FAQ
Why should a pet owner use a pet sitter?
Many veterinarians and pet experts believe that keeping pets in their familiar surroundings helps to alleviate the stress imposed when their owners have to leave home. Pets are then also able to maintain their diet and exercise routine, and enjoy the personal attention provided by a pet sitter. This also eliminates the trauma of being transported and minimizes their exposure to illnesses of other animals.
Will you provide “gate-keeping” services even if someone doesn’t have a pet?
Of course! We have many clients who contract Head to Tail to visit their homes while they travel to do all of those things. This gives them peace of mind that their home is safe while they are out of town. So, no, you do not have to have a pet to use our service.
What is the registration meeting?
The registration meeting is a visit that allows the client to get to know our service and their assigned Pet Sitter prior to the start of their service. During this visit their pet care provider will introduce themselves, spend some quality time with the pet, confirm and review the pertinent information about the home and pet care routine (e.g. vet information, emergency contact, special requests, etc.), and answer any additional questions the client may have. We do NOT provide service until this meeting has taken place. There is a fee of $15 fee for the registration meeting. This fee covers administrative costs related to their account creation, as well as the sitter’s time.
How do you accept payment?
Checks, cash or Paypal (bhealthy16@yahoo.com) must be made to Head to Tail Office. Please do not pay sitter directly for services. Tips however can be given to sitters at first visit.
How about last-minute requests?
We’re more than happy to schedule pet care for last-minute (less than 24h notice regular, 72h Holiday) needs for an additional charge of $10 regular and 20% for Holiday, however we cannot guarantee that a sitter is going to be available on short notice, (though 99% of the time it really isn’t a problem). We also only schedule service during our regular business hours (9AM-4PM Monday through Friday).
What services do you offer?
Head to Tail provides in-home pet care plain and simple. This means our sitters travel to our client’s homes to care for their pets. We provide service for whatever they need; travel, long work hours; a late meeting, recovering from surgery; working from home but not enough time to walk the dog, don’t trust the kids to care for the animals properly. Whatever the reason, we’ll be there! Our client’s are mostly cat and dog owners but we’ll also visit rabbits, birds, frogs, guinea pigs, gerbils, hamsters, iguanas, etc.
Our clients can customize how many visits they would like their Pet Sitter to visit with their pets. We will also bring in the mail, take out the trash, rotate the lights and open and close the curtains to give the home a lived-in look. We also offer a variety of premium services that our clients can schedule to compliment their pet and house care routines.
So, you don’t board animals or bring them into your homes?
No. We believe in in-home care, which is why we have chosen not to have a boarding facility. However, we do have pet care providers who can remain at the client’s home. This is our overnight/house sitting service, which is VERY popular.
So, after a client has completed their registration meeting can they schedule service anytime?
Absolutely! All clients can call, email or text to request service. Please make sure to get a confirmation and an invoice. All scheduling requests are confirmed during our regular business hours, which are 9AM-4PM Monday through Friday.
So, you don’t accept credit cards? Can the clients leave cash?
No, we don’t accept credit cards at this time. The clients can leave a cash gratuity for their sitter if they so wish, but payment for services must be made by cash or check to the office or PayPal. Payment is due prior to the start of service at time of booking.
What is the Head to Tail cancellation policy?
Since I understand what it’s like to have a busy and ever-changing schedule I have implemented an extremely flexible cancelation policy:
– Mid Day Dog Walks (for those that use us on a weekly continuous basis): 26 hours notice
– Pet Sitting and Kitty & Small Animal Care: 48 hours notice
– Overnight Care: 7 days notice
How does a client go about getting started?
All are welcome to call or email the office with their questions. The office number is 219-462-2911 and the email is headtotailpetsitting@yahoo.com. When they’re ready to get started we have a very simple registration process that will be explained to them. We can get started as soon as the registration meeting has taken place.
What time do the sitters make their rounds and how long do they stay?
Our sitters can visit their clients homes up to 4 times per day.
– The “Morning” time slot is between 7 & 9 AM.
– The “Mid Day” time slot is between 11 & 3 PM.
– The “Evening” time slot is between 4 & 6 PM.
– The “Late Night” time slot is between 7 & 9 PM.
No longer than 12 hours ever goes in between visits. For example, if your pooch were visited at 8pm, the sitter would arrive to your home no later than 8am the following morning.
Our visits last usually 15 min for cats and 30 min for dogs or other large pets. However, a sitter may have extra time to spend with the pet if they do not have another pet sit assignment right after. We try to tailor our visits around the pets needs.
Can your clients schedule directly through their sitter?
