Terms & Conditions

All Paws is a small family run business, we take pride in attentive, caring, personal pet care.

1. General Service

1a. We will arrange a first meeting free of charge, to get to know you, your pet and discuss the service and your requirements in person.

1b. Your allocated walker/sitter will attend this first meeting with the view of taking on this service for you, or they will attend with the All Paws member who will carry out this service.

1c. We will always notify you of any necessary changes to this due to sickness etc, you will always be aware of who is with your pet and have direct contact details of this person and Kyra.

1d. In the event of sickness or other reasons why your regular team member is unable to attend the appointment, we will try our utmost to cover the appointment with another team member, it may not always be possible for you to meet them ahead of the appointment if this change is last minute.

1e. When caring for your pet or undertaking any service, we will do our utmost to complete tasks for you during your time away from home, within reason. For example drawing curtains, turning on lights, collecting parcels and post etc. However due to unforeseen factors that may take up time during our visit and with a growing and ever more busy team, this may not always be possible. Pet welfare and care will always be completed first and we will help how we can with anything else requested if possible.

We ask that all clients with intact/entire bitches advise us of any signs of their dog coming into season, in advance of a planned service.

1f. If we have collected your dog and discover signs of the dog being in season, unfortunately we will be unable to walk your dog in public and will need to return your dog, it may not be possible for us to fit in a suitable arrangement if we have not been notified ahead of time due to our busy daily schedules. This is to ensure safety and comfort of your dog as well as other dogs in the public or dogs we will be walking if in groups.

2. Adverse Weather

In the event of adverse weather, we will try to contact all clients with as much advance notice as possible, however with the English weather as this is not always possible we adhere to the below;

2a. Sunny Day Safe Walks

*Dependant on breed, if your dog is comfortable and if temperature is below 24 degrees. *

2aa. We will avoid ball play/frisbee/fetch

2ab.. We will bring water on all walks to keep pooches hydrated (we do this anyway!)

2ac. We will walk in shady/woody areas and try to venture to streams and areas with water when possible.

2ad. If we find pooches are struggling in the heat, you have an at risk breed such as pugs, elderly dogs, young puppies and large/heavy coat dogs, we will contact you regarding cutting walks shorter and/or garden play instead.

2b. Safety In Very Hot Weather

* When/if temperatures reach above 25 degrees*

2ba. Walks will be offered on a case by case basis, this is not always available, we will not risk the safety of your dogs from heat stoke or potential fatal complications of walking in hot weather, so please trust us when we say we are doing this for your dogs best interest. As the saying goes, no dog has died from not having a walk!

2bb. We will offer garden/home visits instead, letting your dog out to the toilet, playing in shade in the garden or in the house if the garden is too hot.

2bc. We will keep you updated on how your dog is doing in hot weather.

3. How To Help

3a. For the summer period it would be great if clients could provide any of the below to help with keeping your pooches and cats cool.

Paddling pools in gardens
Create shady garden spots under gazebos/ umbrellas
Provide cool vests/bandanas (please read manufacturer info on how to use these properly before using as they do need re-wetting on very hot days so dogs cannot just be left in them all day without doing this).
Cooling/ freezable toys
Cool mats
Drawing the curtains in sunnier places of the house where pets are, or leaving pet in the coolest parts of the house.
Frozen kong treats for when you are out
Regular grooming and brushing (the team are happy to brush pets in garden during garden visits!)

Please Note

3b. During hot weather spells, it may be required that walks are earlier or later than your usual schedule to ensure we get to all of our clients/pets safely.

3c. It may not be possible for lunchtime group walks in hot weather, so we may need to change from walks to garden play depending on the temperature, these visits will last 30 minutes to enable us to reach all dogs.

3d. We will give as much notice as possible and communicate with you frequently with updates/to discuss plans, please contact us if you are concerned.

3d. If, during this time you are home and able/willing to cancel your regular visit from the team to alleviate the pressure, please contact Kyra we are very grateful for your continued support and flexibility. We will need to prioritise timings for those pets that will not have anyone home with them.

4. RAIN, SNOW & WIND

4a. In the event of high levels of rain causing flooding for example, the team are unable to reach you, it may not be safe to walk, or it may result in the pets being stranded with the team, it may not be possible for us to carry out the planned services. We will communicate to you as far in advance as possible if this is the case, if you have concerns or aware of any flooding risks in your area to let the team know ASAP.

4b. In the event of high winds, it may not be possible for the team to reach you due to fallen trees and blocked roads, it may not be safe to walk and the safety of your dog is in question due to high levels of wind effecting dogs hearing causing them to be frightened, disoriented and/or a flight risk. We will communicate to you as far in advance as possible if this is the case, if you have concerns or aware of any blocked roads, areas of risk with a history of fallen trees, concerns for your dog or any other risks in your area to let the team know ASAP.

4c. In the event of snow and ice, it may not be possible for the team to reach you or walk your dog (groups in particular) due to dangerous road and/or path conditions. It may be possible to reach you but garden visits only due to poor safety conditions for walking. We will communicate to you as far in advance as possible if this is the case, if you have concerns or aware of any ice and snow effected areas, or of any history of gritters not being able to reach your home or roads to your home. with a history of fallen trees, concerns for your dog or any other risks in your area to let the team know ASAP.

