More Information

Please note that we do not offer Pet Sitting services. This means we may not be the best choice for you if you’re planning to travel. Additionally, we are closed on Sundays. However, we have established partnerships with various Doggie Daycares/Boarding Facilities in the area, and we would be more than happy to assist you in finding the best fit for your dog and your specific needs. If you are an existing client, our VIP Private Boarding Kennel is available to you. We are also available to supplement walks if you hire a Pet Sitter.

The Meet & Greet is designed to help you determine if The Doggie Concierge is the best fit for you and your needs. In a thirty to forty-five minute meeting, we will cover our company, operational procedures, services, rules and guidelines, the smartphone app, and website navigation. We charge a one-time $30 fee that automatically converts to an account credit if you book a service within fourteen days of our meeting. If you decide we are not the best fit for you, the fee covers our time.

• Clients are required to book services for a minimum of one service week at a time.
• The service week starts on Monday and ends on Saturday.
• All appointment requests must be submitted by Friday midnight, which is 48 hours before the start of the service week.
• If you book after Friday midnight, you will be charged a $10 convenience fee.
• Additionally, if you submit an appointment request(s) on Sunday or later for the same week, a $6 surcharge fee per appointment will be applied.
• Appointments made after 6 pm the day before or on the same day will incur a $15 fee.
• Emergency appointment requests made with less than 6 hours notice will incur an additional fee of $25 and require a phone call to the office to book.
• Due to staffing, we cannot approve service requests made for Saturdays after the Friday midnight deadline.

Like all service providers, we cannot guarantee exact times or hour windows. Instead, we break up our service availability into two to three-hour blocks, which represent the windows that best suit client needs. You may request service on the block’s front or back half in the notes section when booking. We will do our best to oblige requests, but there are no guarantees.

Morning     9:00 am – 10:29 am

Lunch        10:30 am –    1:59 pm   

Afternoon  2:00 pm –   3:59 pm

Dinner        4:00 pm –   5:59 pm

Evening       6:00 pm –  9:00 pm (+$10)

• PayPal or a major-label credit or debit card must be kept on file in our Scout system to book service.
• We process card payments on Fridays for completed service week appointments.
• Please be advised that for all appointments scheduled on Saturdays, additional processing will be incurred. Therefore, you may notice two separate charges from us on your statement.
• We do not offer refunds, only account credit toward future services.

We understand that electronic payment has created a new tipping culture, and our company is aware of this. Our app allows you to leave a tip for your walker at the end of the service, but please note that our staff is compensated well, and tips are not expected.

If you choose to tip your walker, we kindly request that you do so only if the service was exceptional or if you feel generous. Tipping out of a sense of guilt or obligation is not necessary.

It is important to attach the tip to the specific appointment to ensure that the walker receives it. If you tip generously at the end of the week, it will only go to the last walker who serviced your account. Unfortunately, our software does not allow us to divide tips between multiple walkers.

• Please note that we have a strict 24-hour cancellation policy, which means that if you cancel your appointment less than 24 hours before the scheduled time, you will be responsible for paying the full service rate.
• Our employee scheduling is considered final on Sunday mornings, meaning that any cancellations made on Sunday for Monday appointments are subject to the 24-hour cancellation policy.
• Once an appointment is approved, it cannot be modified. If you downgrade your appointment, you will still be responsible for paying the originally booked duration.
• Hazardous weather conditions are the only exception for cancellation fee waivers if it’s dangerous for employees to travel.
  
• We do not charge any cancellation fees for our Educators in case of school or weather-related school cancellations.

Each service has a specific duration and a base rate. If you book three or more services in a single week, the rate decreases by $1. If you book five or more services in a week, the rate decreases by $2. 

We always provide our educators, police officers, firefighters, and EMTs with our best rate, regardless of the number of services they book.

Our software system automatically attaches surcharges to appointments in each applicable scenario.  

• After 6:00 pm and Saturdays +$10
• Additional Dog Different Household +$10  
• Major Holiday +$25 
• Apartment Key/Fob Service +$6

Appointments start when the door opens and ends when it closes. The actual duration of the walk shall be calculated by deducting two to four minutes, which have been allocated for the leash-up and unleash routine, from the total duration of the walk.

We reserve the right to adjust appointments to accommodate company needs, including a ten-minute reduction or a ten-minute potty break for $18.

The client, not The Doggie Concierge, is responsible for filling out the Customer Notes section in the Scout App for each appointment. All requests and needs, such as feeding, medication or not to treat, etc., must be input here. The Doggie Concierge is NOT RESPONSIBLE for any missed requests or needs that were not explicitly input into the Customer Notes Section by the client. Please do not text, email, or call with appointment-specific requests and need updates. The Scout App is the best way to communicate to ensure the Concierge follows your requests and needs.

