DID YOU KNOW? |
Hamsters love to eat crickets.
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POLICIES
HOURS & SCHEDULES:
Our business hours are from 8am-6pm daily. If our schedule permits, we will answer the phone before or after these hours. We begin pet rounds at 7am and finish by 8:00pm. For any visit before 7am or after 8pm, there will be an additional charge of $5 per visit. Services rendered on federally recognized holidays will be charged an additional $10 per day fee. Reservations for service outside the basic calling area will be charged extra. In order to best accommodate your needs with our schedule, please try to reserve our service by calling two weeks in advance. To avoid being charged a Short Notice or Emergency fee, you must call more than 48 hours in advance. Because we can only accommodate one pet/home during an overnight stay, please be sure to call well in advance to establish this reservation. If you have an emergency during our off hours, please call and leave a message. We promise to check messages frequently and return your call as soon as possible.
ABOVE ALL…
Please remember to call as soon as you return from your trip, regardless of the time. Just leave a voice message or send us an email (arrival@petprosofwilmington.com) and at the earliest convenience, we will return your call to arrange a meeting to deliver the key and settle payment. Otherwise, Pet Pros of Wilmington will continue to visit to ascertain the safety and well-being of your pet and home. If you need to extend your trip or are expecting to be home earlier than expected, please inform Pet Pros of Wilmington as soon as possible. We don’t want to neglect your pet because you had to be gone longer than expected and you don’t want to be charged for unnecessary visits if you come home early.
CONSULTAIONS:
The initial consultation is completely free and arranged at a time convenient for both you and Pet Pros of Wilmington. During this meet-and-greet, we expect to pick up the signed contracts as well as the key that will be used when we provide services. The consultation can last anywhere from 20-45 minutes depending on the number of animals you have and the detail involved in their routines. We want to make sure that both the sitter and your pets will be happy and comfortable so a pre-service meeting is mandatory. We do prefer to email or mail the necessary contracts prior to this initial consultation because as first time clients, this paper work can be time consuming and this will allow all the time during the consultation to be spent on more important matters. Additional consultations or trips to pick up spare keys after this first visit will be subject to a fee of one pet sitting visit.
CONFIRMATION CALLS:
Pet Pros of Wilmington will call you 24-48 hours before you are expected to leave to confirm visits with your pet. If you do not receive a confirmation message by phone or email, please call us to verify arrangements.
CANCELLATIONS:
We understand that quite frequently plans can change. However, please try to notify us no less than 24 hours of our scheduled time if you need to reschedule or cancel. If a lengthy visit of four (4) days or more along with multiple other services requested, a 25% may be charged for any cancellation made less than 24 hours.
VISITS:
We know that no one can possibly know your pets better than yourself. However, we cannot ethically overlook your cat, bird, rodent, or any pet while taking care of your dog although you may feel that there has been sufficient food and water left for them. Besides, we couldn't morally walk your dog twice a day but fail to take appropriate action should we notice an illness or injury to one of your other pets. Please make sure you list each animal so that if anything happens, we'll have access to their information. Likewise, we cannot justify leaving a puppy in a crate for an entire day, minus the one visit you would like us to make. Please understand that we do appreciate your business, but we feel that an active puppy should have multiple visits in order to housetrain him and allow him exercise, affection, and socialization. We cannot accept any arrangement less than 2 visits a day for a dog, although in the case of a puppy, we would prefer at least 3 visits per day in order to continue a healthy, normal routine.
KEY MANAGEMENT:
Your key is marked with a code, not your address, and will be kept in a locked box unless it is in use. We will obtain the key at the initial consultation so please prepare a key for any door or gate that may require use during our visits prior to this meeting. If these keys are not available during our introductory session, we will apply a $5 pick-up fee. We will not copy or keep any key (unless authorized by you in our On Call Key Program) so only your pet sitter will have access to your house, garage, or gate. For safety reasons, we will not return keys in the mail nor will we lock the key in the house during our last visit. Should your plane be delayed or you cannot return on your scheduled date, we will still have access to your pet to feed, walk, and give them water. In the event that Pet Pros of Wilmington is required to employ a locksmith to gain entry into a Client’s premises due to a malfunction of the lock or a failure of the Client to leave the appropriate key, it shall be the responsibility of the Client to reimburse for all costs incurred. The Client expressly gives Pet Pros of Wilmington the authority to employ a locksmith on the Client’s behalf in the event of the aforementioned occurrences.
