Pet Care for Your Peace of Mind
As pet parents, it’s difficult leaving our pets in the care of others. Will the pet sitter understand the subtle signals our pet gives when she is anxious, hungry, or just wants a little petting? No matter what type of pet care that is needed, we will spend time with your animals, getting to know them and their personalities. Just like people, no two are alike.
Our general services are described here but can often be adjusted to meet a particular client or animal need.
Midday Dog Visits
Many dogs enjoy our weekly, private dog walking services and look forward to their dog walker’s arrival each day. There are many benefits for your dog when they are regularly walked, both physically and mentally. And when you have a long day at work, you can take comfort knowing that your friend has gotten a little love and exercise when you couldn’t be there.
The “midday” visits can be scheduled at other times of the day but are applicable to when you are in town but are unable to be home to give your pet a needed break.
Visits are either 20 or 30 minutes in length. Dog walks range from 15 to 25 minutes depending upon the length of visit, how well a dog behaves on leash, and general walking conditions. You may also elect to have your dog(s) played with in a yard rather than walked.
We maintain a journal at your home with notes regarding the walk, your dog’s behavior and any health concerns. Dog walking is a good time to see if an animal is ill, has some soreness, or is acting lethargic.
Basic Pet Care
The following care is given during the 30 minute pet sitting visit:
- Provide food and water
- Play, exercise and love
- Perform clean up (litter boxes, pet messes, etc)
- Administer any medications
- Get prompt veterinary care if needed
Home Care
The following home care is also provided at no additional cost if chores can be completed with the time span of a regular pet visit:
- Plants are watered
- Newspaper and mail brought inside
- Trash and recycling containers brought in and out from the curb
- Lights and window coverings altered to give that at-home look and feeling
Dog Sitting
Typically, 3 or 4 30-minute visits are made to your home each day to care for your dog. Care includes feeding, walking, and playtime. If a dog is crated, a minimum of 4 visits are required in a 24-hour period. If a dog has access to a yard, you may opt to have only two visits made instead of the required 3 visits in 24-hour period.
The cost of care remains the same for up to three animals.
Cat Sitting
Cat sitting visits are made each day you are away from home. These visits are scheduled at about every 24 hours so that your pet knows when to expect us. We visit cat homes either early-to-mid morning or mid-to-late afternoon.
Visits are either 20 or 30 minutes depending upon the needs and personality of your feline. The cost of care remains the same for up to three animals.
Home Security for Pet Care Services
Keys
If you decide to use our pet care services, we will require two copies of your key. When left with us, we tag keys with a security code unrelated to your home. When not being used for scheduled visits, keys are kept in a locked security box. There are fees to return for keys or to make the second key.
In order to easily arrange subsequent pet care visits without a key exchange, most clients leave their keys in our possession. This is especially helpful when there is an unexpected business trip or a family emergency requiring you to rush out of town.
Keys must be in our possession prior to you leaving town. Because of liability concerns, we will not use keys left outside waiting for our first visit nor will we leave a key outside at your home on the final visit. We will drop off and/or pick up keys for a fee.
Alarm Systems
Many homes have alarm systems and we are quite familiar with using them. If possible, we suggest that you assign a unique entry code for our use so that you are not required to share your personal code.
If you are going to be out of the country or in an area with poor cell phone service while we are providing pet care, you may want to give our name and number to your security company. When the security company is unable to reach you, they can call us. We can go over to your home and check on the animals but this is not in lieu of calling the police.
If we accidentally set off the alarm, we will let you know. If your home has a landline, the security company often calls that number first to verify that there really is an emergency. We will answer the phone and they typically ask for a verbal password. Please let us know what we should use as password.
Garage Door Openers & Key Fobs
It is company policy that we do not use garage door openers or key fobs as our primary way to access your home. Because we typically have two sitters assigned to a family, sharing such devices becomes complicated. In addition, we have encountered faulty garage door openers resulting in great difficulty getting into the home.
What Clients Are Saying About Our Pet Care
” I love reading the notes for every day I’m away and know they’re sincere as they describe these three perfectly. It’s nice to be able to get a week or a weekend away and not worry. “
Marjorie Nonaka
“They take such great care of our pups! I go to work everyday knowing they will be very lovingly taken care of. “
Samurdhi Roberts
“You are not getting a teenager who will come over if he or she remembers … you are getting a professional who will develop a rapport with your dog and will be able to handle anything that comes up. “
Dan Sachs
Ready to Meet and Talk?
Before service can began, we must arrange a time to meet. It will take place at your home and will last approximately 30 minutes. At that time, we will be introduced to your animals and we will discuss what will happen during the visits.