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Have questions?
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Why should a pet owner use a pet sitter?Keeping pets in their familiar surroundings helps to alleviate the stress imposed when their owners have to leave home. Pets are then also able to maintain their diet and exercise routine, and enjoy the personal attention provided by a pet sitter. This also eliminates the trauma of being transported and minimizes their exposure to illnesses of other animals. Click here for a great article about the benefits of walking your dog.
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What services do you offer?The Pack Dog Walkers provides in-home pet care as well as house sitter visits for clients that do not have pets but want someone they trust to check-in on their home while they are away. Our sitters travel to our client’s homes to care for their pets. We provide service for whatever circumstances they need us; travel, long work hours, a late meeting, recovering from surgery, working from home but not enough time to walk the dog, don’t trust the kids to care for the animals properly. Whatever the reason, we’ll be there! We also provide boarding services in the sitters home. Our sitters provide a home with a fenced in yard plus lots of love, attention, and care. Our client’s are mostly dog and cat owners but we’ll also visit rabbits, frogs, guinea pigs, gerbils, hamsters, iguanas, etc. Our clients can customize how long they would like their pet sitter/dog walker to visit with their pets. We also offer a variety of premium services that our clients can schedule to compliment their pet and house care routines.
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What happens at the Meet & Greet appointment?The Meet & Greet is a visit that allows the client to get to know our service and their pets' assigned walker/sitter prior to the start of their service. During this visit their pet care provider will introduce themselves, spend some quality time with the pet, confirm and review the pertinent information about the home and pet care routine (e.g. vet information, emergency contact, special requests, key location, etc.), and answer any additional questions the client may have. We do NOT provide service until this meeting has taken place. We look forward to meeting you and your pets!
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After the Meet and Greet can a client schedule visits?Definitely! All clients will download the "Time to Pet" app where they can schedule services, communicate with their walker/sitter, pay for services, check their personal service calendar, update their billing information, update their password and more! It’s a handy little tool! All scheduling requests are confirmed during our regular business hours, which are 9AM-5PM Monday through Friday.
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What's your weather policy?Inclement Weather Policy We are always considerate of how the weather will affect your pets, from rain to snow to extreme temperatures, your pet's safety is our priority. If your dog requires any specific gear, such as raincoats, parkas, sweaters, booties, and harnesses, etc, please leave them out for the walker. If you know there is a chance of rain or snow, please leave out a towel and any storage instructions, so we can make sure your dog is dry and comfortable before we finish the appointment. We are always mindful of hazardous conditions when we walk, including ice and salt in the winter and hot pavement in the summer. Our policy is to err on the side of caution when it comes to extreme weather and severe increases or drops in temperature. If there is lightning in the area, our walkers are instructed to immediately take shelter/return to your residence. Depending upon the severity of the weather, walks may be reduced to 10-20 minutes to avoid prolonged exposure. We will complete the remainder of your 30-minute visit inside your home by creating a fun playtime experience for your dog and also help ease any potential anxiety from the weather.
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Do you board animals or bring them into your home?In certain instances we will have a pet stay with a pet sitter in the sitters home, but typically, no. We believe in in-home care. We do not have pet care providers that stay in your home, but we can arrange for more frequent visits or a "tuck in" service before bed time to check in on your pet before they go to sleep for the night.
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Do you offer House Sitting services even if I don't have a pet in the home?We sure do! We have many clients who contact The Pack to visit their homes while they travel to check on their home, adjust the lights, bring in the mail, open/close the shades, water the plants, etc. This gives them peace of mind that their home is safe while they are out of town. No need for a pet to be staying in the home.
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When I'm away for the night, what time does the sitters visit the home and how long do they stay?Our sitters can visit their clients homes up to 4 times per day. – The “Morning” time slot is between 8:00AM & 9 :00AM – The “Mid Day” time slot is between 11:00AM & 3 :00PM – The “Evening” time slot is between 4:00PM & 6:00PM – The “Late Night” time slot is between 7:00PM & 9:00PM If you need more specific times schedule please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate you. No longer than 12 hours ever goes in between visits. For example, if your pooch were visited at 8pm, the sitter would arrive to your home no later than 8am the following morning. As much human interaction as possible is best to keep them happy and calm until their parents return home.
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Can I schedule directly with my walker/sitter?No! For the safety of our client’s pets all visits MUST be scheduled through the Time to Pet app and confirmed by the office. We use a unique scheduling program, which ensures that no pet visit is ever missed accidentally. If a client schedules through their sitter and the sitter forgets to inform the office, that takes us out of the loop and therefore unable to follow-up with the sitter to make sure that the pet has been seen. The Pack will not be held liable for visits scheduled without the offices knowledge.
