FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
My rates are based on how many pets a client has and how many visits I'm required to do. For example, for drop-in visits I charge $17 for one pet per visit and $3 for each additional pet. The rate for an overnight is $55 for one pet and $5 for each additional pet. A walk for one dog is $20 for 30 minutes and $10 for each additional dog, although, the most I will walk together is no more than three due to safety reasons. The only discount I offer is for new clients who book four or more dog walks. Book four dog walks and the fifth one is free. There is a $12 surcharge for the following holidays per visit: Easter, Memorial Day, 4th of July,Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve and New Years Day.
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
I require a consultation so I can become acquainted with the client and the client's pet(s). This is where I would gather all the pertinent information necessary to care for the pet(s) and home. These would be details, such as the feeding and exercise routines, medical history, alarm systems, etc. Plus, a meet-and-greet is a great way to see if the pet sitter and pet(s) are a good fit.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I've never had formal training per se, but rather life experience. As long as I can remember, I've been the one who has taken care of family pets. When I was a teenager, I became friends with a girl next door who had a black lab, a bird and a horse. Then one week over the summer, she and her family went on vacation and I was asked to watch the bird and horse. They took the dog with them. I was to collect the mail and feed the remaining pets. I had to wake up early every morning to do the task. I didn't mind as it was right next door. That was my first pet-sitting job even though I didn't get paid for it. It was a favor, really. In fact, I'm the designated dog sitter. My brother has a darling Jack Russell terrier that I take care of as a favor whenever he and his family go on vacation.