Policy
Minder Meeting - Free
This is your chance to meet us. We’ll come over to your house, meet your monster and try to impress you! We’ll go over vet info, monster quirks, general routine and that type of thing. If you want, we’ll be happy to go on a trial walk with you at this time. Minder Meetings are a chance for us to meet your monster, familiarize ourselves with your monster’s home turf, and a chance for you to ask us any questions about our service. It’s always free! We do not book services until we have met both you and your monster. (Note, subsequent Minder Meetings due incur a fee - see below.)
Payment
Clients will be charged for dog walking services on an automatic basis, every two weeks after services occur. All dog walking clients must leave a credit card on file or sign up for electronic checks through our secure website. We do not accept personal checks or cash payments.
Tips are not expected at all, but should a client want to leave a tip, was ask they leave cash in an envelope with the Minders name on it for the Minder to pick up at the time of service.
Bonding and Insurance
We are bonded an insured through the Business Insurers of the Carolinas. Should a client need to see proof of our bonding and insurance information they can ask at any time, or call our insurance company @ 1- 800-962-4611, ext 1.
Cancellation Policies
Dog Walking: To cancel a mid-day walk, please call the office before 8:30am the morning-of at the latest. There is no penalty for cancellations made before 8:30am. If you call after 8:30am, or if we arrive at your home and are turned away, you will be charged in full for the visit.
Pet Sitting / Weekend Cancellations: If you give us more than 48 hours notice for a cancellation, your account will be credited the full amount for future services. (We do not offer refunds, rather credits for future service.) If you give less than 48 hours for service cancellation, your account will incur a 25% cancellation fee. The remaining balance will be credited towards future services. (We will send a credit confirmation email.) Same-day cancellations on the weekend incur a 100% cancellation fee.
Overnights: Due to the fact that we can only accommodate ONE Midnight Malarkey request per night, per sitter, cancellations anytime after booking overnight services will incur a 50% overnight cancellation fee. If the overnights are canceled within 48 hours, 100% cancellation fee will apply. Please understand, if a client books overnights, then cancels, we have probably already turned another client away. We can’t be in two places at once! The remaining balance will be credited towards future services.
Holiday Period Pet Sitting: From Thanksgiving until New Years Day, if less than a week’s notice is given for a cancellation of pet sitting services a fee of 50% of booked services will be imposed. The remaining balance will be credited towards future services. If less than 48 hours notice is given during the holiday period, 100% of booked services will be charged.
Excessive Weekly Cancellations: When booking with us weekly, we hold your spot in our weekly schedule. Should weekly cancellations start to occur, we reserve the right to modify your time window (with notice of course) to allow us to accommodate other clients in need of regular services. (Rate change may incur depending on number of days per week needed.)
Holidays - $10 per visit, $25 per overnight
The Monster Minders makes visits 365 days a year. During calendar holidays there is a $10 holiday. 100% of the fee goes to the Minder as incentive to work on holidays. Holidays: New Years Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas and New Years Eve. On these days, dog walking clients MUST call to book walks if they are needed. In addition clients must call to book walks on the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. (No holiday fee is charged for these days, but walks are not
scheduled on those days...)
Weekend Visits - $3 extra per visit
Special Needs Fees
Oral Medication Fee - $3
Subcutaneous Fluids - $7
Insulin Injections - $5
Booking Requirements
Booking Requirements: We are available 365 days per year, 7 days per week.
Weekday Same Day Booking - Request before 10AM: $5 extra/visit, Request after 10AM - $10
Minimum Weekend Booking: After Wednesday, 12PM - $10 surcharge/visit, Same Day Booking (Weekend) - $15 extra/visit
Seven days needed for Overnight Booking (In-Your-Home, Sleepover Pet Care)
Key Policy
Clients agree to provide The Monster Minders with two sets of working keys (unless living in a condo building with a front desk attendant - see below). If only one set of keys are provided, there is a $10 key cutting fee. Please check that both sets of keys work. Keys are left with us, so that booking can be done quickly over the phone or web for future services. (We also can provide an awesome locksmith service when our clients lock themselves out of their home - it happens all the time!)
If a client lives in a building with a concierge we encourage them to leave keys with the front desk. That way, we can always access the pet should the client have an emergency.
*If services are not booked for a two year period, keys will untagged & destroyed. This is for the security and privacy of clients. If at anytime clients need keys back, please call.
