Policies

Payment

cat sitting and dog sitting services in South Elgin, Sycamore, and Union, IllinoisPet Sitting/Dog Walking: Our pet sitting and dog walking service fees are due at the time of service.

Late Fees: There is a $20.00 late fee for all late payments.  You will receive is a 5-day grace period following the due date before the $20.00 in late fees are added for each week that payment is not received.

Returned Check Charges: There is a $30 fee for all returned checks and payment. All fees are due promptly and must be in the form of cash or money order.

Payment

For your convenience, we offer 3 easy payment options:

  • Cash
  • Check
  • Venmo
  • Payment for daily dog walking services are due at the time of consultation and prior to any visits. Existing clients are expected to leave full payment on the first day of the scheduled visit. Daily clients are billed weekly and payment is expected by the next day of service. Any vacation pet sitting services spanning longer than 3 days require a 50% deposit of the total invoice to be paid in advance. Paw Prints Pet Care must receive check or Venmo payment 7 days prior to start date. Failure to provide payment prior to the start of all pet sitting services spanning longer than 3 days will result in the cancellation of service. Paw Prints Pet Care is not responsible for any monetary losses you might incur if services are cancelled due to lack of payment.

Policies

Hours of Operation: We are caring for pets 365 days a year.  Our pet care hours begin at 6:30 a.m. and end at 9:30 p.m.  We are available to take your calls between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. 7 days a week.  If we are not able to come to the phone please leave us a message and we will call you back at our earliest convenience.

New Client Consultation:  Our new client consultations are no-obligation and absolutely free.  We honor the opportunity to meet you and your pets!  An in-home interview is required, prior to reservations, for all new clients.  While we can tentatively pencil in your dates we must meet you and your pets and assess your needs before we make a commitment to providing your pets’ care.

Vaccinations/Immunizations: Paw Prints Pet Care requires that all pets have the necessary vaccinations and immunizations before service begins, especially the rabies vaccination.

Keys: Paw Prints Pet Care will obtain your house key when service is scheduled and agreements are signed.  Keys can be left on the last visit or mailed back to you via certified mail.  However, it is recommended that your key remain in your Paw Prints Pet Care file for convenience in future use.  Key Pickup/Drop off- The first two times you utilize my service this will be free, after that there will be a $10 fee.

Reservation Confirmation: Always double check your confirmation email to ensure the visits are the correct times and days you requested.  This ensures that we won’t miss any visits or be at your home unnecessarily.

Return home calls: Please remember to call or text when you have returned home safely from a trip!  Otherwise, we will need to continue visiting to assure the safety and well-being of your pets.  Additional trips will be added to your bill at the regular rate.  Please call or text at ANY hour and leave a message that you have returned.

Early Returns/Last minute Changes: It is not unusual for trip plans to change at the last minute. However, please understand that Paw Prints Pet Care carefully schedules our time to service you and our other clients.  Therefore, there are no refunds or credits for early returns or last minute changes to pet care. Once pet care begins, payment is due for the original dates scheduled.

Burlington and Pingree Grove, Illinois cat sitterPet Sitting Cancellations: Paw Prints Pet Care requires a 72-hour notice prior to the date of the first pet sitting visit. Failure to provide notice in less than 72 Hours will result in a $50 cancellation fee payable by the pet owner.

Daily Dog Walking Cancellations: If you need to cancel a scheduled daily walk, we require a 24-hour notice to avoid being charged for the visit.

Holiday Pet Sitting Cancellations: With the exception of severe weather, life threatening emergencies or a death in the family, Any cancellations prior to a major holiday; ie: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve, New Years Day, Easter, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and the day after Thanksgiving with less than a five day notice will result in 50% of the total invoice for scheduled pet care to be paid. We request your understanding that Holiday travel is a peak service time for pet care and we may have to turn away other clients in which we could have accommodated.

Privacy Policy: All of your information will be kept private and confidential.  Paw Prints Pet Care highly respects our clients entrusting us with the care of their home and their loving pets.

Thermostats: Please leave your thermostat settings within a normal comfortable range (68-78°F).  If the house temperature is outside of this range, Paw Prints Pet Care will adjust the thermostat. This is to ensure the health and comfort of your pets and during our time of service.

Unforeseen Purchases: Please insure that you have enough food and supplies to care for your pets while you’re away. Paw Prints Pet care will purchase pet food, litter, cleaning supplies or other necessary items if you run out of them while you are away. We will retain a receipt and the pet owner is responsible for reimbursement of these items.  In addition to the items, a $30 trip fee will be charged to the pet owner.

Additional Pet Care Assistance and job sharing: We all want our pets to have all the love and attention they deserve, but please be advised that if there are other persons entering and leaving your home, Paw Prints Pet Care cannot be held liable for any damages or problems that may arise as a result.  Please inform us at the time of the consultation of anyone who may have access to your home while you are away. This includes cleaning services, repair persons, friends, family and neighbors. Paw Prints Pet Care does not accept liability for other persons who will be in your home during pet care services. There are many issues that may arise when you have multiple people caring for your pet. Communication often breaks down between caregivers.  Pets get double food, double medication, visits missed, the other person doesn’t show up when scheduled, they move needed items to different locations, leave the door unlocked, etc.   If something goes wrong you would not know who the responsible party was. All non-PPPC persons entering the home while we are there for vacation care, are required to leave a note with their name, phone number, and time they visited.

Inclement Weather: In the event of severe inclement weather, Paw Prints Pet Care has requested an emergency contact person, preferably someone close to your home. If Paw Prints Pet Care is physically unable to reach your home due to impassable roads, please provide us with this information so that we can contact this person to request assistance. Your pets’ health and well-being is our utmost concern and we will contact you as soon as possible to keep you informed of these events.

Animal Behavior: Animals behavior can be unpredictable. Paw Prints Pet Care does not accept responsibility or liability for animal behavior, normal or otherwise, which results in injury to the client’s animals.  Further, if a Paw Prints Pet Care provider is harmed or injured by the client’s animals, the client/owner accepts full responsibility for the cost of any necessary medical attention required by either the Paw Prints Pet Care Pet Care provider or by the animals. This includes pets with doggie doors and outdoor pets.

Fences/Electric Fence: Fenced in yards are wonderful playgrounds for our dogs and allow them additional space to exercise and play. However, no fence system is totally secure.  Paw Prints Pet Care does not accept responsibility or liability for any client’s animals that escape or become lost or injured, fatal or otherwise, when instructed to leave the clients animals in a fenced in area. This includes electronic, wood, metal or any other type of fence. Please ensure that fresh batteries are installed in electric fence collars, as Paw Prints Pet Care cannot be responsible for animals that get out or inside of the perimeter. We cannot be held responsible for the loss, injury, death, or actions of any pet that the client has let outside or has instructed Paw Prints Pet Care to allow outside while sitter is not there.