Policies and Fees:

Pooch PowWow

This is a free mandatory meeting to allow you and your pets to meet the walker and make sure you are both a good match. This gives us time to get to know each other. During this time we will learn about your pets likes and dislikes, medical history, and even go for a test walk. We can not schedule any services until after the Pooch PowWow.

Payment

Regular Service Users:  Emailed invoices are sent out monthly.  Invoices are sent out on the 1st of the month for the previous month’s services.  Payment is due by the 9th. All major credit cards are accepted through Paypal's secure service, or personal checks can be made out to “Manayunk Pooch Scoochers.”  A $15/week late fee will be imposed if we do not receive payment within nine days.

First Time Clients :  Payment is due at the time of booking.  After we review your request for service and confirm your request, you will be emailed a confirmation invoice.  Please check this invoice for accuracy.  On the invoice you will have an option to pay with a credit card online via PayPal’s secure service, or you can send a check to our office.  Payment is due within one week of the emailed invoice. Please do not leave payment for the Walkers to pick up. If we do not receive payment, we hold the right to accommodate other paying clients.

Key Policy

Clients agree to provide Manayunk Pooch Scoochers with two sets of working keys.  Please check that both sets of keys work.  Keys are left with us, so that booking can be done quickly over the phone or web for future services.  Keys are secured in a lock box located in our office. Your name and the content of your home always remain confidential. House keys are coded anonymously.

Key Pick-up & Drop-Off Fee - $5

Please have the keys ready for us at the Pooch PowWow, so we don’t have to charge you the $5 key pick-up fee.  We will keep your keys on file for quick and easy future bookings. If don’t want to leave keys on file and you wish for the keys to be dropped off after the service, a the key drop-off fee of $5 applies. We will never lock keys in the house after the last visit because of unforeseen travel interruptions, and other emergencies that may require us to access the property again. 

Cancellation Policy

To cancel a service, please call or e-mail the office 24 hours before hand.  There is no penalty for cancellations made before 24 hours of the scheduled service time.  If you call less than 24 hours ahead, or if we arrive at your home and are turned away, you will be charged in full for the visit.

Third Party Entering Home while we are Pet Sitting

We do not allow job sharing or third party entry when our clients head out of town.  (i.e. a neighbor shops by every other day to check on the pets.)  Due to liability concerns and the safety of our Walkers we cannot allow a third party to enter your home while we are securing your home and caring for your pets.  For the time that we are contracted to care for the pet and home, we are responsible for any mishaps that occur.  We provide our client's with the security of knowing that Manayunk Pooch Scoochers are bonded and insured.  A third party entering your home can breach this security making it impossible to know where the liability falls if doors/window are left unlocked/ajar, alarms are left off or tripped, if items are broken or missing, or an pet is improperly cared for.  If you have any other professional services such as a house cleaning services, please let us know what days of the week to expect such services to occur.

Severe Weather

In the event that we are faced with severe weather services may be altered.  You will be notified if such an event occurs. We will still service all pooches, but time outside will be cut to a minimum for both the safety of the walker and pet.  Please remember to leave out a towel for your wet pet! If you are staying home from work due to severe weather forecasts, please let us know as soon as possible. No cancellation fees will apply.    

Injury & Illness

If we suspect that something is wrong with your pet, we will call you at the emergency phone numbers we have on file for you. We will describe the situation with your pet. If you believe the veterinarian should see your pet, we will transport your pet to the veterinarian's office for examination and treatment. In the event we cannot reach you, we will decide if your pet should be seen by the veterinarian. If necessary, we will take your pet for treatment. You will be billed for any extra time we spend for these services.

Medications

Due to the stress on the animal, we strongly urge you to administer all medications to your pet. However, when that is not possible we will only administer medications that can be placed in food, water, or that can be orally inserted to the pets mouth.

Aggression & Uncontrollable Pets

We hold the right to refuse service if a pet shows any form of human-aggression.  If a client is out of town and a pet shows serious human-aggression, we will complete the service as agreed upon, but we may choose to not offer service in the future.  Please contact a trainer if your pet shows any form of aggression towards humans.  This is a serious pet training issue and not one to be overlooked.  Also, if a dog is uncontrollable on-leash or pulls excessively, we may also require the use of a alternate halter or leader to make the walking experience safe for the pooch and the walker.  Manayunk Pooch Scoochers believes in positive reinforcement for pets. We will never hit, spank, slap, yank the leash, yell or grab your pet. If there is a disciplinary problem, such as toilet training issues, and running away, you will be informed of the incident(s) and we will implement your suggested disciplinary actions.

Neglect, abuse and/or inhumane living conditions

We hold the right to refuse service if we deem a pet is living in inhuman conditions, being abused or not cared for in a loving manner.  This includes, but is not limited to physical abuse, inhuman “training” methods, and water or food deprivation.  We’re always happy to provide pet care advice to our clients, but we will report cases of abuse & negligence to the authorities.

Our Policy