Here are some questions we’re frequently asked. (Have another one? Give us a call at 469-481-8900).
General
Pet Sitting:
We primarily service the McKinney, TX area for pet sitting. We are also able to serve almost all of Prosper, Frisco and Allen.
Grooming & Training:
Our service area for grooming & training are a little more wide-spread. Check out our list & map below:
- McKinney
- Frisco
- Prosper
- Celina
- Melissa
- Princeton
- Allen
- Van Alstyne
- Plano
- Little Elm
- The Colony
Pooper Scooper:
Our service area for pooper scooper includes all of McKinney, Allen, Frisco, and Prosper.
We have a scheduler on duty for most of the day between 8am – 8pm seven days a week! So, there are a few ways you can reach us:
- Text. You can text us any time at 469-481-8900.
- Portal. You can send us a message through the conversation feed in the TimeToPet portal.
- Call. You can give us a call at 469-481-8900. We take phone calls between 8:30am – 5:30pm seven days a week.
Yes! We are bonded and insured through Governor’s insurance and our underwriting is through Traveler’s.
We prefer to have your pets up-to-date veterinary records on file in case of an emergency. You can text them or email them to us!
If you don’t have a copy of them, just provide us with your vet information and we can request the records for you.
Records not up to date? No problem. We’ll pet taxi your cat or dog to the vet, accompany him or her through the vaccination process, and deliver the updated record to you.
Pet Sitting
If it is at all possible, yes! Our sitters have varying availability and schedules. We strive to keep the number of sitters visiting your home to the smallest possible number: one. Most times, however, there will be at least two sitters involved.
To keep them prepared and coordinated, they are trained and re-trained throughout the year. The training covers everything from entering the premises (preventing door darter escapes) to locking the premises on exit.
Before each engagement sitters are briefed on the client and particulars of each dog. This information is covered in writing and also delivered verbally by a sitter who is experienced with that client (usually the person who did the meet & greet). There is a written handoff between each sitter and you from visit to visit so that nothing gets omitted or overlooked.
A meet and greet is performed for multiple reasons, the main ones being:
- You meet one of your sitters face-to-face
- The sitter collects information on your pets daily routine and care so we can provide the best service possible
- You can show them the ropes (alarm codes, where items are located, etc.)
We have the Certified Professional Pet Sitter designation and are members of Pet Sitters International!
Our sitters are also trained in first aid and CPR through Pet Pro Hero.
Customers have different preferences for how they like their keys to be handled, and we can accommodate any request. There are 4 main ways:
- Key Registry. We have a secure key registry in which we keep our customer’s keys. On the day an assignment begins, the sitter picks up the key and installs it on the front door in one of our lockboxes. At the end of the trip, the sitter removes the lockbox and returns the key to the registry.
- Year-Round Lockbox. For client that use us frequently, they prefer to keep the lockbox. They will place the key and lockbox on the door for us before they leave, and remove it when they come home.
- Before & After Lockbox. We will deliver the lockbox to you before the start of your trip so you can place your key in the lockbox. Once you have returned home, you will remove the key and a sitter will swing by to remove the lockbox.
- Hidden Keys. We also have some clients that will place their key in a hidden location. On the first visit the sitter will collect the key, place it in the lockbox, and install the lockbox at the home. On the last visit the sitter will remove the lockbox and re-hide the key.
We provide peace-of-mind messaging, including photos or short videos in which you can “see it for yourself!” The walk really happened, food and water is checked, hello from your happy pet, and a “bye for now” message with confirmation that the door is locked.
These updates accumulate in the conversation feed in your TimeToPet portal. The system also shoots a copy, including photos, to your email address each time an update is made.
Sometimes during your trip unforeseen events can arise. For example, your pet can become sick, stop eating, refuse to take medication, have diarrhea, or any number of other things that the sitter will have to wrangle with. Any of these could cause the sitter to go over the budgeted time of 30 minutes per visit. When this occurs, the sitter will stay to clean up the mess or hand-feed your dog. If this takes a significant amount of extra time, we will reach out to you to discuss the situation and get further direction to manage any extra charges. Normally extra time is added to the invoice at $1 per minute.
Other times your pet might run out of food, medication, or may need something special (different food if they won’t eat, digestive supplement if they are having diarrhea, more potty pads, etc.) and your sitter might have to go to a store to pick up these items for you. In this case, we’ll get your approval and the cost of such items will be added to your invoice, along with the fee for the additional time.
Pet Grooming
You are encouraged to walk out to the grooming van with your dog and your groomer. You will see that it is a very small space! When you combine the close quarters with sharp instruments and sometimes very wiggly dogs, there is the potential for an accident to happen. In fact, our insurance prohibits non-employees in the van while services are being delivered.
Constantly! The groomers wipe down the van between each pet. At the end of the day, the van is cleaned thoroughly as part of the re-set process for the next day. The vans are also deep cleaned, sanitized, and detailed once a week.
We will always try! Our groomers are skilled at developing a true, trusting relationship with the dogs they groom. Over time dogs are known to relax and go with the flow as they come to know what to expect and trust that they won’t be harmed during the process.
In these situations, we send a second groomer initially to help the lead groomer manage the pet (this is an extra $30 charge). Over time, we often find that the dog behaves better and the second groomer is no longer required.
In some cases, the dog will need a more foundational level of training and self-control before we are able to groom him. In this instance, we encourage you to work with our trainer to get your pet more comfortable with the process. Depending on what your pet needs help with, we can even bring the grooming van out for your training sessions to help!
We set your appointment date at the earliest possible date for which your groomer is available and confirm you have no obvious conflicts for that date (i.e. vacation, work trip, etc.). If the date works for you, but you would be unavailable during a specific time (i.e. doctors appointment, church, etc.), please let us know. We can typically work around this time restriction.
The arrival window for your appointment will be released 72 hours before your appointment date. This allows us to plan the groomer’s route in the most efficient way possible. The arrival window is a 2 hour block that your groomer could arrive within. The groomer will text you their ETA when they are headed your way on the day of your appointment.
Sometimes you could be asked to change your arrival window or the day of your appointment for unforeseen issues like a re-route due to a customer’s last-minute cancellation, a mechanical issue, or a groomer illness. We try to avoid these issues at all costs, but sometimes they are unavoidable.
Brush, brush, brush! The key to keeping your pet’s coat nice and healthy is, you guessed it, brushing. Daily is best, but every other day is a great option as well!
If you are unable to brush your pet out on a regular schedule, we can help! We can send a trained employee to brush your pet out in your backyard for you, on a schedule that fits your pets needs in between their regular grooming. Another option is to up the frequency of their groom. We can alternate between a bath/brush and a full groom every 4 weeks.
We prefer as much of a heads up as possible when you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment.
If you cancel or reschedule your appointment within 24 hours you will be subject to a 50% non-refundable deposit to schedule your next appointment.
Pet Training
The first step is to get a program together that addresses his or her grooming anxiety. Building a relationship with the groomer will be a big help. Further training that includes daily brushing for long-haired dogs and behavior modification will make all the difference.
This behavior is not unusual. The dog perceives a threat to themself and their owner and reacts quickly and strongly to get control of the situation. Our trainers will work with you both to help the dog understand that you are in control of this (and all other) situations and he / she should look to you for direction. The program will include a number of exercises and milestones that will help you get past this type of reactivity.
