OUR POLICIES

Service Area - our current service areas range from Newtown Square, Berwyn, Paoli, Malvern, Frazer, and West Chester, Pennsylvania. Traveling outside of our regular service areas can be considered and would be subject to an additional travel fee.

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Business hours - our business hours for all corespondents falls between 8am-5pm Monday through Friday. Please allow 24-48 hours response time to voicemails, texts, emails, and messages. All will be monitored over the weekend for emergencies.

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Cancellation and Payment - For our weekly dog walking clients, payment is due after your services for the week are completed. We currently accept cash, check, Venmo, Zelle and PayPal. There is a $35 charge for all returned checks. For our drop in and overnight clients, a 50% nonrefundable deposit is required at the time of scheduling. Full payment is due prior to your departure. We strongly enforce a 24 hour cancelation policy and unfortunately cannot make exceptions for any circumstances. 

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Scheduling - we do our very best to accommodate all of our client’s requests but our schedule's space and time is limited. It is highly recommended that you schedule well in advance during our busiest times of year which are holidays, summer vacation, etc.

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Same day/last minute service requests - all same day service requests may be subject to an additional $10 fee. The length of time of a same day visit request may vary based on that days schedule. If I’m able to accommodate your request in a pinch for even just a quick potty break, I’d be happy to do so. 

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Arrival/Departure Time - unless medically necessary visit arrival times will vary within a 2 hour window. There are NO "set in stone" times for pet sitting visits. Exact time requests will always be considered but cannot be guaranteed. We do not accept a specific time request for cats, birds, critters, etc. that do not have any medical needs. We get to them as we are able to comfortably fit them in. If multi-day visits are scheduled we aim to keep the time of day consistent to the best of our ability. Departure time may vary by a few minutes based on that days schedule. ​
 

Dog Drop In Visits While You’re Out of Town - A minimum of two drop in visits per day is required for your pup(s) while you’re away. One visit every 24 hours is just not enough! We highly recommend 3-4 visits per day. This policy does not apply to regular drop in visits while you're at work or out just for the day.

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Vaccinations and Illness - proof of up-to-date rabies vaccination is required by PA state law prior to beginning any services. We cannot provide services to any pet that has an active contagious illness in order to protect other clients and our own pets. 

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Emergency Contacts - your primary vet contact information is required. We also require an emergency contact if for some reason we are unable to get in contact with you. Please make sure your emergency contact is available during your time away.

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Secure Entry Policy - we will no longer keep our client's house keys in our possession. Client's that do not have a keypad, garage code, hidden key or alternative way of entry into their home are now required to. A lockbox is a great and secure solution. If you live in an apartment complex and a lockbox etc. is not an option we are happy to accommodate. 

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Emergency Transport - in the event of an emergency, if the sitter must transport the pet in their own personal vehicle to an emergency veterinary hospital, the owner of the pet is responsible for the cost of any clean up (bodily excrement for example etc.) and repairs required that was caused by their pet in the process.

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Temperament History - it is the clients responsibility to disclose all previous bite and temperament history prior to the start of services. While this has rarely stopped us from providing services in the past, we need to be aware ahead of time in order to avoid any altercations. We take every precaution to ensure the safety of your pets, ourselves, and our team members. In addition, please inform us if your dog is reactive to other dogs or has high pray drive. We do our best to NEVER come in contact with other animals but sometimes it happens!

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Inclement Weather - with your pet’s health and safety in mind, there may be times here and there when we deem weather conditions to be too extreme for your pet to walk or run around in. We reserve the right to alter plans for our visits, be that a complete cancellation, a quick potty break, and/or some indoor play time in lieu of a walk. If our regular clients who work from home cancel their visit on the day of due to weather conditions, payment is still due in full. Clients will be notified in advance before any changes are made to their pet’s appointment. 

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Camera Policy - we understand that people have cameras inside and outside of their homes. We do too! We require our clients (especially our overnight clients) to let us know where any cameras are located inside the house and reserve the right to turn off or unplug any cameras that may make us feel uncomfortable. For example: in the kitchen, the living room etc. Our team members that temporarily settle into your home for overnights would like to relax at the end of the day and a not feel as though they’re being watched.

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Cleanliness of our Client’s Homes: we will always clean up after ourselves and your pets to the best of our ability while you’re gone. Please inform us of any specific and appropriate cleaning supplies for each of the designated areas of your home such as countertops, carpets, floors etc. Chester County Canines is not responsible for any damage done to your home by your pet while you're away. In addition, we will always clean up our dirty dishes etc. whether by hand washing or running the dishwasher. When we overnight pet sit we are temporarily settling into your home. Some team members may cook meals during their stay with your fur babies. If you have certain cookware, dish ware, silverware etc. that you’d prefer not to be used you must inform us prior to your departure in detailed notes. In addition, if there is any cookware etc. that you’d prefer hand washed vs. put in the dishwasher this also must be left in detailed notes prior to your departure. The more detailed the notes the better!

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Guests staying in your home - Chester County Canines politely declines to provide pet sitting services if you have family or other guests staying in your home at that time.

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Photo Policy - we love showing off our adorable furry clients on our business page! If you do not want photos or videos of your pet to be shared on our social media pages, please notify us ahead of time! 

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Rates - Chester County Canines reserves the right to change our service rates at any time, for any reason, with or without notice.