Will you just do the morning and afternoon visits?
My friend will come by in the evening after work to care for the animals (or Will you do
visits from XX date to XX date? My brother will do the rest of the visits until we get home).
No, we do not do job shares. This means we will not pet sit when someone else (a friend, neighbor, relative etc) is also caring for your pet. We should be the only people caring for your pets while you are gone. There are many issues that arise when you have multiple people caring for your pet. Communication often breaks down between caregivers. Pets get double food, double medication, visits missed, the other person doesn’t show up when scheduled, they move needed items to different locations, leave the door unlocked etc. If something goes wrong you would not know who the responsible party was. Our insurance and bonding would not be in effect if we are not the sole caregivers, so please do not ask us to do job shares.
Will you do a
visit for our cat every other day or every few days? No, we
require that cats get at least one visit per day. We have personally had
issues where if a cat was left alone for 48 hours they would have died
(urinary blockage). Cats can also get trapped/stuck in areas of the home
or have other emergency medical conditions.
Why do you need two copies of our key? One copy is for daily use. The other copy is kept in a secure location as a back-up in case of emergency. All keys are coded and do not have your name or address written on them. The second copy comes in handy if for some reason your key is lost or locked inside your house. We would still be able to get into your home without interrupting service. If you do not have 2 copies ready for us at the pre-service meeting we can make a copy for you for $5.
Do I have to leave a copy of my key on file with you? No, but most clients prefer this option as we are then available for short notice visits (as little as a couple hours notice). All it takes is a phone call/email to set up future trips. It can also be difficult to arrange drop off and pick up key visits that are convenient for both you and us. We also can let you in if you’re locked out of your house if we have a copy on file. Mid-day dog walk clients must leave a key on file with us for their regular visits. Methods of key return are listed on the contract if you do not wish to keep a key on file for future needs.
Can I just give you my garage door opener (code)? We will accept an opener or code if that is the way you would like us to enter your home. We do not accept ONLY electronic means of entry due to the possibility of a power outage denying access. We require a physical key as well.
Will you let my cat out in the morning and let him in for the evening? We understand that your cat is used to having access to the outdoors, but we require them to stay inside while we are caring for them. We would just worry about their safety too much if they went out and then did not return “as usual”. Many cats will refuse to approach the house when they do not know us very well. It is best that they stay inside during this time.
Will you just let my dog outside to potty with no fenced yard or tie-out? He just does his business and comes right back in. No, for liability reasons we never let dogs off leash. He could get lost or injured or he could injure someone else while not under leash control. It is also against the law. Even if the dog is well behaved and obedient for you off-leash, it does not mean they will listen to us. Dogs need to be let into a fenced yard (an invisible fence is okay) or pen, clipped to a tie-out or walked on leash.
