What are your hours?

Our office is open from 9 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday. Closed on Saturday, Sunday and Holidays.

Our pet sitting hours are 7 AM to 10 PM seven days a week, 365 days a year.

Can I bring my pet to your home or office?

No, we provide services in your home only, where your pet is the most comfortable.

Do you only care for cats and dogs?

Dogs and cats are the pets we get the most requests for, however we also have cared for birds, rabbits, fish, guinea pigs, hamsters, pot bellied pigs, pond fish, turtles and horses and I can now add Hermit Crabs to the list.

How long are visits?

Visits are in 10 – 15 minutes for potty or medication breaks and 1/2 hour increments for walks and vacation care.

What is the process for hiring you?

We first make arrangements to get together for a free consultation, where we come out and meet with you and your pet(s) to make sure everyone is comfortable.  You will receive a username and temporary password to access our secure online system where you will fill out detailed information on your pets, needs and routine, contact information, a vet release form and service contract.  We pick up keys and for vacation care visits we also pick up a deposit at this time.

What is the payment process?

For regular mid-day or potty break clients we invoice on the Friday prior to service and the payment is due on the Monday of that week. Invoices are usually sent via email, however, if you do not have access to email a hard copy will be left for you.

For vacation care a 50% deposit is required at the time of booking and a cheque for the balance dated the first visit.

Payments may be made by email money transfer, cash, cheque, VISA or MasterCard

Are there any additional costs involved?

There is an additional fee for statutory holidays (New Years Day, Easter Monday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Eve), and also for weekend and evenings visits that are not part of a regular vacation care.

For example; A client decides they want to out for the evening and would like us to come in and feed and walk Fido Saturday night.

Additional charges also apply to returned cheques as well as if you run out of food, litter or other supplies while on vacation there will be an extra charge for picking it up.

Do we need to tip our pet care provider?

Tipping your pet care provider, is like tipping anyone else in the service industry.  It is not expected but if you feel you are getting great service it is certainly appreciated.

How much notice do you need for vacation care?

Obviously the more notice we have the better. Holiday periods (March break, long weekends, summer, Christmas) sometimes book up months in advance. 2 weeks in advance for other times of the year is usually sufficient.

What happens if we need to cancel?

Vacation Care; Cancellations may be made up to 5 days in advance of scheduled first visit. After that period, a cancellation fee will be charged of 25% of the total of reservations (i.e. $100.00 reservation, $25.00 cancellation fee).

No refunds are issued if the vacation period takes in a Statutory Holiday.

Daily Dog Walking – less than one business day and there is no refund.  More than one business day there is no charge.

What is a typical vacation care schedule and routine for dogs?

There is no typical routine or schedule as all pets are as unique as people. When we meet we discuss what you would like us to do with your pet while we are visiting. We try to keep the dogs routine as close to their normal routine as possible. So if they get walked Morning, noon and bedtime that is when we walk them. If they never get walked but go in the backyard and play frisbee with the kids every afternoon, that’s what we do.

Will it always be the same person coming in to look after our pet?

We do our very best to make sure that your pet gets the same caregiver every time. That is not always possible as emergencies can arise.

For example, an employee gets very sick, in an accident or has a family emergency; one of the other employee’s would cover their clients.

Also, for care over the weekend, we rotate weekends so all team members have time off to their personal lives.

In all cases though it would be a fully bonded and insured team member that covered for your regular pet sitter, and they would have the complete file on your pets needs and care instructions

I am worried about giving someone the keys and access to my home. How am I protected?

We understand your concern. We are all fully insured and bonded under a pet sitting policy. All team members are bonded and have had police background checks done on them.

In addition to this keys are tagged in a way that there is no way if they were lost anybody who found them could track them to your home.

I have more questions, how do I get in touch with you?

Please feel free to contact us either by email yorkprofessionalpetsitting@yahoo.ca or by phone at 289-221-4573 or join us on facebook, twitter or LinkedIn to meet current clients and ask them or myself directly about the service.

What’s my next step?

Fill out the contact form, call or email me and I will be happy to address any further questions or set up your complimentary meet and greet.  Click the follow me on facebook link at the top of the page and join our commumity of pet lovers. Even if you are not a client or never will be. We all love to talk about our pets and others, share photos, funny stories, pet care information, training tips and suggests. Please join us and don’t forget to post a photo of your pet too.