ON CALL KEY:
We offer the On Call Key Program to those clients who are pleased with our service and plan to use Pet Pros of Wilmington quite frequently. Not only does it flatter us to know you trust and value our staff and its services, but it also decreases the amount of time we will spend picking up and returning house keys. We understand the responsibility and have in place a formal system that keeps keys organized and secure while in our possession. For those repeat customers utilizing this special program, we can usually accommodate an On Call Key customer on a much shorter notice because we already know your pets, routines, and have access to your key on file. If you do not want Pet Pros of Wilmington to keep your key, there will be a $10 fee for each key pickup and dropoff.
PAYMENT:
We accept payment in the form of checks, cash, or money order.
Payment is due the day you arrive at which time the house key will also be returned. If travel arrangements make this exchange difficult, payment and key return will be made no later than the first (1st) business day following Client's return unless other arrangements have been made. First-time clients and those who routinely make late payments will be expected to pay a 50% deposit during the initial consultation. Likewise, for overnight visits, a deposit will be expected prior to the starting date and the remaining balance paid upon return. Services rendered on federally recognized holidays will be charged an additional $7 per day fee. Reservations for service outside the basic calling area will be charged for service and additional mileage fees
A periodic finance charge of 1.5% per month, which corresponds to 18% annually, with a minimum charge of $5.00, will be applied to any outstanding balance after 10 days. Should collection proceedings be necessary, the client will be liable for any and all collection costs including, but not limited to, court cost and attorney fees. Discounts applied will be voided after 30 days with an open balance. The client agrees to pay a $25 fee for each check returned by the client's bank, regardless of the reason.
LIABILITY:
Pet Pros of Wilmington agrees to provide pet care in a reliable, professional, and caring manner. As an express condition and in consideration of these services, the Client waives and relinquishes any and all claims against Pet Pros of Wilmington except for those arising from negligence or willful misconduct on the part of Pet Pros of Wilmington.
Pet Pros of Wilmington reserves the right to terminate services if, in its sole discretion, determines that a danger exists to the health or safety of the pet sitter. If concerns prohibit Pet Pros of Wilmington from caring for your pet, the Client authorizes pet to be provided for by an alternative available pet care provide or placed in a kennel, with all charges there from to be charged to the Client. Every attempt will be made to notify the client regarding such a situation.
If anyone else has access to your home while Pet Pros of Wilmington has been contracted to perform services, Pet Pros of Wilmington can assume no liability for any damages or losses to your home or pet. Complete care will be taken in watching your pet and home. However, due to the extreme unpredictability of animals, we cannot accept responsibility for any mishaps of any extraordinary or unusual nature (i.e. bitings, furniture damage, accidental death, etc) or any complication in administering medications to the animal. Nor can we be liable for injury, disappearance, death, or fines of pet with access to the outdoors.
EMERGENCY SITUATIONS:
Pet Pros of Wilmington is authorized by signature on the veterinary release form to seek emergency veterinary care with release from all liabilities related to transportation, treatment, and expense. Should specified veterinarian be unavailable, Pet Pros of Wilmington is authorized to approve medical and/or emergency treatment as recommended by a veterinarian. Client agrees to pay for expenses incurred, plus any additional fees for attending to this need or any expenses incurred for any other home/food supplies or medications needed.
In the event of inclement weather or natural disaster, Pet Pros of Wilmington is entrusted to use best judgement in caring for pet(s) and home. Pet Pros of Wilmington will be held harmless for consequences related to such decisions.
Pet Pros of Wilmington will not authorize euthanasia, should the situation present itself. Client must give the veterinarian direct authorization.
In the event of personal emergency or illness of the pet sitter, the Client authorizes Pet Pros of Wilmington to arrange for another qualified person to fulfill responsibilities as agreed. Every attempt will be made to notify Client regarding such a situation.
VACCINATIONS:
We require that all of the pets we care for be up-to-date on vaccinations, heartworm tests, and flea/tick prevention. This is for the benefit of the sitters, the neighborhood, and of course, your pets. Should the pet sitter by bitten or otherwise exposed to any disease or ailment from the Client’s animal which has not been properly and currently vaccinated, it will be the Client’s responsibility to pay all costs and damages incurred by the victim.
LEASH WALKING:
Unless you have a fenced in backyard, we will walk your dog on a leash. This is to ensure safety for both the pet and sitter.
PET IDENTIFICATION:
We would like that all of the companions under our care wear identification. In the unfortunate event that one does get loose, it will be easier to find and identify.
BATHING:
We typically bathe dogs in your bathtub but if you have an alternative location, we will be happy to oblige as long as it is both safe and comfortable for the pet and sitter. |
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