Policies and Procedures
Effective 4/15/09
RESERVATION POLICY
All reservations for pet sitting with PET BUDDY Pet Sitting, LLC must be
made through the reservation system on the website www.petbuddyga.
com . For anyone who does not have access to the Internet, please
contact the office at 770-235-9945.
PAYMENT POLICY
Payment by either cash or check is accepted. Credit card, debit card and
bill pay payments ARE NOT accepted at this time. ALL PAYMENTS must
be paid in full at the time of the Meet and Greet for New Clients. For
existing clients, payment is to be paid in full on the first day of service.
Failure to leave payment will result in PET BUDDY Pet Sitting, LLC
canceling your booking and you or your emergency contact will be
responsible for the remainder of your pet’s care while you are away.
RETURNED CHECK FEES
All returned checks will be charged an additional $40 fee. You will be
charged an additional fee of $10 per day until payment is received in full.
Until your account is paid in full, no further requests for pet sitting will be
honored. All future payments for pet sitting service must be paid in cash
prior to your trip.
WHEN YOU RETURN HOME
It is the pet owner’s responsibility to contact the office via email or by
phone upon your safe return home, regardless of what time of day it is; the
phones go to voicemail after 10 p.m., so don’t worry about disturbing
anyone. Please DO NOT call until you are home and your pets and house
are back in your care again. If any additional visits are made by PET
BUDDY Pet Sitting, LLC and you have returned home without notifying the
office, you will be charged a full visit fee for this trip. Please note that if
there is a delay in your return home, PET BUDDY Pet Sitting, LLC will do its
best to accommodate you. If that is not possible, your emergency contact
will be notified and they will be responsible for the care of your pets and
home until you safely return.
EMERGENCY CONTACTS
Your emergency contacts listed on your initial Service Contract and in our
reservation system must have access to your home in your absence and
be willing and able to provide ALL CARE for your pets in the case of an
emergency. This includes, but is not limited to, all natural and man made
disasters as well as when PET BUDDY Pet Sitting, LLC is unable, for any
reason, to continue providing care for your pet. There will be a credit to
your account for all missed visits by PET BUDDY Pet Sitting, LLC. No
refunds will be issued for natural or man made disasters that cause you to
return home early from your trip. These visits will be credited to your
account for future pet sitting services.
Please make sure to check with your emergency contact prior to your trip
to make sure they will be available while you are away from home. If your
emergency contact will change from trip to trip, please inform our office, in
writing, via email prior to each trip.
CANCELLATION POLICY FOR NON HOLIDAY VISITS
7 days notice is required for cancellation of all scheduled bookings for
personal or business trips for NON HOLIDAY visits. Please understand
that when you cancel, there is no guarantee that the spot you had booked
can be filled by another client. Therefore, a cancellation charge will be
incurred for any cancellations less than 7 days from the first scheduled
visit. Cancellation charges are 50% of the total amount of your booking
cost. You will be invoiced for the cancellation fee and payment is due Net
10 days. Failure to pay the cancellation fee will result in your contract with
PET BUDDY Pet Sitting,LLC being terminated and no future bookings will
be accepted. Rare exceptions are made to this policy and will be
addressed on a case by case basis.
HOLIDAY CANCELLATION POLICY
Holidays include: Easter, the weekends of Memorial Day, 4th of July and
Labor Day and the entire weeks of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’
s. These times are peak season and space is limited. Therefore, pet sitting
service is granted on a first come, first serve basis for bookings during
these times.
All cancellations within 30 days of the first scheduled visit will result in a
cancellation fee of the entire booking amount. There are no exceptions to
this policy. You will be invoiced for the cancellation fee and payment is due
Net 10 days. Failure to pay the cancellation fee will result in your contract
with PET BUDDY Pet Sitting,LLC being terminated and no future bookings
will be accepted.
HOLIDAY SURCHARGE
Holiday surcharges will be time and half for all visits on the following
holidays: Easter, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day,
Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Any
questions regarding the amount of your booking and these surcharges
should be directed to our office via email prior to your trip.
VISIT POLICY
ALL PETS WILL BE VISITED AT LEAST ONCE EVERY 24 HOURS. There
are no exceptions to this policy.
Due to pet illnesses, traffic or inclement weather, etc. a specific time CAN
NOT be guaranteed for your pets’ visits. Therefore, all visits will be done
according to the time frames listed in our reservation system. All pets
requiring medications or special needs pets will have first priority on the
schedule. These pets do require a more consistent time frame with their
medications and will be scheduled accordingly. Visits are usually between
15-30 minutes long. If you require a longer visit or if a longer visit is
incurred, you will be charged extra for that time.
Please make sure that you pet proof your house before you leave on your
trip. PET BUDDY Pet Sitting, LLC will not be held liable if your pet causes
damage to your house or gets loose due to owner error or negligence. All
pets must be confined to the owner’s home or premises, unless they are
secure on a leash and in the control of the pet sitter. As a result, electronic
fences are not covered under the liability insurance. All pets with these
types of fences will be taken outside on a leash only. There are no
exceptions to this policy. Similarly, there will be no visits to Dog Parks in
your absence. Your pet must be under the care, custody and control of the
pet sitter at all times for the liability insurance to provide coverage for you
and the sitter. Any pets that have control issues on a leash, are leash
aggressive or are not properly leash trained will not be taken outside of the
client’s enclosed or fenced in property.