Key Pick-up & Drop-Off Fee - $10
Please have the keys ready for us at the Minder Meeting, so we don’t have to charge you for an extra visit. If don’t want to leave keys on file and you wish for the keys to be dropped off after the service, a the key drop-off fee applies. Note: We NEVER advocate for locking keys in the house after the last visit. Unforeseen travel interruptions, flight delays, and other emergencies may require us to access the property again.
Job Sharing/Third Party Entering Home while we are Pet Sitting
We do NOT allow job sharing or third party entry when our clients head out of town. (i.e. a neighbor shops by every other day to check on the pets.) Due to liability concerns and the safety of our Minders we cannot allow a third party to enter your home while we are securing your home and minding your monster. For the time that we are contracted to care for the pet and home, we are responsible for any mishaps that occur. We provide our client's with the security of knowing that The Monster Minders are bonded and insured. A third party entering your home can breach this security making it impossible to know where the liability falls if doors/window are left unlocked/ajar, alarms are left off or tripped, if items are broken or missing, or an pet is improperly cared for. Additionally, it is not safe for our Minders to be entering homes and find themselves “surprised” by other parties. (NOTE: We understand that many of our clients have professional house cleaning services. Please let us know what days of the week to expect such services to occur.)
Minimum Visit Requirements when clients are out of town:
We require at least once-a-day visitation for felines. For the well-being of your cat, we will not “skip” days. At least two visits per day is required for dogs, but we recommend at least three visits (per full day you are away) for dogs. (Three visits per day is required a dog that is crated.) Our minimum requirements are rooted in our experience as professional pet sitters. Separation anxiety is eased with frequent service, and you can rest assured that your monster is having a blast while you’re out of town. These requirements are for the mental and physical well being of your monsters.
Severe Weather
In the event that we are faced with severe weather services may be altered. You will be notified if such an event occurs. (i.e. We receive three feet of snow and have to walk/crawl to each client’s home because Philly decides not to plow the roads. In such a case visits may be cut shorter so we can accommodate all clients. We’ll be sure to cover all the necessities, don’t worry.) In the event of heat waves or cold snaps (temps over 100 degrees, or below 15 degrees), time outdoors will be kept to a maximum of 15 minutes for the safety of everyone involved. The remaining visit time will be spent inside playing/snuggling. For mid-day clients, if you are staying home from work due to severe weather forecasts, please let us know ASAP.
Aggression & Uncontrollable Pets
We hold the right to refuse service if a pet shows any form of human-aggression (towards a Minder, or a stranger on the street). If a client is out of town and a pet shows serious human-aggression, we will complete the service as agreed upon, but we may choose to not offer service in the future. Please contact a trainer if your pet shows any form of aggression towards humans. This is a serious pet training issue and not one to be overlooked. Also, if a dog is uncontrollable on-leash or pulls excessively, we may also require the use of a alternate halter/leader/collar to make the walking experience safe for both us an the pet. We can handle, and work with, moderate levels of dog-on-dog aggression by keeping your pooch away from other dogs. However, due to the size/weight of the dog and seriousness of the aggression, we hold the right to refuse service. We’re happy to work with clients to reinforce walking manners & socialization, but we cannot injure ourselves or put other people/pets in danger in the process. We thank you in advance for your understanding!
Breed Restrictions
Under no circumstances will we discriminate on the grounds of breed. We are happy to work with rescued/rehabilitated dogs that do not pose a risk to the safety of the Minders and others around us!
Second Minder Meeting
If we do not care for your pets for over 1 year, we may require a subsequent Minder Meeting to get re-aquatinted with your pets and home. This is rooted in our pet care philosophy. A lot changes in a year, and pets may forget Minders with such a large time lapse. This assures the Minder is seen as a “friend” when entering the home, and it assures the best care possible. We may also require a second Minder Meeting if you move into a new home or add a new pet to the family. $20 for the second meeting.
Neglect, abuse and/or inhumane living conditions
We hold the right to refuse service if we deem a pet is living in inhuman conditions, being abused or not cared for in a loving manner. This includes, but is not limited to physical abuse, inhuman “training” methods, and water or food deprivation. We’re always happy to provide pet care advice to our clients, but we can and WILL report cases of abuse & negligence to the authorities. Pets are a part of the family, and we expect our clients to treat them as such.
Shock Collars
We are happy to reinforce various training techniques, but we will never use shock collars on dogs. We believe there are more humane ways of communicating with man’s best friend. At any time clients can call or email the office for training tips and advice. If we can’t help you, we will refer you to a qualified trainer whom we know and trust. We will not recommend any trainers or “boot camps” that employ the use of electronic shock as a punishment. We believe in positive, cognitive modification training - and your dog will too!
