FAQ - Pet Sitting

Do I need to meet with you before service begins?

Yes, an initial consultation is required before your first service can be provided. We find that this consultation is an excellent way for you and your pet to get acquainted with us at Johnson County Pet Concierge. This consultation can take 30 minutes to an hour and gives us time to gather information for your profile, fill in some paperwork, gain familiarity with your pet(s) and your home routine, plus, discuss all the important information about your pet's needs.

This first consultation is free. Consultations for services later on are available but are not required. Subsequent consultations & key pickups/drop offs will be charged at our regular visit rates.

In addition, we will take this time to discuss our policies with you and answer any questions you may have. We ask that you please have a set of keys ready for us at that time. These keys should be whatever keys you use regularly to enter your home. Please check the keys to make sure they work before we take possession.

Please be sure to call far enough in advance to schedule your consultation. Johnson County Pet Concierge does book up periodically, and will not always have time to schedule in last minute consultations or service. Also, although we have an excellent track record of obtaining and retaining clients, you'll want to meet with us to be sure we are a "good fit" for your home in plenty of time before service starts.

Will there be forms to fill in?

We keep a profile on every home and pet we visit. The profile includes important information, including walk schedules, feeding schedule, your contact information, vet information, general routines, any quirks about your home or pet(s) (we all have quirks!) and much more. We ask that you inform the office as changes occur in the routine of your pet and your home as we can be sure the profiles reflects them. Basically, the profile allows us to make sure we are following your routine exactly as you wish.

Are your rates per pet?

No. With the exception of poop scooping services, all rates are based on time only and almost all tasks are included. However, you will be required to provide enough time for us to complete all tasks requested. We will strive to get everything done in the time you scheduled for your first service, but any extra time needed will be charged to you and must be paid within 14 days of bill receipt.

Do you provide overnights or stay in the home?

We do offer overnight visits. This service usually involves arriving in your home in the evening between 7:00-10:00 pm and staying through 7:00-9:00 am depending on pet sitter schedules. Please call the office for rates and availability. A midday visit can be scheduled for an extra fee at discounted rates. If schedules allow, the midday visit can be extended to suit your needs at no extra cost. This service is a highly personalized service and is extremely limited at this time.

How many times do you visit, and what time?

Our regular visit hours are usually from 7:00 am - 9:00 pm. We usually allow for a 2-3 hour window for scheduled visits as it is impossible to be at more than one place at one time! Most people choose the regular 30 minute visit, which turns out to be about every 4-8 hours. If you have specific requests for before and after hour visits, you will be charged $3 extra per visit. Please be aware though that safety is always a concern for our pets and pet sitters and we prefer not having sitters out too late at night. We do strive to get all visits done in daylight hours, however, in the winter, this is not always possible. Occasionally, there are times when we are out before and/or after the 7am-9pm schedule due to unforeseen schedule changes or emergencies, etc. However, you will not be charged in these instances.

Please schedule us to come frequently enough to avoid unnecessary accidents. If you do not, large and super messy accidents may be charged extra. We understand that some pets will have accidents despite frequent scheduling - the extra fee does not apply to these pets.

Why is pet sitting so expensive?

Many people are new to the pet sitting experience, and when they think of a pet sitter they may automatically compare us to baby sitters or teenage house sitters. There is an enormous difference between professional pet sitters and having friends, family, or teenagers watch your home. In fact, more than half of our clients have unfortunate stories of previous non-professional pet sitting experiences. Keep reading to find out more.

What can I expect from a NON-professional sitter? (Or "Should I just get a friend to watch them?")

A young sitter will commit to care for your pet. After about 3 or 4 days, they get bored and just don't "feel like" coming any more. Possibly, they won't tell anyone and will try to cover up the fact that they have not been caring for your pet. So your pet goes uncared for--possibly for days.
An adult friend or family member volunteers to come for scheduled visits to your home. During the week, they realize that they are "unable to make it" because maybe "something suddenly came up" at the last minute. Or, they cannot make their scheduled times, so they will only come when they think they can (maybe just in the morning today). More visits get missed the longer the vacation period lasts.
Most non-professionals will be initially excited about the opportunity to sit for your home. Usually they will have a genuine love for your pet. However, they are probably not used to the "quirks" that your pet may have (that you or your professional pet sitter probably do not even notice!) and often the initial enthusiasm will turn to frustration that the pet will not "behave" the way they expected. Once the enthusiasm has diminished, the pet may receive less affection.
The cat will probably get out. Usually because the door is opened to take the trash out or to let the dog out. Even beginning professional pet sitters need the experience of a couple of unbelievably crafty cats escaping before they truly have that ever vigilant eye and special walk through the door technique that prevents all possible escapes.
A task can be forgotten. Most tasks will be completed diligently, but one or two tasks might be consistently forgotten. Often it's cleaning the litter boxes. The second most common is filling water. Watering plants, getting mail, and locking doors are also easy to forget.
Non-professional help is there to help you out, but they will do the minimum possible to complete their duties. Accidents may be missed and the house may not be quite as tidy as when you left.
Lastly, non-professional help may not be versed in what to do in case of emergencies or medical situations.

What can I expect from a professional sitter?