Due to the size of our staff, we don’t keep keys on file. We prefer garage codes, electronic key codes, realtor-style  lockboxes, and hide-a-keys. Each client using electronic entry is encouraged to have a secondary no-tech key option  in the event of a power outage, dead batteries, or even frigid temperatures.  

For clients who live in apartments, condos, or penthouses with property management (such as Crocker Park Living),  our preference is as follows:  

1. Buzz your Concierge in via callbox. 
2. Leave your door key in a discreet location (on top of number plate, etc.)  
3. Leave your building entry fob on the counter.
4. The walker will return both the key and fob as they find them.  

Should our employees be required to check out a key/building fob, clients will receive a $6 surcharge. We keep  schedules and routing tight, and key check out and return can easily add 10-20 minutes to an appointment. 

We utilize company-issued slip leads for all walks unless the dog has medical issues that prevent having tension  around the neck or pulling with such force that having pressure around the neck is not advised. In these cases, we will use company-issued Julius-K9 IDC Powerharnesses that we leave at the client’s residence to service the account. 

Slip leads are safe, ethical, and humane leash options preferred by trainers, veterinarians, and groomers. They are  fail-proof when used correctly, preventing equipment malfunction or escape. Employees are trained on properly  using them, keeping in line with our fear-free, force-free, pain-free, and positive reinforcement (R+) philosophy and  methods.  

We train each employee on properly using company-issued Julius-K9 IDC Powerharnesses, including sizing, fit, and  dog behavior troubleshooting while on walks to prevent malfunction or escape. Please note that the client is  financially responsible for replacing the harness and harness patches should they become lost or damaged. 

Hot Weather  

On the Weather Channel App, if the “Feel’s Like” temperature is 80° or higher for large breeds and 85° or higher for  small/medium breeds, we will spend 5-15 minutes outdoors and finish the appointment inside. Puppies under six  months, seniors, obese animals, brachycephalic breeds, and black coat breeds will be case by case between 75° –  80°. 

Cold Weather  

On the Weather Channel App, if the “Feel’s Like” temperature is 15° or below for large breeds and 25° or below for  small/medium breeds, we will spend 5-15 minutes outdoors and finish the appointment inside. Puppies under six  months, seniors, single coat breeds, or if wet slushy conditions are present, will be case by case between 20° – 30°.  Temperature exceptions will be made for cold weather breeds. 

We reserve the right for the health and safety of our employees to cancel, convert, or downgrade any appointment  in the event of inclement weather or hazardous conditions. This includes but is not limited to dangerous wind,  electrical storms, flooding, heavy snow with poor visibility, icy or unplowed roadways, icy and unplowed sidewalks, or  any scenario that may pose a significant health and safety risk to our staff. Clients are strongly encouraged to have a  nearby neighbor or family member who can check on the dog in an emergency.

If we cannot gain access to your residence through no fault of our own, be it a faulty lock, lockbox, garage door opener, blocked driveway, contractors, etc., the client is still responsible for the entire appointment rate. We will make every reasonable attempt to contact you to gain alternative access; however, due to our appointment load may only sometimes be possible to reschedule on the same day.

If inclement weather prevents completion of an appointment indoors where someone is present, clients will still be charged the full service rate.

For the safety of our staff and the public, we reserve the right to refuse service to aggressive animals. Regardless of  intent, we define aggressive behavior as threat or action displays, ranging from subtle lip lifts to growling, snapping,  lunging, and biting. 

Dogs with significant on-leash behavior and reactivity issues can make it impossible for our skilled staff to maintain control or safely walk the dog. Our staff Dog Trainer will assess your dog and make recommendations to continue service with The Doggie Concierge. Depending upon the issues, you may be asked to seek dog training or behavior modification to continue service.

Per company policy, our staff cannot and will not utilize any of the following equipment during service: an electronic collar, prong collar, choke chain, muzzle, or retractable leash. Should your dog require using any of the above tools, we cannot offer service.

Our company is committed to using equipment that is humane, field-tested, and escape-resistant when walking your dog. To ensure the safety of your pet, we request that clients provide one of the following for their services: martingale collar, cinch harness, Julius K9 Powerharness-style harness, Two Hounds Freedom No-Pull Harness, or head halter. Our walkers carry their own company-issued slip leads and 6ft clip leashes to guarantee your dog’s security and comfort during the walk. We will not utilize an Easy Walk Harness or a Gentle Leader as they do not meet our failsafe requirements.