Good question.  You’ve probably seen words like “bonded,” “insured,” “certified in Pet First Aid,” on every service’s website.  What makes one service unique?  If our client’s pets could speak they’d let you know!  Many of our clients have used other pet care services in the city and made the switch to us.  There is a reason why so many people rave about our service.  You’ll have to take us up on our offer of a FREE Minder Meeting and find out.  

 

What type of services do you offer and what are your rates?

 

OK, so I want to become a client.  What do I do now?

 

My dog is fine with other dogs.  Why don’t you offer pack walks/runs?

We have three reasons for this policy:  Training, Safety and Personalized Care.  (If you have more than one monster, we’re happy to walk multiple monsters from the SAME household.)  

 

1.  Safety:  If we are faced with a monster emergency or injury, we will be more effective when dealing with the emergency if we only are caring for one monster at a time.  Knowing pet first aid and CPR is one thing; being able to apply those skills is quite another!   I can’t imagine giving First Aid care with four dogs in-toe!  Plus, mishaps happen when walkers are overloaded with leashes.  We want our clients to know that we give their monster 100% of our attention, at all times and are ready to take quick action when needed.  If there is one thing that all dogs share, it is their unpredictable nature.  In an urban environment, we believe it is risky to walk “packs” of monsters.   Unexpected surprises, bad drivers, off-leash aggressive dogs, squealing children, faulty collars, chicken bones, and other dangers make the city a potentially risky place for “pack” walks.

 

2.  Training:  Many of our clients are working on various loose-leash training techniques and other commands.  It is very hard to reinforce training when walking dogs from different households.  We know that consistency is crucial for effective training and we want be able to play a role in your monster’s leash manners education.

 

3.  Personalized Care:  Our clients expect us to offer the same care they do:  Personalized care and individual attention, catered to the monster’s needs.  Our clients give their dogs undivided attention, there is no reason why we should offer any less.   Through our one-on-one care, we are able to recognize monster behavioral patterns, quirks, and habits to create a walking experience that is tailored specifically to each pooch.  Sure, we could take on more clients by offering pack walks, but it would hinder the service we are so well known for.

 

If your dog is friendly with other dogs, we always encourage on-leash greetings with other dogs that we meet on our adventures.  The Monster Minders often meet up during the day and walk together with our client’s monsters for further socialization.  We will ask what dog parks are your favorite in case you want your dog to get that important off-leash playtime.   Because we only one monster at a time, we’re able to keep your pooch engaged and active non-stop while in the dog parks.  We’re also ready at hand in case of a unexpected act of  monster aggression.

 

When is payment due?  What types of payment do you accept?

 

What if I need to cancel a mid-day walk?

No worries.  Call our office before 8:30am and we’ll cancel the visit.  It’s that easy.   There are no penalties for canceled mid-day walks as long as we receive notice before 8:30 am.

 

What areas do you service?

We Mind Monsters in Bella Vista, Old City, Queen Village, Pennsport, Passyunk Square, Dickinson Narrows, Graduate Hospital, Fitler Square, Rittenhouse Square, Washington Square, Center City South, and Society Hill.

 

So what kind of notice do you need for additional visits?

 We ask for 48 hours notice.  If you are heading out of town during the weekend we ask for as much notice as possible.  The Minders do plan things other than pet sitting visits on the weekends.  We’re great at what we do, but we don’t read minds.  Advanced booking is your surest way to book and awesome Monster Minding session!

Note: visits with less than 48 hours are subject to a $10 Rush Booking Fee per visit.  This fee compensates the Minder for rearranging their schedule to accommodate yours.

 

I’m heading out of town and need to book pet sitting services, how do I do that?  What do you offer?

Just give us a call!  In some cases we’ll just add the services to your monthly invoice.  At other times (during the holiday season or if you book overnight stays) we’ll ask for prepayment and will send you a separate invoice. Almost all  of our dog walking clients also use us for pet sitting when they head out of town.  Your pooch will get to hang out with an old and trusted friend, us!  Remember to give us as much notice as possible!  We can visit your pooch multiple times day (three is usually best for dogs), or spend the night in your house for some Midnight Madness!  

 

Do you do visits in nasty weather?

Don’t worry, we won’t melt.  We all have all-weather gear for rainy/cold/snowy days.  If it rains, remember to leave out a towel so we can dry off your monster.  If your monster hates the rain, we’ll just go out for a quick potty break and spend the rest of the time playing inside.   In extreme weather, services may be modified for the safety of everyone involved.

 

As a business, what are you doing to minimize your carbon footprint?

We believe that everyone and every company can make a difference.   Environmental sustainability is something we have been passionate about from day one.  All of our literature and notes are printed on 100% recycled paper.  Our clients rest assured that no new trees go into the printing of their printed goodies from us. Additionally, we launched our revolutionary Wind Challenge to encourage pet parents to choose a greener choice of energy - Wind.  This radical new program and has kept over 30,000 TONS (yes, you read right) of greenhouse gasses out of the atmosphere.  (That’s just our clients, not the 36,000 other Philadelphians who have made the switch to wind energy!)  Our home and “office” is powered by 100% Wind Energy.  We also offer discounts to members of Philly Car Share through their Key to the City program.  (Philly’s homegrown car sharing program.)  We are dedicated to minimizing our global impact.   We believe that every company can make the world a greener place for future generations, and their pets!