Policies and Procedures
NEW CLIENTS SIGN-UP PROCESS & INFO
Before any services may begin, we first need you to set up an account in our client portal.
Next, we schedule an in-home consultation with your Pet Care Professionals. We call this the “Meet & Greet.” This usually takes between 20 to 30 minutes. It is very important that we meet you and your pet(s) prior, so your pet(s) are familiar and comfortable with us before we enter your home. During this meeting we will go over all the information in your profiles and see where everything we need is located. We will also review your services and schedule, test the on-site lock box (one may be purchased from Thumping Tails at this time should you not already have one) and collect the emergency key.
We will also have you sign a Vet Release Form when you create your account. This allows us to legally approve emergency veterinarian services, in the event that your pet becomes severely ill, injured, or otherwise unresponsive and you or your Emergency Contacts are unable to be reached. NOTE: We will ALWAYS make every attempt to reach you or your Emergency Contact in a worst-case scenario and you have the option to put a monetary limit on the Emergency Vet Form.
*Required to have on file is your Vet Information & an Emergency Contact. Client & Pet Profiles must be kept up to date and the portal prompts you every 3 months to confirm information is still the same.
During the Meet & Greet you will meet your Account Services Manager. The #1 reason being that in the event of any issues that may arise with your Thumping Tails services, providers or emergencies, you have a single point of contact to make sure someone is available to address your concerns and most importantly care for your pet.
This also allows us great flexibility in our schedule to care for your pet(s) at all times throughout the year.And often allows for us to take on last minute requests & schedule changes. We all work together as a team to provide the best in Pet Care for all our clients.
SCHEDULING & RESERVATIONS
ALL Reservations & Requests MUST be done via the APP or the scheduler in the client portal. We will NOT accept schedule requests or changes via email, phone call, or text. It must be requested by the client through the client portal or App. Requests are approved and confirmed via the software within 24 hours. You will receive an email confirmation letting you know the visits are scheduled and confirmed along with your invoice.
*Reservations or scheduling changes are also not to be scheduled with Pet Care Professionals directly. They will ask you to schedule directly with the office via the App or Client Portal to ensure accuracy in your requests. If you have any issues with scheduling via the client portal or app, please contact the office via email, text , or phone call so that we can assist you.
To access the App please login on your phone or to access the Client Portal click “Client Login” in the top menu of this website. New Clients will need to first create an account by clicking ” New Client Sign-Up” in the top menu of this website..
Office Hours: Monday – Friday from 9am-5:30pm & Saturday from 10am – 2pm. Exceptions are: Clients who have services that are IN PROGRESS. All EMERGENCIES are handled immediately 24/7. Please contact Thumping Tails via text or phone call ASAP if you are having an emergency. Thumping Tails does not consider scheduling to be an emergency unless the pet is currently in our care.
*PLEASE NOTE – it is best to book in advance as the Holidays and Summer months fill up fast. Once the schedule is full, we cannot accept Last Minute reservations. Often, major Holidays are booked to capacity 4+ weeks in advance.
A Credit Card Must be on file to make a service request. No Exceptions.
The Client Portal/App does not allow any service requests made after 9pm for the next day. All reservations after this time you must text 914-508-0985 and someone will get back to you to let you know if they can fit your pet in. All same day requests must be requested before 10am. These will be tended to ASAP and will be charged a Same Day Surcharge. We do not guarantee availability for Same Day requests or schedule changes; however, we will do everything in our power to accommodate you.
*Reservations or scheduling changes are not to be scheduled with your Pet Care Professional directly. They will ask you to schedule directly with the office via App/Client Portal.
NEW CLIENTS LAST MINUTE – We are happy to accept new clients on a last-minute basis. However, please be aware, we still need to do a “Meet & Greet” and get you set up in our client portal. We kindly request that you give us at the very least a 72hr notice to make sure we have the availability to schedule the “Meet & Greet” and your services. This will give us a better chance at being able to adjust our schedule to accommodate you. Either way, we cannot guarantee any availability for any last-minute request.
