Policy and Procedures
Our FAQ provides answers to questions you may have about our dog walking and cat care services. Founded in 2012 by an experienced dog walker, handler, pet sitter, and animal advocate, Philadelphia Pet Care Company understands the diverse needs of pet parents and their fur kids! Our policies are designed specifically to provide consistent, professional care. We structure our services and procedures to retain committed caregivers to give your pet the best care possible.
If you have questions after reading the FAQ, do not hesitate to contact us. We are happy to discuss your pet’s needs to create the best plan possible.
You can reach us at info@phillypetcareco.com or via phone at 267-289-1564. Our office hours are Monday – Friday, 9 am – 5 pm.
Questions + Answers
Yes! Philadelphia Pet Care Company is fully bonded and insured through Business Insurers of the Carolinas.
And, to give you an extra level of protection, our caregivers are employees - not contractors. They are covered by workman's compensation, in addition to our bonding and insurance. If an employee is injured on your property or handling your dog, you do not risk litigation to cover medical costs.
- Philadelphia Pet Care Company has provided safe, caring dog walking and pet sitting since 2012.
- Each caregiver passes a criminal background screening, detailed interview, and thorough reference check.
- We only hire individuals with prior pet care experience.
- Our staff is trained in urban dog handling techniques to pass other dogs and avoid street treats safely.
- We provide additional information about feline care and health.
- We monitor the timing and location of our caregivers to ensure each pet is seen on time and for the correct duration.
- Our client app has a built-in messenger to check in at any time - we are always here for our clients.
1) Complete our online sign up form.
2) We will send you an activation email to create a client account in our portal within 24 hours. Once your client account is complete, you can quickly request services or set up a weekly walk schedule.
3) We will coordinate a new client meet in your home before services begin.
We currently serve the following zip codes:
19146, 19147, 19102, 19103, 19104, 19106, 19107, 19130, 19121, 19122, 19123
Philadelphia Care Company serves the following neighborhoods:
- Graduate Hospital
- Fitler Square
- Logan Square
- Art Museum
- Fairmount
- Brewerytown
- Rittenhouse Square
- Society Hill
- Bella Vista
- Italian Market
- Old City
- Chinatown
- The Gayborhood
- West Philadelphia
Yes. We are happy to do a preliminary, in-home meet and greet before you decide to schedule services. There is a $30 fee for this service. If you decide to become a client, the fee will be credited to your account for future service.
To ensure we can consistently access your pet, our clients must provide on-site access. When a staff member is sick or has an emergency, there is no time to distribute keys to staff available in your area. The one-site key/access allows us to deploy a caregiver if you are out of town and your return is delayed due to weather, illness, or flight delays (we have seen it all).
Key lock boxes, electronic locks, and front desk pick-up of keys are all acceptable forms of on-site access.
Weekly dog walking clients have the option to provide three sets of keys, although we strongly recommend that you have on-site access to ensure we can send a substitute quickly. For clients who take this option, we cannot guarantee someone will walk your dog in the two-hour service block if your scheduled walker is sick or delayed with another pet, traffic, or weather. Distributing backup keys to available staff can take several hours.
Non-weekly clients: Since we do not see your pet regularly, you must provide on-site access.
All pets must be up to date on the vaccines listed below.
If your veterinarian has made an exception due to your pet's age or health, please provide a note from your veterinarian's’ office.
- Required dog vaccinations: Distemper, Parvo, Rabies.
- Required cat vaccinations: FVRCP, Rabies, Leukemia (if your cat goes outside).
Weekly dog walking requires at least three walks per week on a set schedule. This allows us to hire responsible dog walkers who are consistently available for your dog. You can book additional walks to supplement your schedule at any time.
- Clients with 3 weekly walks choose a daily time slot, including: 9am -11am, 10am -12pm , 11am -1pm, 1-3pm, 2-4pm, 3-5pm, or 4-6pm.
- The 12-2 pm slot is only available to clients who schedule 4+ walks per week. Preference for the slot is given to clients who book daily, M-F.
- Puppy Visits - Require a three-day minimum commitment. Puppy visits are scheduled in one hour window instead of our usual two (2) hour window. Timing preference is given to clients who schedule M-F.
Your dog will get one-on-one attention on every walk! Our focus is on proper handling, avoiding unwanted encounters with other dogs, and steering your pup clear of any tantalizing street morsels.
The only time we walk multiple dogs together is when they reside in the same household.
To provide excellent care, we must provide consistent work for our caregivers. Our cancellation policy has evolved over the years due to frequent and last-minute cancellations that were avoidable. We aim to maintain relationships with pet parents who appreciate our policies and caregivers.
SINGLE WALK CANCELLATION
- 48 hours' notice is required to cancel a single service.
- The services will be charged in full if canceled with less than 48 hours' notice.
- Monday cancellations need to be submitted Friday at 5 pm.
MULTIPLE SERVICE CANCELLATION
- When taking a vacation, please provide 14 days' notice to cancel multiple pet services.
- If less than 14 days are provided, we will bill in full for all canceled services.