Scheduled care. NO SHORTCUTS. We are there when we are scheduled to be there. In the rare emergency case that we have problems making it to your home in the 2-3 hour or 1 day span you select, we will use a backup plan to care for your pets. Part of the backup plan may be to split a visit into 2 evenly spaced visits, to have an emergency backup sitter cover the sit, or to call you or your emergency contact to reschedule. If your pet is inconvenienced in any way, we refund your money or give you a partial credit. And of course we clean up all accidents for free and spend extra time with any pet that has been distressed.
You are welcome to call at any time to add tasks, check up on your pet, or to verify upcoming service dates and times. We carry a cell phone and always return calls within 24 hours.
We use your detailed notes to properly and consistently care for your home. It is important that you fill out all paperwork in a detailed manner because we attempt to follow your written notes carefully at every visit.
We leave a log of how things went and any problems we came across. We may also leave answers to your questions, ideas or tips or just a note to say things went fine.
We provide little extras to make your return home as stress-free as possible. Like sweeping up after an excessively shedding cat, cleaning up litter tracks, mail sorting and newspaper/package retrieval, garbage already taken out and placed back in the garage or driveway and temperature monitoring. All these and more are included in our service.
We are insured and bonded. We also are extremely careful when securing your home. We never overexcite your pet inside the house so as to have them cause unexpected damage to that family heirloom or even to themselves!
Our pet sitters will never hit, kick or abuse your pet. We do use generally accepted training techniques to dissuade pulling on leashes, jumping up, biting and other unwanted behavior. We are happy to follow any alternative techniques and training items you provide, as long as they do not harm the pet.
You deserve a stress-free time away and we are here to ease your mind and hopefully not worry so much about leaving your pets home alone. We are there to give them loads of love and attention so that, hopefully, your absence will not be that stressful on them.
We love this job. Even on our "worst" days, we work hard to be enthusiastic and comforting to your pet. And usually they return the favor.

Can I trust having a stranger in my home?

No! At Johnson County Pet Concierge, we strive to be honest, reliable, trustworthy and careful. But we know that having a stranger come into your home for the first time is nerve-racking, as it should be! To put your mind at ease, we welcome you to ask questions at the initial consultation. Also, we do not hire regular employees at this time. All independent contractors that we contract with are thoroughly introduced to your information, are insured, have a great reputation and are personally known by the owner of Johnson County Pet Concierge. We trust them to come into our home for our own pet care needs.

We welcome you to call any of our previous clients as references and will provide a list upon request. We would like to build a trusting relationship with you. Most clients do feel completely at ease after the first or second service and recommend us to others with enthusiasm.

We also recommend that you do not allow other services or people into your home during vacations. Pets often sneak off to areas they should not be when others enter the house. All visitors should leave a note of their visit and where the pets were last seen. All visitors should schedule visits in advance or leave a note on the front door or mailbox when they arrive. We will call the police if we see unexpected visitors.

Will you care for Rabbits? Rats? Lizards?

Yes! We have experience with many animals, personally and professionally. And we take notes on all your pets, so even unusual pets will get the best care possible. Bugs and snakes are okay also, however spiders may take some persuasion...

Do you care for aggressive animals?

This is determined on an individual basis only. Some pets just do not like some people no matter what you do. If you have had problems in the past with aggressiveness towards others, please let us know this up front. We will evaluate the situation at the initial consultation and, hopefully, things will work out just fine. However, we will not put ourselves or others in a dangerous situation. If there is threat of physical harm while on the job to the sitter or a person/animal outside the home, we will take the appropriate steps to try to defuse the situation, secure your pet, and then call you to discuss what the best course to take at that point will be.

Do I have to pay now?

Deposit in full for first time customers is due prior to service, usually paid at the initial consultation or left on the kitchen counter for the sitter to retrieve at the first visit. Once you have established a relationship with us, you can request to have your invoice left on the final visit with an envelope to mail in your payment upon your return. In the alternative, we are now offering credit card payments through PayPal. All you need is an e-mail account. We can e-mail your invoice to you with a link to PayPal where you can securely make your payment online. Whichever method you choose, we found that most customers like taking care of the bill up front so they do not have to worry about it later. If you have a special situation, please ask. We will do our best to accommodate.

What will you do with our pets?

Walk, play, cuddle, hug, kiss, pet, brush, let out, clean up - whatever you specify and whatever comes naturally. We will not take a dog out unleashed unless you have a secure, fenced-in backyard. A collar must be provided for every dog. If you have an invisible fence, we will not be held responsible for the loss of or harm to any pets that manage to escape the borders, although we will do our best to track them down and bring them home safely. We ask that you please make sure all collars and equipment are operating properly before you leave. Please let us know in advance if your pet has a history of escaping. In the event of a power outage, pets with invisible fences will be walked on leashes.

What will you do with my keys?

Keys are normally picked up during the initial consultation. After your sit, your keys will be stored in a lockbox until your next reservation. Key storage is free. If you would like your key returned at the end of service, please leave a note stating so. With that said, we prefer not leaving the key on the final visit in case you are delayed and we need to get back in your home to care for your pet. But if you insist, it is best to have a secure outside hiding place for your key. Also, please be aware that if you need us to pick up the key again for a future reservation, you will be charged a $10.00 fee, plus any applicable travel fees.

Keys can also be dropped off to you after your service period. You will need to call and schedule a time for this transfer and, once again, you will be charged a $10.00 fee, plus any applicable travel fees.

This first consultation is free. Consultations for services later on are available but are not required. Subsequent consultations & key pickups/drop offs will be charged at our regular visit rates.

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