**PLEASE NOTE: We will not enter a home where we have not formerly met the pet. NO EXCEPTIONS.
WEEKLY (RECURRING) DOG WALKING POLICIES & PROCEDURES
Since Weekly Walks are a recurring service each week, these services are reserved on our weekly schedule throughout the year and maintain top priority. There is no need for you to continually book these services each week. Please call management at 914-508-0985 to setup your weekly service and the system automatically keeps this service booked out several months in advance. These services will remain fixed on our schedule unless you make or request any changes. This means if you sign up for a 30min walk every Monday – Friday between 12pm-2pm, you will be scheduled ongoing every Monday – Friday, every week between 12pm-2pm until you notify us otherwise.
The ONLY EXCLUSION to this is any Holiday that falls during the week such as: 4th of July, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day.
All weekly services are canceled for those days. If you need services on those days, you will need to request them via the client portal, and they will be charged at the regular rate + Holiday Surcharge. We always send out a reminder 914-508-0985 for these Holidays in advance to give you plenty of time to request services if needed.
All Weekly Dog Walking Clients are REQUIRED to have a credit card on file due to our Automated Invoice & Payment processing. No information is stored on our end and we have no access to see your payment information. Payments for Weekly Dog Walking are made each week on the Sunday morning prior to the weeks services and are charged automatically.
LATE PAYMENTS: If there is an error in processing your card(which you will be notified of immediately), There will be 3-day grace period from the due date. However, any Invoices not paid by the 3rd day after the due date will be assessed a late fee of $10 per day until the week ends. Once that week ends, all services will be halted until payment is caught up. There will be no “running tabs.”
Non-payment for ANY Services rendered will be sent to collections after 10-days of no contact.
ALL Cancellations MUST be done via the App/Client Portal. We will NOT accept cancellations via text, email, or phone call. All Cancellations via App/Client Portal immediately notify both Management and the scheduled Pet Care Professional. If you have any issues with putting in a cancellation via the Client Portal, please contact the office immediately for assistance via email.
To avoid being charged for unused visits – cancellations for the upcoming week must be put in prior to the due date on the invoice. This means, if you know in advance you will not be needing walks for the next week, the changes need to be made before Sunday, so you are not charged for them. Otherwise, weekly charges will incur as normal and only credit can be given for a cancellation.
To receive a full refund for a cancellation during the week: It must be requested 12 hours in advance or there will be a $10 cancellation fee.
Credits are limited to Cancellations made outside of these policies receive no credit. Credits are automatically applied to the following weeks invoice unless otherwise requested. Credits can be applied towards any service, but you must notify the office immediately if you wish to apply it towards another service. Any unused credits for Weekly Walks expire in 30 days.
*Reservations or scheduling changes are not to be scheduled with your Pet Care Professional directly. They will ask you to schedule directly with the office via App/Client Portal
DOG WALKING POLICIES & PROCEDURES (NON-RECURRING)
All Requests for Services MUST be booked using the app/client portal. We will not accept requests made via phone call, text, or email. We are more than happy to assist with showing you how to do this correctly if you are having issues.
We ask that you put in your requests as far in advance as possible as we take requests on a first come, first serve basis. All requests are processed within Office Hours. Once your requests are processed, you will be sent a confirmation email along with your Invoice. If there are any issues with your request, you will be notified immediately. Once your services are scheduled & confirmed, we decline other requests that would conflict. Because of that, there are no exceptions to our payment or cancellation policies.
All Dog Walking Clients are REQUIRED to have a credit card or ACH payment on file due to our Automated Invoice & Payment processing. No information is stored on our end and we have no access to see your payment information. Payments for Dog Walking services are made on Sunday before the week begins.
LATE PAYMENTS: If there is an error in processing your card(which you will be notified of immediately), There will be 3-day grace period from the due date. However, any Invoices not paid by the 3rd day after the due date will be assessed a late fee of $10 per day. Thumping Tails reserves the right to not provide any services should there be an outstanding invoice.
Non-payment for ANY Services rendered will be sent to collections after 10-days of no contact.
ALL Cancellations MUST be done via the App/Client Portal. We will NOT accept cancellations via text, email, or phone call. All Cancellations via App/Client Portal immediately notify both Management and the scheduled Pet Care Professional. If you have any issues with putting in a cancellation via the Client Portal, please contact the office immediately for assistance via email.
