TERMS and CONDITIONS
SCHEDULING/INSTRUCTIONS/INFORMATION
When you make changes to your schedule, instructions, and/or general information: do so by
contacting our administrators (email thepack@caninecare.com, text/call 773-732-3309, or online
portal). Dog walkers are not expected to pass along your schedule changes, instructions. nor
general information If you want to leave a note out inside your home for your dog walker, send the
same message to our administrators ahead of time.
HOURS OF OPERATION, HOLIDAYS OFF, and OFFICE HOURS
Our earliest dog walking time slot is 8:00-9:00 am, latest time slot is 5:00-6:00 pm. We operate
every day excluding the following holidays: New Years Day, Memorial
Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. If one of those holidays falls on
a weekend, then we are off the observed weekday (in addition to the holiday). While you are welcome
to reach out any time, our office hours are 8:00 am-7:00 pm.
PRIVATE VISIT
A private visit makes it so we don’t have the option to include another dog. Private visits can be
mandatory if your dog is sick with something contagious, or if you dog doesn’t get along easily
with other dogs.
GROUP WALKS, 2 HOUR, and OFF LEASH services
Are only available for dogs who get along easily with other dogs, and for dogs who are not
excessive pullers. Any time spent in a car is in addition, aside from maybe a few/five minutes for
shelter (to warm up/cool off).
NUMBER of DOGS per HANDLER
Typically it’s no more than three dogs per handler. Off Leash service may be more than three dogs
per handler (up to six).
TIMING OF SERVICES
The service begins once we step foot onto your building’s property (we GPS check in) and ends
reciprocally as we step foot off of your building’s property (we GPS check out). Any time spent in
a car is in addition, aside from maybe a few/five minutes for shelter (to warm up/cool off).
AROUND TIME
The time (on the hour or half hour) designated by you around which for us to arrive.
TIME SLOT
The window of time, around the around time, in which for us to arrive. Dogs under a year old get a
one hour time slot throughout the day. Otherwise, midday time slots are two hours. We might arrive
5 minutes on either side of the time slot.
MINIMUM NUMBER OF WEEKLY WALKS
There is a two walks per week minimum, with sixteen weeks off per calendar year (which you can take
consecutively or periodically).
REGULAR WALKER
Refers to the walkers who have been designated as your weekly walkers. You will have more than one
regular walker. How many regulars depends on the volume of your scheduling (most customers have two
regular walkers).
BACK UP WALKER
A back up walker is someone who fills in when your regular walkers are unavailable. When the only
walker available is one that hasn’t been assigned to you before, we will let you know that we
assigned someone who has not been assigned to you before.
SCHEDULING
Schedule changes can only be made by someone listed on your account. If you would like to give a
friend, family member, pet sitter, etc authorization to make schedule changes, let us know ahead of
time and let us know if it’s on an ongoing basis or for a specific period of time.
There are times when we are tight on time and so cut visits short. Making a 60 minute visit 45
minutes, or 45 minute visit 30 minutes (for examples). We do our best to keep this to a minimum.
ADDITIONS
For us to guarantee an addition for a weekday, send us notice by 9:00 am the day before. For us to
guarantee an addition for a weekend, send us notice by 9:00 am the Thursday before the weekend.
You are welcome to request with shorter notice. If we are unable to meet your request, then we look
for if there is a next best available option.
Once you have booked service, then that time is reserved for you.
Additions include changes to an already existing service. Examples include: if you wish to extend
the duration of a visit, make a visit private, change the time slot, or to add an extra dog (form
in your home) onto the visit.
CANCELATIONS/CHARGES
Cancelations made by 9:00 pm the night before are free of charge.
“short notice cancelation – no charge”
If you send a message to cancel and it’s after 9:00 pm the night before, and if the visit’s time
slot starts at or after 10:00 am, then if you send a message to cancel by 9:00 am morning of, then
you get two days per calendar month of short notice cancelations at no charge. If your time slot
starts at or earlier than 9:30 am, then it’s send a message by 9:00 pm the night before in order to
avoid a charge.
“short notice cancelation”
After you have used up your two per calendar month short notice cancelations at no charge, then
it’s to cancel by 9:00 pm the night before in order to avoid a charge (the charge is for what was
booked).
If you forget to cancel, or if we are locked out by no fault of our own, then you get charged for
the booked visit.
Cancelations and Additions include:
• Making a change to the scheduled time slot is a cancelation and an addition (unless the already
assigned walker can make the change)
• Increasing the duration of a visit is an addition
• Decreasing the duration of a visit is a cancelation
• Adding a dog onto the visit is an addition
• Dropping a dog off of the visit is a cancelation
If you request a change to the arrival time (time slot) for a visit after the cancelation no charge
policy:
• if we are able to make the change with the already assigned walker, then you don’t get
additionally charged
• if we are unable to make the change with the already assigned walker and able to with another
walker, then you get charged (for the cancelation and addition)
END OF VISIT MESSAGING
At end of visits, we let you know we were there. We can leave a note, send a text, and/or email.
INVOICING and PAYMENTS
It does not cost anything to open an account, there is no deposit required (payment is due after
service is rendered). Invoices are emailed monthly. Due date is the fourth of each month following
the month of invoice date. There is a five percent charge added monthly to overdue balances. We
take credit cards, checks, and electronic payments.
MANAGEMENT
We have a few managers who help with customer service, scheduling, and general operations.
WEATHER
Unless you cancel, we show up. We intend to maintain the duration of the scheduled visit. If you
want to change to a shorter duration, then let us know (by 9:00 pm the night before to avoid being
charged for the already scheduled duration). Various conditions, including weather, impact how we
spend our time. When it’s cold, we spend more time in the sun.
When it’s hot, we spend more time in the shade. If the weather is too stressful for your dog, then
we seek shelter. A sheltered area can be in the woods for wind screen, inside a parked car when
it’s hailing golf balls, etc. We are happy to put on apparel/products, which might help to protect
your dog from the elements.
WATER
Unless a pet parent is present when we return from a walk, we check the water bowl and fill it (if
it’s not already full). If a dog doesn’t have access to water while left alone in the home, we
spend time for the dog to access water before we leave.
EMERGENCIES
Our response is situational, dependent upon circumstances. If your dog shows symptoms of illness or
injury, gog walkers are instructed to monitor until either it is determined to be safe to leave
unattended, or someone else takes over (ie you or a vet). If necessary then we will seek the
nearest vet, and keep you informed along the way. The dog walkers have a support network to help
with the decision making process in such situations, as well as transport if necessary.
SECURITY/ALARMS
We keep customer’s name and addresses separate from keys and access codes. If you provide us with a
hard key, we mark with a random letter/number coding system in order to identify. Unless instructed
different, we leave things the way we found them (even if we normally find things different than
the way we found). This includes locks and security systems. We will leave locks and security
systems the way we found unless you tell us to leave it a certain way no matter how we found it. If
we trip an alarm, we’ll let you know (as soon as possible).
GETTING IN
Unless you leave your door unlocked, have someone home to let us in, or have a door person who can
issue us a key: then we need some other way to get in. Other ways include: you can give us a
garage/door code, or set up a lock box with a key outside your place. With any of the
aforementioned options, we recommend providing us with one full set of keys to hold onto. We have a
mailbox at a UPS Store where we keep your back up set. If not any of the aforementioned options,
then we need three sets of keys. If you would like us to text when we are on our way, we can do
that on occasion or on a temporary basis.
WHEN WE ARRIVE AND DON’T FIND A DOG AT HOME
We’ll reach out to you. We’ll wait a few minutes, to hear back from you, and then move along (after
letting you know we are moving along).