Policies & Questions
To be able to provide the best possible care for our pet parents, we do enforce the following policies.
We believe these policies act in the best interests of our pet parents as well as the Keeping Tails Wagging team members.
In your home so we can:
Meet your pets
Learn their routines
Ensure both parties are the right fit.
Before we can schedule:
Online profile completed, pet and house
Service Agreement
Online Reservations
Download the app
Everything is located in one spot, scheduling, communication and invoicing.
Minimum Requirements for Visits:
We Recommend
Dogs- 3 visits per day
We Require
Dogs-Minimum 2 per day
Cats- Minimum 1 per day
This is for the health and well-being of your pets, and the safety of your home.
People in your house who are not Keeping Tails Wagging Team Members:
To ensure the safety of your pets, home and our team members, we ask that others with home access be brought to our attention before visits begin via email through the pet parent portal.
Failure to comply will result in a breach of contract, as our insurance does not permit such situations.
What will I need during the initial consultation?
The goal of the Registration Meet n' Greet is to meet with us to first and foremost make sure we are a good fit for one another. During this initial meeting, we will review the online profile that you will be asked to complete prior to our meeting. This will include your Client Profile, Pet Profile, Service Agreement and Cancellation Policy. There is a one-time $25 registration fee.During the consultation, we’ll get to know all about your pets and their routine. We will go over the 3 P’s of Pet Sitting: Policies, Pricing and Processes.
Three (3) keys will be collected during the Meet n' Greet unless there is a code access to your home, in this case one key will be excepted.
Cancellation & No Shows:
We understand that life happens and sometimes you need to cancel services. Of course, nobody likes to have to pay for a service they did not use. However, we are trying to employ a great staff who love and care for your animals, and sometimes this means you have to pay for a short-notice cancellation. In order to provide the absolute best care to our Clients, keep our team members happy & productive, and ensure our office is operating as efficiently as possible, we have implemented a Cancellation Policy on all appointments.
In order to best serve your needs, our strict cancellation policies are as follows:
Dog Walking Memberships
-
3 or more dog walking services scheduled per week, on an on going, assumable perpetual basis
-
Clients will experience our flexible cancellation policy.
-
We understand that day-to-day circumstances may cause a last-minute schedule change (sick day, work from home day, weather-related change in schedule) and as long as we are notified by 6 a.m. the day of a scheduled walk, the Client will be credited the service fee for the cancelled visit, less any discounts that were originally applied to that visit.
-
Additional charge may apply for remaining visits that were part of the discount.
-
If the visit is cancelled after 6 a.m., Client will forfeit the service fee.
-
Day or Time "swapping" subject to handling fee.
-
Cancelling more than 10 walks in any one month will result in a $10 per-visit-cancelled as retainer fee to keep your membership active and time slot saved or cancellation of membership in cases of multiple subsequent months with the same or more cancellations. To cancel or change membership level please submit cancellation/change notice in our software at least 14 days prior to the first day of the next month to
Non-Member Dog Walking
-
1 walk per day scheduled outside of or not part of a membership in an "as-needed" fashion.
-
Once these walks are confirmed, they are final.
Pet Sitting and Overnight
-
A "one-time series" of subsequent visits, over a predefined period.
-
Example: 3 days or one week
-
-
Cancelled within 14 days of the start date, Client will be responsible for 50% of the invoice for booked/confirmed services.
-
Cancelled within 7 days of the start date, Client will be responsible for 100% of the invoice for booked/confirmed services.
-
These also apply to services that are cut short, for instance, if the Client returns early and cancels remaining services.
-
Holiday reservations are non-creditable and non-refundable. Any amount already paid, but owed to the client will be credited to the client's Keeping Tails Wagging account for future service.
-
If your dog is not home during your regular appointment or we are sent away at the time of our arrival, the full-service charge will incur.
Why Do We Enforce a Cancellation Policy?
Cancellation policies are put into effect to protect the customer and the business and make sure they are mutually committed to the transaction. It allows the business to be able to adequately and efficiently schedule their staff for services.
In the world of pet sitting, sitters can only be in one home at a time, so having these policies in place is particularly important.
If a client cancels without much notice, it is very unlikely that we will be able to find another appointment to fill in the slot on their schedule that the client no longer needs. This means our staff will not get paid.
By guaranteeing our staff regular appointments and a steady income we are able to attract the best pet care professionals to work for Keeping Tails Wagging.