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How do you accept payment?We accept payment by Visa, Master Card or Discover Card through the Time to Pet app. We don’t accept checks. The clients can leave a cash gratuity for their sitter if they so wish, but payment for services must be made by credit card. Payment is due prior to the start of service. Thank you for your business!
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Is there an extra costs for services provided on a Holiday?We consider the following to be our major annual holidays: New Years Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Christmas Eve Day, and New Years Eve & New Years Day. There is up to a $25 surcharge plus the standard charge for the service being provided on these dates. 100% of these fees are paid to the sitters.
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Are last minute request accepted?We’re more than happy to schedule pet care for last-minute needs, however we cannot guarantee that a sitter is going to be available on short notice, (though 99% of the time it really isn’t a problem). Keep in mind, our office can only confirm service during our regular business hours which are 9AM-5PM Monday through Saturday.
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What is your cancelation policy?We understand what it’s like to have a busy and ever-changing schedule so, we have put in place an extremely flexible cancelation policy: Mid Day Dog Walks (for those that use us on a weekly continuous basis): 24 hours notice Pet Sitting and Kitty & Small Animal Care: 48 hours notice Overnight Care: 7 days notice Thank you for your understanding.
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Is The Pack insured & bonded?We sure are! Here is what that means. A dishonesty bond gives you peace of mind that you will be reimbursed in the unlikely event that anything is stolen from your home. Anyone that has workers enter their home should be sure that they have a dishonestly bond. We also carry a liability insurance policy that protects from financial loss in the event that we were liable for accidents that occur while caring for our clients pets. Any responsible, professional business should carry liability insurance. We are happy to provide our clients with proof of insurance and our bond. We can easily email them a copy or our certificates.
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What type of clients do you work with?We work with pet owners in Northern Bergen County New Jersey, specifically Glen Rock (where we are based) Ridgewood, Wyckoff and Midland Park who are searching for top-quality pet care and true peace of mind while they travel or when they have to leave their pets for long hours due to work or other obligations. We provide services for dogs and cats as well as provide house sitting services in the event you don't have a pet staying in the home but would like us to keep an eye on your home.
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What is your process for hiring service providers?First, we employ ONLY dedicated pet care professionals. Not the high school kid trying to make extra cash. We work with sitters who have practical experience in the pet care field and view their time with The Pack as part of their career path. Second, we run an extensive screening process, which includes a face-to-face interview, followed by reference checks, followed by a complete background check. All sitters are then hired on a trial basis until we have followed up with enough clients to ensure that they are an excellent fit for The Pack Dog Walkers. All sitters employed by The Pack promise to abide by and sign our Code of Ethics.
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What if my regular/primary care provider is not available?All of our care providers are excellent, very trustworthy and would love to care for a client’s pet if their primary sitter is unavailable. Since we have all of the client’s pet care information in our secure database it’s really not necessary for the client to meet with the alternate sitter, however; if the client feels more comfortable with having a meeting with the alternate sitter, we are more than happy to schedule a “Pre-Departure Meeting.” The cost of this meeting is $20, which covers the sitter’s time and expense for driving over to the client’s home.
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My pet has a history of aggression, would you consider caring for my pet regardless of this?If the pet has aggressively bit someone or attempted to hurt someone in the past, then no, we cannot provide service.That is too much of a liability issue. Additionally, if at any time our pet sitter or pet owner feels that it is unsafe to perform a service, we will reserve the right to discontinue service without notice. We appreciate your honesty about your pets behavior, if your pet has a history of aggression we can try to help you find a pet sitting company that is right for you.
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Do you administer medications?Due to the stress on the animal, we strongly recommend that you administer all medications to your pet. However, when that is not possible and your pet needs its medicine, then we will attempt to administer medicine orally, only.
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How does the pet care provider discipline the pets in their care?We believe in positive reinforcement ONLY for the pets in our care. We will never hit, spank, slap, yank the leash, yell, shock or grab your pet. If there is a disciplinary problem, i.e. toilet training issues, running away, etc., we inform our client of the incident(s) and together we workout a solution. Open communication is important to insure the best experience for out clients.
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What if a pet becomes ill and the owner is out of town or unable to be reached?If we suspect that something is wrong with a pet, we will call you at the emergency phone numbers we have on file. If the client believes the veterinarian should see the pet, we will transport him to the veterinarian’s office for examination and treatment. In the event we cannot reach the client, we will decide if the veterinarian should see your pet. If necessary, we will take your pet for treatment. You will be billed for any extra time we spend for these services.
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