870-423-9311
Pet and House Sitting Questions
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.
What services do you offer?
{In Your Home} Lone Star Pet Sitting provides in-home pet care and pet taxi to veterinarian and grooming appointments. 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, goats, pigs, donkeys, horses, chickens, geese, frogs, guinea pigs, gerbils, hamsters, iguanas, etc. 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.
{At Our Facility} We offer doggie daycare and board and play (see below under daycare and boarding for more details)
How does a client go about getting started?
All are welcome to call, text or email the office with their questions. The office number is 870-423-9311 and the email is lonestarpetsitting936@gmail.com. For pet sitting visits we will ask you a few questions about your location, pets’ needs, collect vaccination records and schedule a meet and greet to come meet you and your fur babies. At this meet and greet we will see where all of the items needed to care for your pets are located, make note of feeding or special instructions, and, if needed, ask about medication administration.
What vaccinations are required?
For in home pet sitting services we require all cats and dogs to be up to date on rabies, dogs to be up to date on DHPP and cats to be up to date on FVRCP for the duration of the services. For boarding and daycare we require all dogs to be up to date on rabies and DHPP.
Will you provide house sitting or “gate keeping” services even if someone doesn’t have a pet?
Of course! We have many clients who contact Lone Star Pet Sitting 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 Lone Star Pet Sitting.
Do you provide boarding or daycare for dogs?
We do! We believe that depending on your dog’s temperament and personality they may do better staying in your home or coming to burn more energy daily. Every dog is different so feel free to call us if you have questions about which is a better fit for your baby!
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 6am - 9am
– The “Mid Day” time slot is between 10am-3pm.
– The “Evening” time slot is between 3pm - 6pm.
– The “Night” time slot is between 6pm-9:30pm.
We offer 30-minute, 45-minute and 60-minute visits. The client chooses the duration of the visits and can mix and match to design the best plan for his or her pet.
What is the Meet and Greet?
During this visit one of our pet sitters will introduce themselves, spend some 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.
After a client has completed their Meet and Greet can they schedule services anytime?
Absolutely! All clients are provided with unique login information to their secured Lone Star Pet Sitting account. From this gateway they are able to schedule service, check their personal service calendar, check their invoice totals and also update their password. It’s a handy little tool! If you schedule within 24 hours of needing a service please also contact us by text or call at 870-423-9311.
Can the client schedule directly through the sitter?
No! For the safety of our client’s pets all visits MUST be scheduled through the Lone Star Pet Sitting 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. Lone Star Pet Sitting will not be held liable for visits scheduled without the offices knowledge. This also means that insurance would not cover any incidents that may occur.
How do you accept payment?
We card only. You can log in to your account and view your invoice once your services are booked to view your totals and pay your balances.
Are there extra charges for services rendered on holidays?
We consider the following to be our major annual holidays: New Years Day, New Years Eve, Easter, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Christmas Eve Day. There is a surcharge of $5 per service rendered for these dates.
How about last minute requests?
We’re more than happy to schedule pet care for last-minute needs, 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).
What is Lone Star Pet Sitting’s cancellation policy?
Since I understand what it’s like to have a busy and ever-changing schedule I have implemented an extremely flexible cancellation policy:
For weekly walks/visits: as long as we are not on our way, have already arrived OR have already fulfilled the service then we do not charge. IF the sitter is on their way or already there and you want to cancel then there is a 50% charge for that service. If the service has already been completed then it is full price.
For drop in visits: cancellations that happen before the sitter is on their way will have no charge. If the sitter is on their way or there but has not fulfilled the service it is a 50% charge. If the sitter has fulfilled the service it is full price. IF it is around one of the listed holidays it must be canceled 48 hours in advance or only a 50% refund of all services will be rendered!
Do you care for pets that have aggression issues?
If the pet has aggressively bit and injured 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?
The usual answer is yes! However it can depend on your pet! If your pet takes their medications with no problems then we are happy to help! However, if you have pets that may try to hide when given medications or if they show aggression we may have to evaluate the situation.
We have experience in insulin shots, subcutaneous IV fluids, oral medications for cats and dogs, and hypo dermal medication.
What happens if the 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 contact 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.
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 the Conroe, Willis and Montgomery areas 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.
Most importantly, what kind of results can we expect from using Lone Star Pet Sitting?
I sound like a broken record, but the greatest result is peace of mind. Our clients can travel, work or leave their homes for whatever reason, guilt-free because they know that their pets and their homes are in the best possible hands. Their pets are going to receive top-notch care; they’re going to be relaxed, comfortable, well exercised, and doted upon. Their houses are going to be safe guarded and kept tidy and neat. They are going to have happy and healthy pets.