Q. What happens if my pet gets sick or needs to see a vet whilst I am away?

A. We will contact you immediately. If you cannot be contacted we will contact your nominated emergency contact person whom you are happy to make decisions for you. If no-one can be contacted and immediate veterinary attention is required in our best judgment we will take your pet to your pre-nominated veterinarian (or our own if they are not available) or for large animals call the veterinarian out to treat as necessary in their best judgment. We require as part of our service contract that you sign a written authorization to allow the veterinarian to treat your pet in your absence on the understanding that you will promptly take care of any associated charges on your return.

Q. What happens if my pet escapes or is lost whilst in your care?

A. We do our best to ensure that this does not happen. During our initial inspection of your home we make sure that the area where your pets are to be kept in your absence is secure and suitable for the purpose. But in the unlikely event that an escape occurs, pets at risk of going missing are fitted with an ACPS ID tag allowing anyone who finds your pet to contact us so that we can collect them and bring them home. We are known to the local rangers and these are the first people we contact if we become aware that a pet has escaped or got lost. For dog walking we have a policy of on leash walking only.

For outdoor cats, or those that spend a portion of the day outside, wandering can be a problem, especially if you are away for a long period of time. We suggest that cats be kept indoors whilst you are away for ultimate safety but if you choose to let your cat outdoors please be aware we are only there for a short period of time and your cat may have wandered too far to hear us calling or shaking the biscuit box! We have a policy to call you or your nominated person on the third consecutive day that a cat is missing so that we can begin more thorough searching of the local area and register the cat as missing with appropriate services.

Q. What if something happens with my home whilst I am away? E.g. a break in or a water leak etc.

A. We will contact you immediately. If you cannot be contacted we will call your nominated emergency contact whom you are happy to make decisions for you. In the case of a break in we will call the police immediately and stay at your home until they and either you or your nominated emergency contact arrive. In the case of water or gas leaks we will act upon your instructions or those of your emergency contact. If we cannot contact anybody we will take the minimum action required to limit damage or danger to your home until you can be contacted provided it is safe for us to do so. Extra time taken to attend to these problems will be charged at $7.00 per 15 minutes or part thereof.

Q. What happens if you get sick and cannot come to my house as scheduled?

A. The advantages of our business growing include the fact that there’s always someone available to cover sick days when they occur. We are generally a healthy bunch so this happens very rarely, but if we can’t get out of bed to visit our charges we simply call in early so that someone else can cover that day.

Q. What if you can’t get to my home because of flooding or fire?

A. Living in the Northern Rivers and especially around Lismore, the threat of flood can be a big concern for people travelling away from home in the wet season. If flooding is imminent and your home is in a vulnerable area and it is deemed necessary for the safety of your pet/s I will contact you for permission to remove your pet(s) from your home if this is possible. If you have someone whom you would like your pets to go to whilst the threat of flood remains, then I can arrange to drop them off for you. In some emergency cases we may be able take the pet/s to our own homes to care for until it is safe to return them – associated fees and charges will apply in this instance. In the case of flash flooding or fire where there is no warning it is recommended that you leave a key with a trusted neighbour and provide us with their contact details as they may still be able to get to your pet/s if we are unable to reach your home.

Q. Will my dog still get walked if the weather turns bad?

A. Dogs don’t usually mind the rain or heat too much if it means they get to go for a walk! Whilst ever your dog is happy and eager to go for a walk, we will take them. If dogs are fearful of thunderstorms or rain is extremely heavy we may in our best judgement decide against walking them in these conditions. If this occurs during your absence, we will notify you in our daily diary/ email/ SMS and either the time will be made up on another day or your invoice will be adjusted accordingly. If walks need to be cut short due to your dog becoming fatigued or unwilling to complete the walk we will let you know and amend your invoice.

If intense heat is an issue we may reschedule walks to early morning or evening. We do not walk any dogs in temperatures over 35 degrees due to the risk of heat stroke to both the pet and ourselves!