LANDRAKE DOG WALKING – TERMS & CONDITIONS OF SERVICE

1. Code of Practice
Landrake Dog Walking will provide a professional, reliable and trustworthy service in line with the standards required by the Code of Ethics of the National Association of Registered Pet Sitters (NARPS UK).

2. Insurance
Landrake Dog Walking is insured for dog walking and pet sitting activities with Protectivity Insurance.

3. Health & Safety

3.1 Landrake Dog Walking requires medical records for all dogs in our care, detailing vaccinations, worming and flea treatments. It is the owner’s responsibility to update this information by email attaching an image of relevant documents e.g. vaccination record, worming and flea treatment schedule.

3.2 All medical issues that may impact your dog’s or other dog’s wellbeing must be disclosed prior to service delivery.

3.3 You are responsible for advising Landrake Dog Walking of any changes to your dog’s health and any veterinary advice received.

3.4 You accept that during the course of dog play and general interaction your dog may sustain injuries. Whilst every care is taken to reduce risk of injury, scratches, punctures, torn ligaments and other injuries may occur during dog play/interaction despite supervision. Equally stick injuries may occur due to exploration of the natural environment, stick throwing is never initiated but risk of stick injury cannot be removed entirely.

4. Behaviour

4.1 Landrake Dog Walking reserves the right to refuse to provide services to any dog which may be a danger to other dogs or members of the public.

4.2 Bitches in season will not be walked, this is non negotiable. Alternative arrangements for comfort breaks will be discussed.

4.3 Any behavioural issues must be disclosed to Landrake Dog Walking, failure to do so may result in suspension or withdrawal of services.

4.4 Behavioural strategies put in place for individual dogs are subject to ongoing review and analysis, Landrake Dog Walking may suspend walking services if the safety of your dog, other dogs, livestock and members of the public cannot be ensured with appropriate safeguards.

5. Dog Walking

5.1 Leads

Your dog will be exercised on lead or long line unless your written permission for off lead exercise is obtained. Areas where your dog is off lead will be as safe as possible however no off lead exercise is entirely free of risk and by agreeing to off lead exercise you acknowledge and accept that an element of risk exists. You are responsible for ongoing reinforcement of recall commands and must inform Landrake Dog Walking if problems are developing with your dog’s recall. Trailing leads may be used as a short term training tool with written agreement.

5.2 Collars & Harnesses

Your dog must wear a properly fitted collar. A properly fitted collar does not allow the dog to escape by backing out. Due to the diverse body shapes of dogs some may require a ‘house collar’ for comfort and a walking collar or harness as appropriate to their body shape. If your dog is able to back out of its collar Landrake Dog Walking may substitute a suitable collar or harness to ensure road safety. Figure of 8 rope leads will not be used unless a failsafe secondary point of attachment is available.

5.3 Microchipping & Identity Tags
Your dog must be microchipped – this is a legal requirement. If your dog is not microchipped you must attend to this without unreasonable delay or walking services will be withdrawn until this is rectified. Additionally your dog should wear a tag with your name, postcode and phone number, if this is missing Landrake Dog Walking may attach their own details whilst on a walk.

6. Pet Sitting / House Sitting

6.1 Your home environment

You agree to provide a safe and secure environment for your pet during your absence. You agree to be contactable or nominate a person to whom you have delegated authority for decision making with regard to your pet and your pet’s environment.

6.2 Veterinary treatment in your absence

You agree to be contactable or nominate a person to whom you have delegated authority for decision making with regard to your pet’s medical needs in your absence. Every possible effort will be made to contact you or your nominated contact prior to veterinary treatment however you accept that if urgent treatment is deemed necessary by the veterinary practice you will be liable to pay the veterinary practice and in extreme situations this may incur out of hours veterinary charges.

6.3 Security – you accept that if you have permitted any third party to access your property in your absence Landrake Dog Walking cannot fully control the security of the premises.

