Activities that increase the amount of time I spend at your house and require me to stay for longer visits may incur additional charges. This can include (but isn’t limited to) watering lots of plants or gardens, taking trash cans down long driveways, more than just a few animals in the house, complex feeding routines.
Remember, even activities listed below do not incur additional fees unless they impact my billable time, are frequent, and/or are problematic.
Time that I spend running unbilled errands takes time away from other billed business activities. Making a single trip like this from time-to-time or making the trip when I’m in the area anyway is no big deal so I wouldn’t charge extra for that. However, going out of my way to make six key exchange and shopping trips in one week can make a dent in my work time.
| What | How much | Why |
|---|---|---|
| LOCATIONS OUTSIDE FREE SERVICE AREA | $.50 per mile outside of my free Service Area | I have this policy because driving further increases my costs for gas and increases wear and tear on my car. (I base this mileage rate on the calculations of vehicle fuel and wear & tear as calculated by the US General Services Admin. I charge a bit less than that because it’s easier to calculate.) |
| SHORT NOTICE | 15% surcharge if booking 3 weeks or less in advance. | I have this policy to encourage clients to plan ahead so I can plan my days without spending extra time re-planning my schedules and routes. |
| KEY EXCHANGES | No charge if it’s convenient for me to swing by while I’m in the area anyway.$10 per pickup/return attempt, if it’s inconvenient and problematic. | I have this policy to encourage people to let me keep a copy of their key. People who have me keep a copy of their keys do not need to arrange for key exchanges. |
| EXTENDED SERVICES | No charge if it’s infrequent and/or not problematic.$25 in addition to usually applicable fees, if extending services for your reservations is frequent and/or problematic. | I have this policy to encourage people to let me know if their return will be delayed. Please contact me as soon as you know that you’ll need to stay away longer than originally planned. I ask that you call, text, or email me to let me know when you get home because I’m a worrier and if I don’t hear from you, I’ll assume that your return was delayed and I don’t want to leave your pets without care. Of course I’ll try to contact you before making an extra trip, but if I can’t reach you I’ll come over so your pets won’t go without care. I’m a worrier and I don’t want to assume that you arrived home at your scheduled time because if there were actually an unexpected delay in your return, your animals would be without care. That thought keeps me awake at night. (Seriously!) When I don’t hear that someone is safe at home, it can ruin a day “off”. My days “off” are so rare and precious so please help me by letting me know when you have gotten home. |
| CHANGE OF DATES/TIMES | No charge if it is infrequent, not problematic, and/or made 7+ days before service begins.
2-6 days before service begins, 20% surcharge is added to the total fee. 0-48 hrs before service begins, 50% surcharge is added to the total fee. |
I have this policy to encourage people to notify me of changes in their plans as early as possible. I know that life happens and we’re sometimes thrown curve-balls. Changing plans is no big deal if it’s rare or done far enough in advance that I can fill that time with other billed services. Also remember that I these fees are not incurred if you told me to just pencil in tentative plans before the exact dates and times are known. Changes of plans sometimes happen so frequently that I spend 2-3 hours every day (14-20 hours per week!) sitting in my office re-planning schedules and routes. I hope you can understand my need to be compensated for the time I spend doing that additional unexpected work. |
| CANCELED RESERVATIONS | No charge if it is infrequent, not problematic, and/or made 7+ days before service begins.
2-6 days before service begins, 20% of service fees are due. (80% refund is provided.) 0-48 hrs before service begins, 50% of service fees are due. (50% refund is provided.) |
I have this policy to encourage people to notify me of changes in their plans as early as possible. If you need to cancel, please contact me as soon as you can. I know that life happens and we’re often thrown curve-balls. Canceling is no big deal if it’s rare or if it’s done far enough in advance that I can fill the time with other billed services. I mean, golly, life happens.I don’t mind people making tentative plans with me before the exact dates are known. I just like to know when the dates are tentative.If someone frequently cancels, it affects my income because when I’ve reserved time on my calendar to visit one family, that time is not available for others. I turn away other client reservations when my schedule is too full.If clients are home during a scheduled visit and have simply forgotten to cancel, the full price of the service might be charged anyway. If services have begun and are interrupted or end early, clients might still be responsible for the entire reservation fee. |
| MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION | No charge for medication that is easy to administer.$2 per pet per administration if it’s problematic. | I have this policy because on rare occasions my visit lasts longer because of an animal who squirms a lot or hides from me when it’s time for medicine.I’ve given shots and pills to pets hundreds (maybe even thousands) of times, so it’s extremely rare that it’s so difficult that I need to charge extra.Giving medication can be stressful and dangerous to both your pet and the administrator. Knowing that your pet nanny comfortably administers medications is crucial to your pet’s health while you are away. |
| EMERGENCY CARE | No charge if the clinic is nearby and/or if I have a short day.$35 per hour for up to 2 hours of my supervision if I end up working an extra long day because of the emergency trip. | I have this policy to cover events that lead me to work overtime. I don’t add this extra fee if I had a short day scheduled.Of course, I would attempt to contact you before going in for emergency care. Although I can manage a few unanticipated medical situations (I am American Red Cross Certified in pet first aid and CPR) I certainly know my limits. |
| SHOPPING TRIPS | No charge if it’s infrequent or if I’m swinging by the store anyway.$25 in addition to the cost of the supplies purchased, if you frequently run out of necessary supplies and if I have to schedule inconvenient shopping trips to purchase supplies for your animals. | I have this policy to encourage people to stock up on supplies before they leave.I usually do drive by pet supply stores several times a week. |
| RETURNED CHECKS | $35 in addition to all fees incurred by financial institutions. | I incur banking fees if I attempt to deposit a check that is returned. As a self-employed, one-gal show, I don’t have the resources to cover these costs out of my own pocket.Returned checks will not be sent through a second time.Clients whose checks have been returned will need to use cash, money order, or credit cards to pay the outstanding fee and returned check costs, and also for future reservations with me. |
PLEASE NOTE: Other activities that increase the amount of time I spend at your house might require me to stay for longer visits, thus increasing the Pet Sitting fees. For example, watering gardens (as compared to watering just a couple indoor plants), forwarding answering machine messages, or changing a half dozen litter boxes (rather than just cleaning out the waste).