To receive credit for a cancellation during the week: It must be requested by 4pm of the day prior.
*Reservations or scheduling changes are not to be scheduled with your Pet Care Professional directly. They will ask you to schedule directly with the office via App/Client Portal
HOLIDAYS POLICIES & PROCEDURES
All Policies remain the same for scheduling, however a non-refundable 50% deposit will be taken at the time we confirm your booking to reserve your services on our schedule. Your full Invoice will be sent after the confirmation email, and the non-refundable 50% deposit will be taken at the same time. Final payment for Holiday Dog Walking Services are due 10 days before the first date of service. For Services booked less than 10 days in advance, payment is due immediately and invoices will be auto-charged 100% at the time of booking.
If for some reason there is an issue with your payment being charged, you will be notified immediately. There is a 3-day grace period to update your payment method. Payments not made within the grace period will result in a $10 late fee and friendly reminder. If they are not paid within 48 hours of the late fee and friendly reminder, services will be cancelled and/or suspended until payment is made. We will not provide any services if payment has not been received for those services.
* Non-payment for ANY Services rendered will be sent to collections after 10-days of no contact.
Due to the increased demand for services during these times, once we schedule and confirm your services, we will decline other requests that would conflict. Often this makes it difficult or impossible to reschedule anything if you cancel. Because of that, there are no credits or refunds once the invoice is paid in full at the 10-day mark. You may cancel, but you will forfeit your full payment for those services. If you cancel prior to the Invoice due date, only your non-refundable 50% deposit will be retained and the remainder of your invoice will be voided(or if paid in full early, credited towards your account for future services, no refunds.)
*PLEASE NOTE: Because our staff is available 24/7/365 and often forego time with family during Holidays such as these, no exceptions will be made to our payment or cancellation policies.
SURCHARGES & DISCOUNTS POLICIES
$5 per visit – applied to All Services scheduled on Saturday(24hrs) or Sunday(24hrs)
$10 per visit – applied to All Services on MAJOR Holidays, Holiday Weekends & Holiday Weeks. (Easter, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Years Eve, and New Years Day ). See your F.A.Q. for the list of dates subject to surcharges.
$5 per visit – applied to All Services on MINOR Holidays, Holiday Weekends & Holiday Weeks. (Easter, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Years Eve, and New Years Day ). See your F.A.Q. for the list of dates subject to surcharges.
$5 for hours between 5:45pm-6:45pm and $10 for hours between 7:00pm-9:00pm
Each additional pet is an additional $5
$5 – additional fee is added to all same day appointments.
*PLEASE NOTE: Last Minute requests/schedule changes are not guaranteed, but we will do our best to accommodate.
***We can not always accept New Clients Last Minute. Due to the time needed to meet your pets before hand and get you set up in our client portal, we do not often accept new client requests with less than 72 hours advance notice.
PARKING POLICIES & SURCHARGES
All Condo, Apartment, or Multi-Family Building Residents agree to provide free guest parking for our Pet Care Professional. In the event that they are unable to find free parking in or near your building and need to pay for parking you agree to cover those charges. You will be charged the exact amount paid for parking for each occurrence and provided a photo-copy receipt of the charges.
If NO parking is able to be found within a reasonable time(10 minutes), we will need to come back at a later time to do your visit and you will be charged for the additional visit. However, we will contact you first to see if you have any other parking options before we leave. Please consider discussing parking details with your building Management prior to booking services if you foresee any parking issues.
HOME & COMMUNITY ACCESS POLICIES (KEYS, CODES, FOBS, ECT.)
You must supply Thumping Tails with 1x copy of key to keep in our safe for emergencies.
*PLEASE NOTE: We will make every attempt to contact you and your emergency contacts should we have any issues with accessing your home. However, if no one can be reached and your pets safety becomes a concern, we may have to order the service of a locksmith at your expense.
Emergency Key must be given to THUMPING TAILS during the “Meet & Greet”. However, if you need to to arrange a pick up for a later day you will be charged a $5 Key Pick Up fee. All keys given to us are protected and secured by our THUMPING TAILS SAFE, so rest assured that your home is in good hands.
