our best to fit you in. Late booking fee may be waived at my discretion if due to an emergency.
LATE PAYMENT FEE ($10 per week)
Payment is due at or prior to the time of the completion of services. For example, if you are out of town Jan 3-16, your payment is due by Jan 16 at the latest. Due date will be clearly stated at the top of each invoice.
Invoices are sent to client prior to the start of services, and can be accessed at any time in the Time To Pet app or portal. It is the client's responsibility to pay on time. Invoices not paid within 7 days of the due date will be charged a $10 late payment fee every 7 days it is past due.
Please be respectful of the fact that I need money in our bank account to be able to pay my employees for all their hard work, and I cannot do that in a timely manner if clients are chronically late paying their invoices for services already completed.
HOLIDAY FEE ($8/visit or $25/overnight)
To fairly compensate our sitters who give up time with their families to work over the holidays, we do charge a small holiday fee. This fee is an additional $8 per visit (or $25 per overnights/sleepover):. Holiday fee applies to the following dates for the entirety of the day:
Memorial Day
4th of July
Labor Day
Thanksgiving Day + the Friday after
Christmas Eve
Christmas Day
New Year's Eve
New Year's Day
CANCELLATION FEES (50-100%)
Definition: Any service that is more than 1 single visit, and/or not part of a regular weekly/monthly schedule, is considered "vacation care".
Once services are confirmed, we reserve that time for your pets and do not overbook (which means turning away other clients nearly every week). We understand that sometimes plans change and that you need to cancel your travel plans. However, due to the nature of this business, we are typically unable to fill any empty spots that a cancellation creates. Additionally, time-consuming administrative tasks are performed each time a reservation is accepted and/or cancelled. With this in mind, the following cancellation fees apply:
For daily/weekly visits (weekdays only):
49 hours or more prior to scheduled visit: NO CHARGE
25-48 hours: 50% of visit fee
24 hours or less: FULL PRICE
For vacation care and/or weekends:
8 days or more prior to first date of scheduled service: NO CHARGE
3–7 days: 50% of total scheduled services
2 days or less: FULL PRICE for entirety of scheduled services
For overnights and/or holiday weeks:
15 days or more prior to first date of scheduled service: NO CHARGE
8-14 days: 50% of total scheduled services
7 days or less: FULL PRICE for entirety of scheduled services
Note: Cancelled visits due to late departures will not be refunded. Cancelled visits due to early returns may be issued a 50% credit at Jamie's discretion, depending on amount of notice provided.