Cancellation fees are shared between the business and your pet sitter who was counting on the income from the booking. Often times our sitters plan their vacations or family time around client schedules.
The fee is strictly enforced to repay our staff for their dedication to their job and to you and your pet.
You always has the ability to refuse to pay it, however, if that occurs we will no longer accept bookings moving forward. We want Pet Parents who respect us as much as we respect them, their pets and their homes.
Surcharges
-
"Rush Visit" Requests
-
$20 surcharge for reservations requested within 24 hours of a scheduled visit.
-
$15 surcharge for reservations requested within 48 hours of a scheduled visit.
-
Please keep in mind, we may not be able to accommodate same-day visit requests, so it is always best to book in advance to secure a reservation.
Holidays
-
Payment is due at time of booking
-
There is a $10 per visit surcharge on all major Holiday’s.
-
New Year's Eve & New Year's Day
-
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
-
George Washington’s Birthday
-
Memorial Day
-
Independence Day
-
Labor Day
-
Columbus Day
-
Veterans Day
-
Thanksgiving Day
-
Christmas Eve & Christmas Day
Payment:
Payments must be made before the first visit. Making a payment is easy using our scheduling software. You are able to keep a card on file so you can one click when you recieve your invoice. We also accept checks, PayPal and Venmo.
Frequently Asked Questions
Every home visit is unique, but consultations usually last anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the amount of information we need to collect during the visit, and how many pets we are visiting. We are very thorough in the information we collect in order to ensure we provide you with the best service.
How long does the consultation last?
Vacation Care services are scheduled when clients are traveling out of town, usually requiring more visits per day and include light-house sitting duties as needed. Membership services are scheduled when clients remain in town and want to provide their pets with attention, care and TLC when their schedules do not allow them to. A benefit of having a one on one ratio of Pet Care Specialist to household is that every visit can be customized to you and your fur kids' needs.
What is the difference between Memberships and Vacation Visits?
For your convenience, all payments can be made through our online portal and we accept all major credit cards, Venmo as well as PayPal. Payment terms will be specified in the pet sitting agreement you receive as a new client.
How will I pay and when is payment due for the first service?
Yes! Clients can select their preferred 2-hour window for our arrival through the online portal. If you have a specific time preference within the 2-hour timeframe, there is an option to add a note in your request, and while we cannot guarantee the exact arrival time, we do our very best to arrive at your preferred time.
Can I pick the times for my visits?
We try our hardest to have the same sitter care for your pets when you require services. Should there be a change in sitter, we will contact you before services are to begin.
Will the same pet sitter care for my pet(s) during each visit?
We try our hardest to have the same sitter care for your pets when you require services. Should there be a change in sitter, we will contact you before services are to begin.
Will the same pet sitter care for my pet(s) during each visit?
We always keep our client’s pets on our schedule until we hear from the client that they have arrived home safely. Should you have to extend your travels or become delayed, you can be sure that your pets will continue to be cared for by our team.
What happens if my return travel is extended or delayed?
We will get you started by sending you an invitation through your email address. You can save the page to your home screen or visit this website and click on 'login' located on the upper left hand corner.
How do I login to the Client Portal?
We understand that life happens and sometimes you need to cancel services. Of course, nobody likes to have to pay for a service they did not use. However, we are trying to employ a great staff who love and care for your animals, and sometimes this means you have to pay for a short-notice cancellation. In order to provide the absolute best care to our Pet Parents, keep our team members happy & productive, and ensure our office is operating as efficiently as possible, we have implemented a Cancellation Policy on all appointments.
What happens if I need to cancel a visit?
We will do our best to accommodate our clients when an emergency arises. Should an emergency happen, please call us directly at 210.710.3097 to schedule services.
What happens if I have an emergency and I need to travel suddenly?
We encourage all of our clients to have a contingency plan should an emergency occur – such as a tropical storm, hurricane, power outage, etc.
We are committed to providing our clients’ pets with the best care possible during this time. However, our safety coming and going from our clients’ homes must be considered as well as the safety and well being of our own homes, families, and pets.
We recommend that our clients emergency plan be set in place prior to traveling and to discuss this plan with us to be sure it can be implemented should an issue occur.
Should a catastrophic event take place that requires an evacuation, clients will be required to make their own arrangements for their pets care as we cannot promise we will be able to evacuate with them. During a natural disaster, Keeping Tails Wagging representatives WILL NOT stay in our client’s homes under any circumstance.