STAY AT HOME PETS

"The walker called the client Friday morning when she realized she had inadvertently left her key in his home the day before while trying to unleash his 6 high-energy dogs and complete the visit within the allotted time frame. The client did not reply to either her phone call, or my e-mail from Saturday, until 10pm Sunday evening when he called the walker's personal cell phone, screamed obscenities at her, demanded she come to his home immediately that evening for the key, then hung up on her. We terminated service with this client based on his verbally abusive phone call to the walker. After said phone call, the walker refused to return to this client's home. Based on her experience with this client, the back-up walker refused the assignment as well."

"Thank you so much for your review. Our walkers LOVE visiting our pups and leave each visit looking forward to the next one. We are so happy to be there for you and your doggies when you need us."

"As the owner, I informed the cusomer that, “our insurance may not cover any losses or damages to your home or pets if you have an unlocked doggie door. Their rationale and concern is that an open doggie door can provide entry to your home from persons not authorized to do so, creating a non-secure environment. It also provides a way for your dogs to escape should your gate be left open or your fence damaged, and we are limited in our liability should your dogs become injured or injure another pet or person. We can still definitely care for you dogs, but I do need you to reply to this e-mail stating that you understand that our insurance coverage for your visits may be limited by the access created by the doggie door.” I provided this information to her based on prior conversations I have had with our insurance agency. Our insurance covers pets we have care, custody, and control of; harm to, or damage caused by, an escaped dog due to an unsecured location (not as a result of something our sitters have done) is not in our control. I felt it important she understand that her decision to not secure her home completely could have ramifications should something occur while she was away. In an email to me, the customer noted “there is no point in me hiring a dog sitter that refuses to guarantee me that my dogs will be safe while I am away.” Our area has recently been hit by several very bad storms, causing trees to fall and fences to be damaged, leaving open access for dogs to escape. The sitter was concerned about this, so she mentioned it to the customer. In addition, the customer wrote “I have encountered other people and organizations that object to dogs being left unsupervised in the yard, which I find nonsensical. There are more harmful objects in a household, including electrical cords, the furniture, household cleaners, etc. than there are in the yard.” I am one of those people who object to, and will not provide care for, dogs that are left unattended in a yard. 20 years of experience as a professional pet sitter, 12 years as the owner of a pet sitting business, have taught me that dogs left unattended are not safe, are not secure, and can in fact get into a lot of trouble. I’ve read numerous reports of dogs being poisoned, stolen, even shot while unattended in a yard. Under those conditions there is no way any sitter can guarantee her dogs would be safe- there are too many uncontrollable factors. The customer further indicated “I am very unhappy, and I will be putting a report on Angie's list regarding this experience. Rest assured I will be as fair as I can be, but I believe that your reluctance to "insure" has more to do with a philosophical disagreement than any true belief that a person could gain access to my home because of a dog door.” I actually had no idea there was a philosophical difference until I just read her Angie’s list report, so my e-mail and phone call to her was strictly based on the information I received from the sitters about the doggie door. The customer wrote "They are happier and healthier for the exercise and mental stimulation they get by being able to go outside. Not to mention that I believe they will be healthier by being able to relieve themselves when the urge arises." We have had other clients who use doggie doors- all have followed our advice and secured the entrance while they were away. We have many ways to accommodate active dogs, including additional visits daily, longer visits, and overnight housesitting. I am sorry the customer did not see the concerns the same way we do, and that her only complaint and reason for not hiring us was that I advised her of possible insurance complications based on my prior experiences. I feel confident that we made the right decision by informing her of the possible complications, and I am sure our other Angie’s List reviews will prove beneficial for clients wishing to retain our services based on our service itself."

"Thanks so much for the review ! We are so happy to be there for you when you need us."

"Thank you so much! Jean is always delighted to visit your kitties. I'm very happy we have been able to care for your cats and meet your expectations of our service. Looking forward to providing more visits in the future. -Michelle"

"I am so delighted we were able to accomodate both your original care request and your emergency care request. Our sitters' flexibility is a true asset of our company. Jenifer enjoyed her visits with your cat and was happy to help out when you needed us."

"Jean never turns down an opportunity to sit for this client's pets. I am always delighted to hear how much our clients value our sitters and our service!"

"The member's pets have always been a joy to care for. All of my sitters love their visits, and their newest doggie is an absolute doll! Clients like her and her furbabies make this business a true pleasure to be a part of."

"Many thanks to the member for her review, and for the suggestion of the daily log of visits. We have since gone to a daily visit log and all of our clients are very appreciate of it! I am glad we were able to provide last minute care for her pets. Having a family emergency is enough to worry about without the stress of finding pet care. Providing a reliable service clients can depend on when most needed is one of our main goals as pet sitters."

"IT IS UNFORTUNATE THAT SOME CLIENTS ARE NOT SATISFIED, BUT AFTER PROVIDING VISITS FOR OVER 350 CLIENTS IN THE PAST 7 YEARS, EVENTUALLY SOMEONE WOULD BE UNHAPPY. THIS CLIENT DID RECEIVE A DISCOUNT ON CARE (SHE WAS CHARGED FOR 30-MINUTE VISITS EVEN THOUGH 2 SEPARATE SITTERS REPORTED THAT IT TOOK 45-MINUTES OR MORE TO CLEAN UP AFTER AND CARE FOR HER PETS) AND SHE WAS NOT CHARGED FOR THE VISITS ALLEGEDLY NOT PROVIDED BY THE SITTER. AS THE COMPANY PRESIDENT I DID RESPOND TO THE CLIENT'S COMPLAINT IMMEDIATELY, INCLUDING MEETING WITH HER PERSONALLY TO RETURN HER KEYS AND HEAR HER COMPLAINT. THE SITTER IN QUESTION CONTINUES TO BE REQUESTED TO CARE FOR OTHER PETS ON A REGULAR BASIS, WITH ONLY PRAISE FROM THE CLIENTS FOR HER ATTENTION TO DETAIL AND OBVIOUS CARE FOR THEIR PETS."