FREQUENT CANCELLATIONS
Your weekly walk slot is reserved for your dog at a discounted price to reflect our appreciation. We will contact you to arrange a new time slot if you cancel weekly walks frequently. Weekly walks are designed for pet parents who plan on taking off about 3 - 4 weeks per year and provide ample notice of vacations.
WEEKLY WALK SCHEDULE CHANGE OR TERMINATION
We require 14 days' notice to terminate or adjust weekly walk schedules. If a last-minute schedule change occurs at work, we will do our best to accommodate the change.
We suggest you finalize all travel plans before scheduling pet sitting services to avoid unnecessary cancellation fees.
- We require 48 hours' notice to cancel a single visit.
- Multi-service cancellation requires 14 days' notice from the first day of services. We need this time to accommodate reservations from other clients and maintain consistent schedules for our dedicated team caregivers.
- If there is a health emergency for you or your pet, we are happy to work with you.
Sick days, vacations and weather delays are a reality. Our caregivers work as a team to ensure every pet is covered. Due to the physical demands of pet care, we balance work schedules to give each caregiver time off to rest.
Weekly dog walks are assigned to the primary and secondary walkers in the area, with substitutes assigned as necessary.
All other services, are assigned to the available staff in that area at that time. We do our best to assign your preferred sitter, but cannot guarantee their availability.
If you require the same sitter for every visit, we suggest using a private sitter.
To compensate our caregivers for working on holidays, we charge an additional fee of $10 per service on the following holidays:
Thanksgiving
Christmas Eve
Christmas Day
New Years Eve
New Years Day
Memorial Day & Weekend
Independence Day & Weekend
Labor Day & Weekend
Overnight, in-home pet sitting scheduled on these holidays incurs a fee of $25 per night.
Yes, we are happy to provide your pet with pill, trans-dermal, or liquid medication.
- For existing clients, we will schedule a "medication demonstration" so we fully understand the dosage and administration procedure. You will be charged a $20 service fee.
- For new clients, the demonstration takes place at the new client meet and greet.
- Pills must be placed in a pill planner to ensure accuracy.
- For liquid medications, we ask that the syringe is marked for the proper dosage.
- Medication rates START at $3 per visit to compensate our caregivers for the additional responsibility. The rate is based on the difficulty of the administration.
- Weekly dog walk clients receive free pilling (in food or treat).
- You will get a time-stamped pet update via text and email at the end of each service - with photos!
- For overnight pet care, you will receive a message when your sitter arrives and another message before they leave in the morning. Feel free to message them to check in before 10 pm.
- We monitor the start and end of each visit with GPS tracking to ensure each staff member is on schedule.
- If weather or traffic delays a caregiver's arrival, we will notify you in our messenger immediately with an update time..
- Each client must keep a credit card on file.
If your card is declined, a $20 fee will be added to your invoice.
Payments are securely processed via Stripe; with bank-level encryption, your data is 100% safe!
- - All services are currently billed on the 1st of the month, i.e., November services will be billed on December 1st.
- You may also log in and pay an invoice any time if you want to stay ahead of invoices.
- Invoices left unpaid will be automatically charged to the card on file. If the card is declined, a $20 charge is applied to the invoice.
- You can add a tip when you pay an invoice, or you may leave cash. Our staff truly appreciates tips!
For charge tips, 100% of the tip goes to the staff member(s) caring for your pet.
- If your pet has a medical emergency, we will contact you immediately to determine the best course of action. We will take your pet to their primary vet or your preferred emergency vet.
- Clients who travel abroad must provide a local contact. Someone who can be easily reached if your pet has an emergency and you are unreachable. This person will help us determine a treatment plan.
- We use VSEC or UPENN for emergency pet care.
In inclement weather, our caregivers use their best judgment to safely meet each pet's needs. They will limit the outside time on dog walks, for a quick potty, then back inside to warm up, cool down, or dry off. Your caregiver will message you if they are running late to your pet's service due to weather.
Inclement weather policy for dog walking:
Under the following conditions, the outside time of a dog walk will be adjusted for safety. The remaining visit will be spent inside cuddling or playing:
- COLD: Temperatures below 32 degrees F
- HEAT: Temperatures above 80 degrees F
- ICE/SNOW: Dangerous sidewalks /paths; ice prohibiting safe walking.
In the rare instance that services cannot be completed due to a severe weather emergency, PPCC will notify you immediately. If you travel December-March, we strongly advise you to have a backup plan in place to ensure someone has access to your home and pet in case of a winter weather emergency.
Dog Walking Safety Guidelines
The safety of your dog and our walkers is a top priority. We understand that each dog has unique leash handling needs. Our walkers stay alert on every walk to give your dog a happy and safe walk. They are not dog trainers. To ensure we can safely handle your dog on a walk, please read the guidelines below.
- Your dog must wear a properly fitted collar or harness, with I.D. tags
- Dogs must walk without excessive pulling or lunging
- A 4-6 foot leash is required. PPCC does not use retractable leashes.
- Dogs must be up to date on all required shots
- We cannot handle dogs with a history of aggression
