FAQs & Policies

What do your services include?

All services include potty breaks/litterbox refresh, fresh water, food, medication (if needed), mental and physical stimulation, and love. Complete with real time arrival/departure notifications, GPS dog walking map, digital report card with photos and visit summary.  How awesome is that?

How far in advance do I need to book services?

If you know the days you will need services, please let us know as soon as you can.  However, we understand things change and there are last minute requests.  For all visits, we ask that you let us know 2 weeks in advance so that we can schedule adequate coverage.  Day before or same day requests are not guaranteed, especially holidays & weekends. 

Can I drop my pets off at your home?

We offer limited boarding at this time. Please inquire for details.

What time can you walk my dog or Drop in for my cat?

Our pet sitters are scheduled in designated time slots.  Although we cannot guarantee a specific time, we can shoot for a preferred time when requested and based on availability.

Morning: 7am-10am

Midday: 11am-3pm

Dinner: 3pm-5:30pm

What length of visits should I book?

Depending on the complexity of the visit, our visits start at a minimum of 30 minutes. If you have one pet that requires medication or if you need us to take out the trash, grab the mail, or water plants, each visit will be a minimum of 45 minutes. For households with two or more animals, we require visits to be at least 45 minutes to an hour. If you have more than three animals, your visits will be 60 minutes. This ensures we have adequate time to care for your pets and provide enrichment while being fair to our schedule and sitters time. We will determine the length of visits during our meet and greet. If we find that visits are taking longer than planned, we reserve the right to extend them and bill accordingly. Check out our latest blog post that breaks down how long you should book for pet sitting and/or dog walking. 

How much does cat sitting sits or dog walking cost?

Visit our Daily Visits and dog walking page to learn more about our services and prices.

When will I get updates from my sitter?

Your will receive a message upon our arrival and after each visit.  We use industry leading software for all scheduling, invoicing, mobile app and communication.  All visits include real time arrival alerts and a report card, including a message with pictures & GPS location.

Do you offer overnights or all day pet sitting?

We do not offer overnights or all day pet sitting services.

What if I have more than one dog or cat, is there an extra fee?

Rates are set based on length of time needed to properly care for all animals.  Dog walking rates depend on the type of dog and how well they walk together with other dogs from the same household. In certain circumstances, visits might be extended to a longer period of time based on the discretion of the pet sitter and the needs of the animals.

What is not included in your services?

Leash, harness/collar, poop bags, pooper scooper, treats, pet food, paper towels, pet cleaner, kitty litter, dustpan.  Any items that are not provided and needed for the service to be performed will be added to client invoice.

Can you give my pet medications, including insulin shots?

Yes, we can administer insulin shots to well-behaved pets. We can also give oral medication to animals that are accustomed to taking it. However, we understand that administering medication to cats can be particularly challenging. Therefore, we only provide this service to well-behaved pets that are used to receiving medication. Please note that we are not animal technicians, and we will be giving pets medication on our own, so it is ideal for your pet to be accustomed to this process. Rest assured, even when you’re out of town, your beloved pet will receive all the necessary medications they need.

What payment methods do you take?

We accept cash, check, credit cards, Zelle and Venmo.  Credit cards are accepted through our client portal. 

How do I know my credit card is safe in your system?

All traffic to and from Time To Pet servers uses the same 128 bit level encryption your bank uses over https. Non-encrypted traffic is forced over to encrypted methods.  Time To Pet is fully PCI Compliant (for validation: https://www.timetopet.com/pci). Time To Pet never stores Client Credit Card information on their servers, instead all credit card information is stored at their integrated payment processor's secure storage solutions. All of the integrated payment processors are also fully PCI compliant.

What is your payment policy and when is payment due?

Payment is due in full on the first day of services rendered for all vacation pet sitting. Recurrent daily visits & dog walking are invoiced on a weekly basis.

Where do I pay my invoice?

We use Time to Pet for all our scheduling, invoicing and communications. You can find your invoice by logging into your client portal account.

How do I schedule visits?

Once you are set up in our system, you can request visits through our online portal - Time to Pet or by using our app. (Apple & Android) 

What are your service areas?

We service Cave Creek, Carefree, and certain parts of Far North Scottsdale. Check out our service area map for more information on the locations we cover. 

What if I don’t have an account?

All clients must create an account before services are rendered.  We reserve the right to decline services if a meet and greet & client account have not been scheduled and approved.  Click here to create your client account.

What is your cancellation policy?

Vacation pet sitting visits are required to give 7 days’ notice for any cancelled service.

Daily & Weekly pet sitting/dog walking visits must be requested 24 hours prior to scheduled services. If a visit is cancelled without the proper 24-hour notice, visits are subject to a full rate unless otherwise approved.

What is a meet & greet?

A meet and greet is the opportunity for your professional pet sitter to get acquainted with your pet and go over all important details of caring for your pet while you’re away.  This is also the opportunity for you to meet your pet sitter and ask questions.  This complimentary visit takes approximately 15-20 minutes.  If a longer visit is needed, it can be requested for an additional fee.

My landscaper, house or pool cleaner will be at my home while I’m away, is that okay?

That is perfectly, fine, however we do ask that you let us know which day and time they will be at your home.  It makes our heart skip a beat if we meet a stranger in your home or the possibility of the backyard gate being left open.

I would like to split the pet sitting/dog walking visits between my neighbor/friend and Desert Tails Pet Services. Is that okay?

For liability reasons, we cannot perform any services if another person is also caring for your pets. We release all liability if a second person is found caring for the animals during our visits. Please notify us immediately if this is the case.

How do I know my pets are safe in your care or one of your pet sitters care?

Desert Tails Pet Services hand selects loving, professional and thoroughly background checked pet sitters & walkers.  We want to make sure our clients know that they are trusting their best friends and their homes to a professional, experienced, insured and bonded business. Our passion is treating your pets as if they were our own.  Read more about our sitters here.

Can you bring in packages/mail and recycle/trash bins?

Yes we can, Please notify us if you're expecting a package while you’re away. Please remember to keep your portal up to date on your neighborhood recycle & garbage schedule.

Can you water my indoor and outdoor patio plants?

Yes, we can water your plants. However, our primary focus is on caring for your pets and meeting their needs. We are happy to water a few indoor and patio plants, as long as they are together in the same area and do not take up the majority of the scheduled time for pet sitting or walking.

Do you need keys to my house or a garage code?

We require at least one house key in a lockbox on site at your home.  Our preferred lockbox can be purchased here.  Alternatively, you may rent one for $5 a day.

We allow garage codes and/or keyless door codes to be used, however, we require a backup house key on site in the event the garage door fails or there is a power outage.  This is mandatory.

What if my trips runs over or I’m delayed returning home?

Please keep in contact with us and let us know as soon as you can if your trip is shortened, extended or delayed for any reason.

Do you charge extra for Holidays?

For all holiday bookings a nonrefundable deposit of 50% is required to hold booking. An additional fee of $20 per visit will be added to holiday visits.  Holidays include: New Year's Eve & Day, Easter weekend, Memorial Day Weekend Fri-Mon, Fourth of July Weekend Fri-Mon, Labor Day Weekend Fri-Mon, and Thanksgiving Weekend (Wed-Sun).  Please note we're closed Christmas Eve & Christmas Day. Holidays are subject to change at any time.

What are your hours of operation?

We offer Daily drop in visits and dog walking Sunday-Saturday starting at 7AM until 7PM. Depending on schedule loads, the start & end times may fluctuate. Office hours are Monday – Friday, 10:00am – 4:00pm.

Additional policies are in our service agreement once you have registered as a client in Time to Pet.