No! For the safety of our client’s pets all visits MUST be scheduled through the Head to Tail office. We use a high-tech scheduling program, which ensures that “no pet is left behind.” If a client schedules through their sitter and the sitter forgets to inform the office, that takes us out of the loop and therefore unable to follow-up with the sitter to make sure that the pet has been seen. Head to Tail will not be held liable for visits scheduled without the offices knowledge.
Are there extra costs for services rendered on a holiday?
We consider the following to be our major annual holidays: New Years Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Christmas Eve Day, and New Years Eve. There is a $5 surcharge each visit plus the standard charge for the service being provided on these dates. 100% of these fees are paid to the sitters.
What happens if a client’s primary sitter is not available for a pet sitting request?
Our sitter roster is two at the moment both are of excellent pet care providers that would love to care for a client’s pet if their primary sitter is unavailable. Since we have all of the client’s pet care information in our secure database it’s really not necessary for the client to meet with the alternate sitter, however; if the client feels more comfortable with having a meeting with the alternate sitter, we are more than happy to schedule a “Pre-Departure Meeting.” The cost of this meeting is $15, which covers the sitter’s time and expense for driving over to the client’s home.
Do you care for pets that have aggression issues?
If the pet has aggressively bit someone in the past then no, we cannot provide service. That is too much of a liability issue. If the pet is skittish and maybe just growls around those he doesn’t know, then we will be happy to work with the client to see if a pet care plan can be designed that works. Our sitter will interview the client and the pet to determine if this is possible. If additional visits are necessary to socialize the pet with our pet care provider then the client needs to be present at all visits and pay the normal service fee until socialized. If at any time our pet sitter or pet owner feels that it is unsafe to perform a service, we will reserve the right to discontinue service without notice.
Do you administer medication?
Yes, Tami Truex has extensive training by a local Vet to administer all medication weather it is oral, Sub Q or shots. Dr Larry McAfee trained her from the beginning to help with his clients pets that were too sick to stay at his boarding facility.
If your pet requires meds, ask to have Tami do the pet sitting.
How do the pet care professionals discipline the pets?
Head to Tail believes in gentle discipline for the pets in our care. We do not hit or spank. Tami has had classes with Cesar Milan and uses his training methods. If there is a disciplinary problem, i.e. toilet training issues, running away, etc., we inform our client of the incident(s) and together we workout a solution.
What happens if a pet becomes ill and the client is out of town or unable to leave work?
If we suspect that something is wrong with a pet, we will call you at the emergency phone numbers we have on file. If the client believes the veterinarian should see the pet, we will transport him to the veterinarian’s office for examination and treatment. In the event we cannot reach the client, we will decide if the veterinarian should see your pet. If necessary, we will take your pet for treatment. You will be billed for any extra time we spend for these services. We have a veterinarian release form that you fill out that gives us authorization to care for your pet in case of a Vet visit.
Tami, how did you get started in the pet sitting industry?
Well, I was working at a Title Search Company in Merrillville and they decided to downsize before selling and I was permanently laid off with 1 year severance pay.
I was at my sisters house one day talking to her about what I should do and looking through a Bird Talk Magazine when I saw an ad for starting your own pet sitting business. That was 23 years ago.
I was at my sisters house one day talking to her about what I should do and looking through a Bird Talk Magazine when I saw an ad for starting your own pet sitting business. That was 23 years ago.
What does it mean that you are bonded and insured?
A dishonesty bond gives you peace of mind that you will be reimbursed if anything is stolen from your home. Anyone that has workers enter their home should be sure that they have a dishonestly bond.
We also carry a liability insurance policy that protects from financial loss in the event that we were liable for accidents that occur while caring for our clients pets. Any responsible, professional business should carry liability insurance.
We are happy to provide our clients with proof of insurance and our bond. We can easily email them a copy or our certificates.
What type of clients do you work with?
We work with pet owners in Porter County who are searching for top-quality pet care and true peace of mind while they travel or when they have to leave their pets for long hours due to work or other obligations.
How are you different than other Pet Sitting Businesses?
I have put my heart and soul into creating an extraordinary pet care service that truly provides pet owners with guilt free tailor made service that their pets and their homes are being well-cared for in their absence. I created Head to Tail Guilt Free Tailor Made Code to ensure that every one of our clients receives the BEST possible service and overall experience. Each step in our Code is what sets us apart.
What is “The Head to Tail Guilt Free Tailor Made Code?”
Our all-time goal is to provide our clients with guilt free tailor made service that they know their pets and their home are in the best possible hands. We want our clients to leave their homes confident that their pet is receiving the love, attention and exercise that they deserve. We accomplish this by following our Code.
The 10 steps are:
– Be Professional
– Reasonable and Competitive Rates
– Tailor Made Services
– Safety
– First-Rate Staff
– Experience and Educational Development
– Patience and Understanding
– Unsurpassed Personal Service with Outstanding Communication
– Follow-Up
– Genuine Love of Animals