Starting a pet sitting or dog walking business can be incredibly rewarding. But alongside caring for animals and finding customers, there is another important part of running a professional pet care business: having clear agreements with your clients.
A pet sitting or dog walking contract helps establish what you and your customer have agreed before you begin providing services.
It can clarify your services, prices, cancellation arrangements, emergency procedures and responsibilities, reducing the likelihood of misunderstandings later.
For somebody choosing between several local pet sitters or dog walkers, professional paperwork can also provide reassurance that they are dealing with a genuine, organised business.
Having a written agreement is good professional practice for anyone providing pet care services.
Even if you know a customer personally, relying entirely on verbal arrangements can create problems.
What happens if:
A written agreement gives both parties a record of what was discussed and agreed.
The precise information required will depend on the services you provide.
A dog walker may need different information from somebody providing overnight pet sitting, home boarding or pet visits.
However, there are several areas most professional pet care businesses should consider.
Clearly describe the service the customer is purchasing.
For example:
Your agreement should also make clear what the service costs and when payment is expected.
This helps prevent misunderstandings about what the customer thought they were booking.
If you're still developing your business, our guide to starting a professional pet sitting or dog walking business provides further information and support available through NarpsUK.
Cancellations are an important consideration for any pet care business.
Once you have reserved time for one customer, particularly during busy periods, you may have turned other work away.
Your terms should therefore explain your cancellation policy clearly, including any notice period and circumstances in which cancellation charges may apply.
Whatever policy you choose, make sure customers can see and understand it before agreeing to the booking.
One of the most important situations to prepare for is a pet becoming ill or injured while in your care.
Before providing services, obtain appropriate information and authorisation from the owner concerning what should happen in an emergency.
Useful information can include:
Having this information available before an emergency occurs can save valuable time.
If you agree to administer medication, make sure you have clear written instructions from the owner.
Record relevant information about medical conditions, allergies and anything else that could affect the animal while it is in your care.
Never rely on remembering important medical instructions from a conversation.
Owners should provide relevant information about their pet's behaviour.
For dogs, this could include:
The more you know before accepting a booking, the better equipped you are to decide whether you can provide the service safely.
You may also find our guide to responsible dog walking useful when establishing professional procedures for your business.
If your dog walking service includes allowing dogs off lead, obtain clear instructions and appropriate permission from the owner.
Do not simply assume that because an owner allows their dog off lead, you should automatically do the same.
A professional dog walker needs to make their own assessment of the circumstances, environment and ability to maintain appropriate control.
Pet sitters and dog walkers are frequently trusted with access to clients' homes.
Your procedures should explain how keys and access information are handled.
You may need to record:
Professional key-management procedures can provide considerable reassurance to customers.
This is particularly important for pet sitting and holiday bookings.
Flights are delayed, travel plans change and occasionally owners cannot return when expected.
Agree in advance what should happen if the customer is delayed and their pet requires additional care.
Your terms can explain how additional services will be arranged and charged.
Always obtain an emergency contact wherever possible.
If you cannot reach the owner, having another authorised person to contact can be invaluable.
The emergency contact should ideally be someone capable of making or assisting with decisions concerning the animal if required.
The contract is only one part of your professional paperwork.
Pet care businesses may also need records covering areas such as:
NarpsUK members can access professional pet sitting and dog walking forms and contracts designed to help pet care businesses put appropriate paperwork and procedures in place.
There is another important benefit to using professional paperwork: customer confidence.
Imagine a pet owner meeting two potential dog walkers.
One makes informal arrangements verbally.
The other provides professional paperwork, records the dog's veterinary and emergency information, discusses insurance and explains exactly how the service operates.
Which one is likely to provide greater reassurance?
Professionalism can be particularly important in a competitive local market.
If finding customers is one of your biggest challenges, read our guide How to Get More Pet Sitting and Dog Walking Customers for more ideas.
Contracts and insurance perform different functions, and having a contract doesn't replace the need for appropriate business insurance.
Professional pet sitters and dog walkers should consider the insurance appropriate to the services they provide.
NarpsUK members can access a 25% discount with Pet Business Insurance, alongside other membership benefits designed for professional pet care businesses.
Running a successful pet sitting or dog walking business involves much more than loving animals.
You need to think about your paperwork, insurance, customer relationships, marketing, pricing and day-to-day organisation.
That's why NarpsUK membership provides different levels of support depending on the needs of your business.
Benefits available with selected memberships include:
Whether you're just starting out or already have an established pet sitting or dog walking business, putting professional systems in place can help protect your time, reduce misunderstandings and give customers greater confidence in your service.
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