Policies & Procedures

PETS

It is imperative that ALL pets be up-to-date on vaccinations and proof of same submitted at time of contract signing. While You R Away® cannot provide service for aggressive animals, those with a history of biting, pets that are not house-broken, or pets whose vaccinations are not current.  This is for the safety of the Pet Sitter.  ALL pets MUST wear identification tags while in our care.  Pets with special needs and disabled pets will be evaluated for services at the time of the in-home consultation.  It is our policy not to accept pets over one (1) year of age who are not spayed or neutered.   While You R Away® reserves the right to refuse pet sitting care to any pet owner for any reason. 

IN-HOME CLIENT CONSULTATION

Before any services may begin, a complimentary in-home consultation must be scheduled. It is important that we meet you and your pet(s) so that you may explain their routine and walk us through your home.  We will provide you with a full description of our services and rates in writing so that you may make an informed decision for your pet(s) care.  References are available upon request.   Our Service Agreement will be completed prior to scheduling any services.    

RESERVATIONS

It is highly recommended that you check  our availability prior to booking any travel plans.  Reservations can be placed by calling our office, visiting our website, or by  email.   We will confirm all reservations within 24 hours of contacting us.   PLEASE NOTE:  reservations made during the holidays should be made no less than two (2) weeks in advance or sooner.  Requests for service made less than two weeks before any holiday travel will be filled based on availability.  In some cases, a deposit may be required.

SCHEDULING VISITS

We will base the number of daily visits for your pet(s) upon several factors, including your pet(s) age, health, whether or not they have outdoor access, and their stress tolerance.  It is generally recommended that dogs receive at least three (3) visits per day and cats no less than one (1) visit per day.  While You R Away will not accept requests for every other day visits for cats - NO EXCEPTIONS!  If you have any questions regarding the appropriate number of visits per day, we will gladly make our recommendations after speaking with you about your pets. 

BEFORE YOU LEAVE

We ask that you leave typed and detailed instructions relating to the current service every time you travel. While we have the instructions in our files from the original consultation, things may have changed slightly from the previous visit.  Please advise us if there is an alarm code or key changes before you leave.  Make sure we have your up-to-date emergency contact info in case we are unable to get into your home, or if there are questions or issues that arise while you are away.  Please leave food, medications, treats, leashes, and/or cat litter disposal bags where we can easily see them.   Please see our Preparing for Your Pet Sitter for more details.

BACK-UP SITTER

In the event of injury or illness of your assigned Pet Sitter, another qualified While You R Away® staff sitter will be assigned. It is While You R Away®’s policy to ensure that your pets and your home are never left unattended.

PAYMENT

Payment for ALL services is due on or before the first date of service unless other arrangements have been discussed.  While You R Away® will only accept checks and credit cards.   Cash cannot be accepted.   Payments may be mailed to our office, paid over the phone with a major credit card, or simply left for our Pet Sitters to pick up at your home.  Clients are required to have a valid credit card on file with us to use in the event of a pet emergency or satisfying outstanding service fees.  For added security, credit card information that we keep on file is never stored on an internet based server. 

CANCELLATIONS

Cancellations may be made no less than 24 hours from departure without charge.  We request at least 24 hours notice also if your travel plans are extended other than for emergencies or travel issues beyond your control. (i.e., flight delays, traffic, etc.)   Same day cancellations for mid-day walks must be made by 8:00 am on that day to avoid full charge. 

JOB SHARING

While You R Away® does not recommend job sharing.  Our insurance and bonding policies cover While You R Away® employees only.  While we understand the financial benefit of having friends and family share the visits, it is stressful to both the pets and the pet sitters.  Any special requests must be discussed with the owner of While You R Away® directly and may require a waiver of insurance and bonding protection provided by us. 

KEYS

All clients are required to provide two (2) working copies of their house keys at contract signing.  Key pick-up and drop off charges may apply if client does not wish to allow While You R Away® to maintain keys.   For your security, names and addresses will never be placed on your key tags.  We use a coded key number system.  In the unlikely event a key is lost, dropped, or stolen, it would be meaningless to whomever may find it.  All keys are locked up in a lock box at the end of each day for extra security. 

CHECKING IN & OUT

It is mandatory that you call or email us  24 hours before ANY scheduled departure, for ALL trips of ANY length, to confirm the start of services.  Although we have two (2) independent computerized scheduling systems, the responsibility of checking in falls on you, the client.  This is our failsafe to ensure that all reservations are 100% accurate.  It also provides you with the opportunity to let us know if there are any changes in the service or with your pet(s) health.  You may leave voice mail if we are not available when you call.  In most cases, we will call you back to let you know we are on schedule to start services.  

We also request that you phone us within one (1) hour of returning home (your residence) no matter what time you arrive home.  This tells us the service has officially ended and that your pet(s) are secure.  Calling from the airport or from the freeway to say you're "almost home" is not acceptable.  Our phone line is open 24 hours/day and we ask that you leave voicemail after 10:00pm.  If we do not hear from you and we cannot reach you, we will keep coming for the sake and safety of your pet(s) and further charges will apply.   A reminder to call us will always be on the checklist notes when you arrive home. 

PLEASE NOTE:  We will kindly remind you of these procedures should you forget.  Repeated failure to adhere to either of these procedures will result in the discontinuation of services.  Thank you for your cooperation!