If you prefer we access your HOME via a code, you must provide that in the client portal however, we will still require 1x key to any entry to be kept on file for emergency use if access code fails, lock box freezes, and we can not reach you to care for your pet(s).
The timer starts when we arrive at your door. (If you live in a building and we need a key from the concierge, we will wait 5 minutes before starting the timer). If we are unable to get into your home after 10 minutes, you will need to book another appointment and you will be charged fully for both visits.
PET POLICIES
ALL pets should to be up-to-date on vaccinations and proof submitted in client portal pet profile by the time of the “Meet & Greet.” Rabies vaccinations for dogs are REQUIRED to be up to date with the tag # on file in our client portal under your Pet(s) Profile before any services can be given.
It is highly recommended that ALL pets wear identification tags or have up-to-date microchips while in our care. However, only dogs are REQUIRED to have identification. This can be in the form of a physical tag attached to a collar or harness(for when they leave your home with us on a walk). Or you can list their microchip number in their pet profile in the client portal.
This is mandatory for ANY dog we will be taking outside out of the home on walks.
All dogs are REQUIRED to be walked on a leash at all times unless they are to be let out into a completely fenced in yard.
The yard will be checked for escape points during the Meet & Greet. If the fence is deemed to be unsafe, has damage, or holes the dogs can escape through, they will be kept on a leash while outside. Dogs with electronic fences are also required to be on leash in any open outside areas at all times. From experience we have learned that not all electric fences are created equal and some dogs pain threshold can allow them to cross that fence.
*We take NO chances when it comes to your Dogs safety. While they may have a perfect recall for you, we are not you.
If you are not completely sure that your pet will allow a new person into your home or allow them to provide care while you are gone, then we can NOT accept the pet sitting assignment without going through a different process. Entering your home when you are away is a condition of our services; attempting to care for or walk a potentially aggressive pet puts both us and your pet at risk, and does not allow us to fulfill our promise to you to care for your pets and home. Fearful or anxious pet(s) may not show aggression in your presence, but once you leave, the stress of you being gone, combined with a new person in their home is enough to progress that fear or anxiety into something worse.
If you are in any way unsure of how your pet will react to a new person coming in, then you need to discuss this with us in advance of the Meet & Greet, so we can work together to make them comfortable with us before booking your services. We can schedule extra meetings between you, your pet(s), and our Pet Care Professionals We’re willing to work with you under certain circumstances.
If you do not discuss with us in advance, and your pet(s) shows any signs of fear, anxiety, or aggression at the presence of us during the Meet & Greet, then we will need to make additional arrangements (such as suggested above) before we provide services. We will be unable to provide any service otherwise and depending on the severity of their reaction, we may not be able to provide any services.
If you did not realize that your pet(s) would become aggressive, and we have already begun caring for them, then we will do our best to finish our assignment as agreed. We may need to increase the length of your visits to allow them time to relax. However, once your pet becomes aggressive, we do reserve the right to leave the home immediately and suspend service for both our protection and your pet(s). Our ability to complete the assignment with the aggressive pet is up to our level of comfort in working with the aggressive pet.
If we are unable to provide normal pet care duties due to your pet’s aggressiveness and additional services, then additional fees will apply. We cannot provide free or discounted visits for pet care if the pet(s) aggressiveness prohibits us from performing regular duties.
If we are unable to provide regular services or if additional services or our Trainer are needed, due to your pet(s) aggressiveness, you will be notified immediately so you are kept up-to-date on everything. If we are unable to complete services or can no longer provide services, you will also be notified immediately so that you can make an alternate plan for your pets care. If we can not reach you, we will contact your Emergency Contact listed in your Client Profile. Furthermore, you will be responsible for your Pet Care Professionals medical fees should your pet bite or otherwise injure them.
We understand that some dogs can get excited on leash and occasionally pull. We deal with this on a regular basis and are comfortable handling many sizes of dogs with many temperaments. However, if you have a very strong or large dog that pulls excessively on leash to the point of dragging us or knocking us down, this presents a very dangerous situation for both us and your dog. This also goes for dogs that are reactive and display aggression or become over-excited on leash when seeing another dog or person. Your pets safety and our safety is of the upmost importance.
