Policies
New Client Onboarding
Initial Contact: This is the very first step to having Charlotte Pups & Pals take care of your pets. You can reach us online, by phone or e-mail. We will gather preliminary information about your pet sitting needs and answer any questions you may have as well as give you an overview of our services.
We will need you to set up an online profile at this time if you haven't already done so. Our secure system allows you to provide complete instructions for your home and pet care. You will be able to document your pet's unique preferences as to feeding, walking, playing, likes and dislikes.
We will review and discuss your home and pet profiles during your Meet & Greet.
Meet & Greet: Before we confirm your pet sitting services, we will schedule your free 30 minute Meet & Greet. You and your pets will meet Natalie, the owner, or a Charlotte Pups & Pals manager, along with at least one of your assigned sitters. During your appointment, we will get to know your pets (yay!), review your home and pet care information from your profile, clarify any instructions and determine how we will access your home for pet care.
Reports: After each visit the Charlotte Pups & Pals assigned sitter will send you a text message with a full report of the visit. If something should occur that needs your immediate attention, advice or approval, you will receive a phone call unless other arrangements have been made.
Reservations
Reservations: We use Precise Petcare, a secure client information and scheduling system, to keep track of your home and pet care information. This online system allows you to update information as needed, schedule service and add notes for scheduled visits. For your security this information is only available to Charlotte Pups and Pals management and your assigned pet sitters.
For the safety of your home and pets, all services must be confirmed before you leave. You will always receive an e-mail confirmation of services once they're assigned. If you don't receive this confirmation, please let us know!
If we are not available for the service you request, you will be notified immediately in order to make alternate arrangements.
Holiday rates of $5 additional for each visit per day apply for the day before, day of and day after a major holiday, such as Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. The amounts paid for these rates go directly to the sitters providing care.
Late Reservations: Any service request with less than 24 hours’ notice may be subject to a late reservation fee of $10 that will be added to your invoice. Of course we know that things come up and we will do our best to be there for your babies! If you need same day service please call our office to confirm availability.
Cancellation Policy
Cancellation Policy: We understand that things come up and you may need to cancel your reservation. Once we have scheduled and confirmed your appointment, a fee may apply for cancellations to compensate our pet sitters for the time they set aside for your appointments. Some of our sitters plan their vacations around your vacations because they love your pets and want to be sure they are taken care of, so this fee helps to pay for some of their time.
For our dog walking clients: 24 hour cancellation notice is required except for major holidays. Major holidays require a 7 day cancellation notice. If appropriate notice is not given, you will be charged the full price of the walk.
For pet sitting clients: In the event you need to cancel a trip, cancellation fees charged will be:
50% within 7 days of the start of reservation
100% within 2 days of the start of reservation
If your plans change and you'll be returning home early, please let us know as soon as possible to make adjustments in our schedule. We do not offer refunds for early returns on major holidays.
Payment
Payment: Check, cash and online credit card payments are accepted. Checks should be made payable to "Charlotte Pups and Pals" A $35 charge will apply for all returned checks.
For your convenience, our secure scheduling software allows you to keep a credit card on file. If you choose to keep a card on file, any invoice remaining unpaid on your invoice due date will be automatically charged for the total amount due so that you can enjoy your time away without worry!
Pet sitting clients payment is due on the first visit of each booking.
Dog walking clients payment is due on the last day of each month, as indicated on your invoice.
Charlotte Pups & Pals is committed to protecting consumer credit card data in compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).
Gratuity: Tips are never expected, but are very much appreciated by your sitter. You can set this up in your profile to automatically apply a tip to each invoice, you can include a tip at the time your pay your invoice or you make a tip only payment from your invoice to your sitter after service has been completed.
Safety
Safety: As a safety measure, if you are traveling or have been out of town overnight, we request that you contact us by phone, e-mail or text message indicating that you have safely returned home. You may also check the "Home Safe" button on your profile on your return.
If your travel plans should change and you will be home earlier or later than planned, please let us know right away. We will adjust your schedule as needed. In the case of delays, we will continue caring for you pets if needed until you are safely home.
For the safety of your pets, we will not leave pets outdoors unsupervised between visits.
Home Access: If your home requires keys for access, we ask that you provide 3 keys for us at the Meet & Greet. If you would like us to pick up keys at the first visit and return them after the visits have been completed, please provide us with a secure place to retrieve and leave the keys such as a lockbox.
Two keys are for the pet sitters that will be coming to your home and one is a backup key that will be kept locked in our office for any unexpected emergencies.
Please note that if you do not provide keys and only provide us with garage, lockbox or electronic codes to enter your home and there is an issue that prevents us from entering to care for your pets, you will still be charged for the visit.
Vaccinations: For your protection and ours, it is our policy that all pets that we are caring for are current on their vaccinations. North Carolina law requires that all owned dogs, cats and ferrets must be vaccinated against rabies by four months of age. You can document your pets’ vaccinations in our online client information and scheduling system.
ID Tags: We highly recommend that your pets wear ID tags or are microchipped with current address while they are under our care.
Cats: We require that cats are provided with daily visits for their own safety and well being. We do not do every-other-day visits or any pet sitting with cats other than daily visits. All cats will be kept indoors while in our care.
Aggressive Pets/ Biters Policy: It is the responsibility of all pet owners, spouses or informed parties to inform Charlotte Pups & Pals during Meet & Greet, Profile Creation and/or at any time after any occurrence of pet aggression and/or attacks, (including attempted biting) where any other animals, children or adults had any potential involvement. For the safety of our team and your pets, we reserve the right to refuse service requests for aggressive pets or those with a bite history.
Thank you for 15 Years!
We're celebrating 15 wonderful years of caring for your furry family members!