Policies

Consultation Visit

The consult is an opportunity for one of your primary pet sitters to meet you and your pet(s) to ensure that our services are a good fit, answer questions, and to learn all about their routine(s).
For new clients, Raleigh Pawz consults are $37. After the consultation, your first Pet Sitting or Dog Walking visit you book is FREE. A consult is required before service can begin. Please be aware that we require 48 hours notice before the start of new client services to set up a consult with you and your pet.
As an insured and bonded company, we work as a team and all of our pet sitters and dog walkers are professional and skilled. Since you'll complete your Client Portal and update it as needed prior to service, our pet sitters and dog walkers will have all of the directions to care for your pet and home as instructed. You may have more than one pet sitter or dog walker assigned to you. If you would like to schedule more than one consult prior to service, a $37 fee per consult is required in order to compensate staff for their time.
Please note, if you move or welcome another pet into your home, there is a $37 fee for your pet sitter to meet at your home to see the new routine/set-up.

Payment

Payment for Vacation Pet Sitting services is due immediately following the completion of the last scheduled visit. For mid-day Dog Walking clients, payment is due immediately following the completion of the visits for the relevant calendar week. The invoice is subject to a $15 late fee for every 10 days it is overdue.

Cancellations

Dog Walks - For our dog walking clients, please notify us by 7 p.m. the night prior to the scheduled walk for no charge. Cancellations made after 7 pm on the night prior to the scheduled walk will result in 100% charge of canceled visit(s).

Vacation Pet Sitting and Overnight Visits - Due to the heavy volume of vacation pet sitting requests and that we're holding room in your pet sitter's schedule, our cancellation policy is as follows:

Cancel more than 15 days before the date of your first scheduled visit: No charge
Cancel 8 to 14 days before the date of your first scheduled visit: 50% charge of canceled visits due.
Cancel within 7 days of the date of your first scheduled visit: 100% charge of canceled visits due.

Once service begins, payment will be due for the dates that you have scheduled with us.

Holiday Cancellations

For any trip that includes any of the following holidays, cancel 15 days prior to any holiday date for no charge. Cancellations made within 14 days prior to a holiday date will result in 100% charge of the canceled visit(s). Holidays include Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day (July 4), Labor Day, Thanksgiving Week (Wednesday to Sunday), and December 23 through January 2.

Home Access & Lock Boxes

We ask that all new clients use a lock box for us to access their home. A secure lock box provides you with the peace of mind that last minute care is possible with no key exchange needed. Our staff will have immediate access to your home in case of emergency. You can update the lock box code as often as you prefer.

Use an existing lock box that you have, purchase your own lock box before service begins, or Raleigh Pawz will provide a lock box for $29, which includes our admin processing fee.

Anytime services are requested, simply place two copies of keys inside the lock box and securely hang it from a designated area  (usually an access door). It is your responsibility to ensure that your Client Portal is updated with the access code and location of the lock box to ensure our staff are able to access your home by simply using the dial to enter the code. After the visit has ended, our staff will place the key(s) back in the lock box. Any keys that we need to create on your behalf are subject to a $15 charge.

If Raleigh Pawz cannot gain entry for any reason, you will be notified, and we will contact a locksmith to access your home if there is no alternative way to access your home. You will be subject to the cost of the locksmith and our staff's time.

If you have a keyless entry and do not wish to provide keys, please keep in mind when selecting this option, if there is ever a power outage or the unit has a low battery or malfunctions, our staff will not be able to access your home. You will be notified and if there is no alternative way to access your home to care for your pets, you will be subject to cost of locksmith and payment for our staff's time.

For existing clients, unless you let us know that you want keys returned, they'll be kept on file with us. If you choose to not keep keys on file with us, they can be mailed or delivered in-person for a $10 delivery fee to compensate our staff for their time.

Last Minute Requests

For our dog walking clients, please notify us by 7 p.m. the night prior to your requested walk.
To ensure that we're able to accommodate your dog walking or pet sitting request, please request service at least 24 hours in advance before you’ll need service to begin. Any dog walking or vacation pet sitting requests with multiple appointments booked within 24 hours of the service start date will incur a $30 surcharge. Any single dog walking or pet sitting requests booked within 24 hours of service start date will incur a $15 surcharge. Raleigh Pawz accepts jobs on a first come, first served basis and does not overbook. We do our best to accommodate last minute requests, but it is based on pet sitter availability.
Any holiday services booked within five days of a holiday will incur a $35 admin holiday surcharge.

Minimum Visit

We visit our dog clients at least every 12 hours (AM and PM), but it is strongly encouraged to book three visits per day so that they have a mid-day potty break as well. For crated dogs and dogs under one year old, we require at least three visits per day. While cats are in our care, we require at least one visit every 24 hours while you're out of town. Our minimum visit requirements are to ensure that your babies are healthy and happy while you're out of town.

Service Request

Clients must book their requested visits via their Client Portal. This is the fastest way to be added to our schedule. When booking, we ask you to review and make any necessary updates to the PETS and MY INFO sections. Our staff rely on this information to provide the best care possible for your pet(s).

Visit Time Blocks

Due to traffic and that we're caring for live animals, all of our scheduled visits are scheduled in time blocks for morning, mid-day, late afternoon, and evening.

Leash Walks

To ensure the safety of your dog and our walker, we avoid other dogs while walking, and we do not walk dogs off-leash. Dogs must be leashed in any unfenced area.

The above information is also included in our Service Agreement, which you can review when you access your Client Portal.