You will always be notified immediately of any safety concerns regarding your dogs leash behavior and given options for us to continue services. Some options include: you purchasing a front clip harness specifically made to help with pulling. We are happy to provide you with a list of wonderful options for harnesses to make walking your dog safer. If your dogs behavior is severe, we may ask that you enlist the help of a Dog Trainerbefore we can continue to walk your dog in public as we will not be able to walk them until those issues are resolved or managed.
This also goes along with the above policies. Your dog’s safety is our utmost priority. Improperly fit, worn, or damaged collars or harnesses, and/or the use of retractable leashes can present a dangerous situation. The last thing we want to see is a dog slip or break loose from your equipment during a walk. We are happy to recommend safer products to use, and we reserve the right to use our own equipment(leashes, collars, harnesses) if necessary. We use a Fear-Free approach to all handling of pets and will never recommend or use equipment such as choke chains, pinch or prong collars, etc.
SERVICE POLICIES
All Requests for Services MUST be booked using the app/client portal.We will not accept requests made via phone call, text, or email. We are more than happy to assist with showing you how to do this correctly if you are having issues.
We ask that you put in your requests as far in advance as possible as we take requests on a first come, first serve basis.All requests are processed within Office Hours. Once your requests are processed, you will be sent a confirmation email along with your Invoice. If there are any issues with your request, you will be notified immediately. Once your services are scheduled & confirmed, we decline other requests that would conflict. Because of that, there are no exceptions to our payment or cancellation policies.
Due to our insurance policy and other factors, Thumping Tails does not agree to share any pet care duties with your friends, family, neighbors, or other Pet Care Providers. When your pet is in our care they are our sole responsibility. This becomes a huge liability for us as we have no control over the care you may receive from another person coming in your home. Furthermore, if you do choose to ignore this policy and have another person (friend/family member/neighbor/pet care provider) coming into the home while your pets are in our care, our responsibility is immediately waived the moment they step into your home. Should anything negative happen to your pet during this time, we do not assume responsibility. For example: If a Relative/Neighbor/Friend/Other Pet Care Provider stops by to feed and let the dog out and the dog escapes, is injured, or becomes ill while in our care, we will not be held responsible and you must take up compensation with your Relative/Neighbor/Friend/Other Pet Care Provider.
Thumping Tails reserves the right to politely decline to provide services if you have guests staying in your home or other workers in your home while you are gone. As mentioned in the above policy “Job Sharing with other non-TPTS Pet Care provider (Friends, Family, & Neighbors included)” your pets safety and care is our top priority and we have no control over what another person entering your home may do. If we are providing your pet care services and you have guest staying in the home, or other workers in your home, our responsibility is waived the moment they enter the home. Should anything negative happen to your pet during this time, You will need to seek compensation with the other person allowed access in your home.
Oh, the beautiful states of New York & Connecticut! While we are well equipped to deal with the elements and walk in all kinds of weather, On days where our ability to provide service is hindered by dangerous weather or driving conditions such as flooded roads/snow, inability to see while driving, lightning, below freezing temperature, etc. Please keep in mind that we may need to adjust appointment times in order to compensate for travel time or waiting for the weather to clear. If the weather is extreme (hot, cold, stormy) we may shorten your Dogs walk to protect both Dog and Pet Care Professional. We will still visit with your pet for the allotted amount of time, however, this may have to be indoors. Please let us know if your pet has difficulty in any type of weather and would prefer that we spend time with your pet doing something other than an outdoor activity. In the event of a city declared emergency such as inclement weather, we reserve the right to cancel services during the declared emergency for the safety of our Pet Care Professionals. You will always be notified of any schedule changes or cancellations immediately if needed.
Pet Boarding Policies & Procedures
All pets must not have any strong odor to them or we are unable to board your pet due to limited space. This includes, but is not limited to skunk sprays. If we are unable to board your pet you will be contacted immediately. If we are not given two weeks notice you will be responsible for a payment of two days of boarding. Due to the high demand of boarding it is important that we follow this guideline.