Privacy.
It is the policy of Chicago-Pets to protect the privacy of our clients. We will not disclose any of the client's personal information including the client's name, phone number, address, or email, without expressed consent of the client to third parties. We also respect the privacy of a client's home and will restrict our activities to only the areas we need to access in order to take care of your pet.
Refusal of service.
Chicago-Pets reserves the right to refuse service to any client. We will not condone or engage in any activities we feel are abusive means of training, including, but not limited to: food or water deprivation and infliction of physical pain. We will not service clients that do not meet our minimum standard of pet care, including adequate food, water, shelter, medical treatment, and comfortable confinement. We will gladly offer our clients assistance and education on pet care in any way possible. However, as pet care professionals, it is our obligation to report any cases of severe neglect and abuse to the proper authorities.
Aggressive animals.
We reserve the right to use a training or control device such as a Gentle Leader or muzzle in order to care for aggressive and/or difficult-to-control animals.
Extreme temperatures.
Chicago-Pets reserves the right to decrease outside time with pets in cases where temperatures exceed a heat index of 100 degrees or fall below a 10 degree wind chill. The remainder of the visit will be spent indoors.
Minimum visits.
We are responsible for the well-being of all the animals we take care of. We must be sure that we see an animal enough in a 24-hour period to feel confident that they are healthy, safe, and happy.
- Dogs. When owners are away from the home for more than 24 hours, we require that we visit dogs at least twice daily (though we recommend three times daily). If a dog is crated, we require visiting at least three times daily.
- Cats. When owners are away from the home for more than 24 hours we require that cats be seen at least once within a 24-hour period, to be sure they are happy, healthy, and all their basic needs are met.
Veterinary tasks.
Our special needs services are limited to administration of insulin injections, oral and topical medications, blood glucose and heart rate checks. Please seek the counsel of your veterinarian for medical advice, a prescription, or emergency medical care.
Doggy play groups.
Play groups are limited to 2-3 dogs. A play group will never be larger than three dogs.
Full engagement is a requirement.
We will never leave your pets unattended outdoors under any circumstances and no iPods or MP3 players will be worn during a dog walk or pet visit.
Hours of visits.
Chicago-Pets normal business hours are from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, however we can/do provide early or late visits if requested. We offer visits in two hour windows, beginning with an early 6am - 8am window and ending with a later 8pm - 10pm window. In a specified 2-hour window, we guarantee we will arrive to take care of your pets. If your pet can be seen at any time during the day, you may choose the "Anytime" option when scheduling online or through our office.
24-hour cancellation policy.
If a service is canceled less than 24 hours prior to when the service was supposed to take place, all services originally scheduled within the 24-hour window will still be charged for.
Medication fee.
If a Chicago-Pets Pet Care Specialist needs to touch the animal while administering the medication (e.g. give a pill by mouth, apply transdermal medication), the medication fee will be added to the visit's cost. Medications given in food or water will not be charged.
Holiday fee.
A holiday fee will be applied to visits occurring on the holidays of New Years Eve, New Years Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day.
Additional animal in household.
If a client has more than one dog, the extra dog fee will apply to each additional dog. If a client has more than two non-canine pets, then a fee will apply to each additional pet. A tank of fish or a cage of birds is considered one non-canine pet.
Key policies.
One working set of keys are required at the time of the orientation visit, two if you are using Chicago-Pets on a weekly, recurring basis. This is so the Pet Care Specialists have a set and we have a set at our central headquarters in case there is a key issue. If keys are not handed over at the orientation visit, the Pet Care Specialist will need to either copy keys with your permission or return to get the keys. In either of these instances, a key pick up fee of $10 will be applied.
Standard pet visit.
A standard pet visit will be at least 30 minutes. During this time, we will attend to all of your pet's food, water, exercise, bathroom, social, and care needs.
Household tasks.
Household tasks are included in the standard pet visit and cover things like watering plants, opening or closing drapes, or bringing in the mail. Requested household tasks cannot exceed 10 minutes. If more is requested and additional time is spent the client will be notified and billed an additional $10. Our primary focus is your pets. Spending more than 10 minutes on non-pet tasks takes away from their care.