PET BUDDY Pet Sitting, LLC will always use their best judgment in the care
of your pets. If the weather is too cold, too hot or there is inclement
weather, the pet sitter reserves the right to make all final decisions on dog
walks. Please note that your heat or AC inside the house will be adjusted
to a temperature appropriate for the pet and to keep your pipes from
freezing. There is no exception to this policy. These are only examples
and by no means are all inclusive in the types of decisions that will be
made regarding your pet and your home.
PET BUDDY Pet Sitting, LLC DOES NOT share pet care with anyone else.
There will need to be a definitive start and stop time for the care of your
pets by the sitter. If there are other people who will be visiting your home
while you are away, please notify the office before you leave on your trip.
A waiver of liability will need to be signed in order for your booking to be
approved. Also, please provide the name of the person, the make of their
vehicle and approximate times they will be at or in your home. If the sitter
is not aware of anyone having your express permission to be at or in your
home, the police will be called and the client will incur all fees charged by
the county for this action. A word of caution, if there is damage to your
home or property or injury to your pets while other people are allowed at or
in your home in your absence, PET BUDDY Pet Sitting, LLC WILL NOT be
held liable unless it is proven that the damage or injury was a direct result
of negligence on the part of the sitter. The burden of proof for the
negligence will be the owner’s sole responsibility.
EMERGENCY VET CARE
In the event of your pet’s illness or injury, PET BUDDY Pet Sitting, LLC will
make every attempt to contact you or your emergency contact. If neither
party can be contacted IMMEDIATELY, the pet sitter’s discretion will be
used as to whether your pet needs veterinary care. PET BUDDY Pet
Sitting, LLC will provide transportation to your primary vet if possible or to
N. Dekalb Veterinary Clinic during normal business hours and to Dekalb
Gwinnnett Emergency Animal Clinic after hours, on weekends and on
holidays. The sitter WILL NOT transport a pet to a primary care clinic more
than 10 miles from your residence. You will be responsible for all medical
and financial arrangements with your vet.
None of us want to think about the limits we may need to place on our pets’
veterinary care. But for their sake, please give serious consideration to the
medical care that you would like for each of your individual pets and for
financial limits, if any, that you need to establish for their veterinary care.
You will be asked to supply PET BUDDY Pet Sitting, LLC with this
information on the Meet and Greet and it will be retained on file in the
Veterinary Release Form. PET BUDDY Pet Sitting, LLC WILL NOT BE
RESPONSIBLE FOR MEDICAL DECISIONS REGARDING YOUR PET OR
FOR FINANCIAL PAYMENT FOR YOUR PET’S VETERINARY CARE.
KEY COPIES AND ACCESS TO YOUR HOME
All clients must provide 2 FULL working sets of keys at the initial Meet and
Greet visit. A key copy charge will be assessed if only one working set is
provided. For those clients who choose not to keep your key on file with
PET BUDDY Pet Sitting, LLC, there is a key pickup/drop off charge of $20
for each trip.
The pet sitter must have access to your home via a key to a door. If your
pet is strictly outdoors, access to your home in case of an emergency,
inclement weather or to a restroom and running water must still be
allowed. Due to power outages and sensitive garage door openers, the
client must provide a key to a door in addition to the garage door opener or
key pad codes for garage doors.
Per the liability insurance company, keys left under mats or hidden
outdoors are not acceptable. All keys must be provided to the sitter prior
to your departure if they are not already kept on file. A waiver of liability
must be completed if you are leaving a key in an unsecured location for the
sitter or if the sitter is expected to leave the key in an unsecured location
on the final visit.
PROOF OF VACCINATIONS
The client will be responsible for providing PET BUDDY Pet Sitting, LLC
with a current vaccination history. There must be a copy on file for all pets
for the liability insurance. ALL PETS MUST BE CURRENT ON THEIR
RABIES VACCINATION. IF THEY ARE NOT DUE TO MEDICAL ISSUES, A
LETTER FROM THEIR VETERINARIAN ON CLINIC LETTERHEAD MUST
BE PROVIDED TO THE SITTER ON THE MEET AND GREET VISIT. Failure
to provide a current vaccination copy will result in your future bookings
being delayed for approval.
PET SUPPLY POLICY
Prior to your trip, please make sure that all pet supplies, including
medications, food, litter, etc. are fully stocked. A trip charge of $25 will be
incurred, along with the cost of the supplies, if the sitter must make a trip to
restock your pet’s supplies. You will be invoiced for this charge and
payment is due Net 10 days. Failure to pay this charge will result in your
contract with PET BUDDY Pet Sitting being terminated and no future
bookings will be accepted. Any supplies that can not be obtained locally
will not be restocked.
PICTURES OF YOUR PETS
Pictures of your pets may be taken and kept on file to help in identifying
your pet in a disaster or emergency. The pictures may also be used for
marketing purposes for PET BUDDY Pet Sitting, LLC and may be posted
on the website. If you do not wish to have your pets’ picture taken, please
inform the sitter at the Meet and Greet visit.
PET BUDDY Pet Sitting, LLC’s mission is to provide quality pet care for
responsible pet owners. If you have any questions or concerns, please
contact the office directly via the contact information listed below. Thank
you for contacting PET BUDDY Pet Sitting, LLC for your pet’s care!!
OFFICE: 770-235-9945
EMAIL: cindy@petbuddyga.com