6.4 CCTV – should any unforeseen security issues or welfare concerns arise during your absence Landrake Dog Walking may use remotely viewed CCTV equipment such as Tapo or equivalent wifi or mobile network cameras inside or outside your property to improve security and or monitor your pets welfare. Wherever possible you or your nominated emergency contact will be advised without undue delay of the presence of CCTV equipment which will be removed at the end of the house sit booking. There is no additional charge for this service and WiFi data used is negligible.

7. Payment

7.1 Payment for walking services

For clients booking and paying weekly: payment will be due by the end of the day on the Saturday preceding the booking.

For clients booking and paying monthly: payment will be due by the end of the day on the 28th of each month preceding the booking.

A late payment charge of 10% will apply to all bookings whether weekly or monthly bookings. The late payment charge will be applied to the current booking period which will mean a top up payment will be required to complete the last walk (or walks) booked; in these circumstances a walk for which insufficient funds have been received will be considered to be cancelled. Cancellation on the grounds of insufficient funds will be confirmed in writing via email or messaging service.

Ad Hoc clients

Clients of longstanding who require walks infrequently and or without any predictable booking schedule: a late payment charge of 10% will apply if payment is not received by the due date on the invoice.

7.2 Retainer Payments

A retainer payment is an optional payment which reserves your dog’s place on its regular walk during periods of absence.

The schedule for retainer payments assumes 4 weeks per calendar year absence as reasonable absence which does not necessitate a retainer eg. If your dog usually walks on a Monday Tuesday and Wednesday these days will be held for your dog for the first four weeks of absence every year. On the fifth occasion of absence the place on the walk may be allocated to another client and will not be guaranteed to be available in future.

Retainer schedule (opt in service)

• Up to 4 weeks – no retainer payment necessary

• Week 5 – an optional retainer payment of 30%

• Week 6 – an optional retainer payment of 40%

• Week 7 onwards – an optional retainer payment of 50%

7.3 Payment for pet sitting – 50% to be paid at time of booking, the balance will be due no later than 7 days before the first day of the house sit.

8. Cancellations

8.1 Cancellations due to injury

Understandably in the case of an injury it is often not possible to provide sufficient notice of cancellation.

If your dog sustains an injury which necessitates cancellation of your booking:

On the first occasion during any 12 month period no cancellation fee will apply.

On the second occasion of absence due to injury within a 12 month period a cancellation fee will apply as follows:

day one of absence 100%

day two of absence 75%

day three of absence 50%

day four onwards – no cancellation fee, a refund of payments made will be credited against your next booking.

For any subsequent cancellation due to injury within a 12 month period the cancellation fee will be calculated in the same manner (100 % day one, 75% day two, 50% day three).

8.2 Cancellations for any reason other than injury

Four weeks notice is required for cancellations.

A cancellation fee of 100% applies to cancellations made without 48hrs notice. 48 hours means 48hrs before 9am on the booked walk day.

A cancellation fee of 50% applies to cancellations where 48hrs notice has been given.

The balance of your payment for the booking minus walks provided and cancellation charges incurred will be credited against your next booking.

9. Confidentiality

Landrake Dog Walking uses photography primarily to engage with clients who enjoy seeing their dog’s activities but also to document progress towards training goals and for promotion purposes on social media. Your dog may appear as the subject of or in the background of a photograph. If you do not wish your dog to be featured on social media for reasons of confidentiality please make this known and efforts will be made to exclude your dog from photographs which are used on social media.

10. House keys & access codes

Where house keys are held they will not have any identifying tags or other form of marker which could be associated with your home. An asset tag will be attached to your key(s) the only identifiers will be Landrake Dog Walking’s phone number and a randomly assigned number which does not match your house number, tags are colour coded by village.

Wherever possible access codes and alarm codes will not be recorded; if it is not possible to memorise the code it will be recorded in such a way that it is unrecognisable as such and without reference to the client name, pet name or address the code provides access to.

11. Comfort Breaks – definition

A comfort break is not a walk, it is a garden break. A short walk may be offered as part of a comfort break depending on the dog’s toileting needs eg if no garden or garden inappropriate to the dog’s requirements due to building work or other environmental difficulties.