5. How To Help

For the winter periods it would be great if clients could provide any of the below to help with keeping your pooches and cats comfortable and warm.

Extra blankets for elderly and young pets or pets that feel the cold more.
Dog coats and booties (if required) for walking
Towels for drying off rainy day walking
High-vis collars, leads, coats for shorter days or low visability days.

Please Note:

We keep an eye on the weather reports regular and try as much as we can to make any decision changes as far in advance as we can, however we do ask that clients also take responsibility to do the same and to help pre-plan arrangements by communicating with the team for their pets in the event of adverse weather conditions, or if you have concerns about your dog’s welfare too.

6. Forms & Disclosed Information

6a. We ask that all clients are honest within their forms provided and a new client form is completed ahead of services taking place.

6b. We have the right to refuse any pets with behavioural problems, who show to be aggressive or reactive, and have the right to terminate the contract of service with any client where we feel that they may be a threat or if there has been any incident to themselves, team members, other dogs or the public.

6c. To safe guard our team, we will terminate any agreement with any clients who have not disclosed to All Paws any; aggression, behavioural issues, reactivity, past incidents or anything similar. In the event your animal has attacked or aggressively caused harm to any team member or member of the public, we will return your dog home immediately and terminate any further services with All Paws. If we feel that no responsible and correcting action, training or reasonable rectification of behaviour that may cause harm to further care providers, members of the public, or family members is taken by the owners of the animal, All Paws have the right to report the incident any information to the dog warden for action and advise or decision to contact police.

6d. We are unable to take on any animals that have previously caused harm or have been terminated by another animal care provider due to shown aggression or reactivity towards humans where a member of the public or team may feel threatened.

6e. All Paws reserve the right to terminate services with any client for any reason with reasonable notice (2 weeks), or immediately in the event of any aggression, uncontrolled behaviour and refusal to seek advice from a trainer or behaviourist, or refusal to provide equipment such as a walking aids (eg: head halti to stop pulling), muzzles (if dog is reactive and we feel this is necessary) on request of All Paws to ensure a safe environment for dog, walker and public.

7. Veterinary Consent

7a. By using All Paws you confirm you give permission for us to take your pet to the vet in an emergency, in the event that we cannot get hold of you or your emergency contact.

Please note:

In the event of injury or accident to your pet during our care, we will contact you (or if you are not contactable your emergency contact) to confirm we will be taking your pet to your provided vet for treatment. In life threatening/urgent cases we may not have time to contact you for approval and pets will be taken directly to the closest vet, with you updated asap. We ask all of our clients have valid and up to date pet insurance applicable to their pet, all treatment and care provided by the vets is payable by the client/pet owner initially, than should you wish to contact All Paws regarding insurance claims via our insurance, please contact allpawskent@gmail.com, with full receipts and breakdown of treatment from your veterinary practise, we will then pass on to our insurance company to process a claim enquiry.

8. Communication

8a. We ask all communication is through the group chat or to Kyra directly. We ask that clients do not contact team members directly regarding requests, in order to keep track of any requests and ensure no confusion or miscommunication.

8b. This form acts as a contract, in completing this contract you agree that you will not contact All Paws team members directly for private business outside of All Paws..

8c. We may not always be able to cover appointments and will let you know with as much notice as possible if this is the case.

8d. We will communicate all details between client and team members via our group chat, or via Kyra directly.

8e. Please ensure any changes, additional bookings and important information is sent to the group chat only or Kyra directly, to avoid any misunderstandings please do not message team members directly unless it is Kyra, please only communicate changes or enquiries via group chats or Kyra directly.

Please note: Whilst we understand our pets mean the world to us and this can mean we can be emotional regarding our pets in stressful situations such as emergencies or last minute request. All Paws reserve the right to terminate services effective immediately if communication becomes disrespectful or offensive to any member of staff. We love and respect all pets and clients like family and ask to be treated with a level of respect.

9. Access

9a. Keys or key codes will be shared only with Kyra and the allocated team member/s who will attend the meet and greet and provide the service. Keys will be kept in a coded safe with only team members that have the code. Or if you would like the keys returned after the service please advise us of this.

9b. In the event where you have multiple walkers, please ensure a copy of the key is available to each team member as they are not always able to share due to working hours and locations.

9c. All who provide services on behalf of All Paws are insured with Pet Plan. Please contact us should you wish to have more details of this.

9d. All Paws will provide a tag with the pets name ONLY attached to the key, no address or owner details will be displayed on the key. All keys when not in use are kept in a locked key safe at an All Paws property.

9e. In the event we are unable to gain access to your property to collect or drop off your dog due to client plans changing (for example) without notifying the team and the team agreeing to the changes prior, your service timings may be altered to reflect loss of time and a charge may be incurred.

9f. Whilst we try our hardest to be flexible, most of the team are often booked back to back throughout the day and will need to get to their next appointment in a timely fashion.

10. Payment and cancellations

10a. Where we try to be flexible when we can, however due to increased demand we do ask that cancellations for weekly services are made more than at least 48 hours in advance, less than 48 hours we will require 100% charge for the service.

10b. For overnight sitting, holiday sitting and more than 2 consecutive drop ins/care visits whilst owners are away, we require full payment the Friday before your departure. With cancellations made more than at least 4 weeks in advance there will be no charge, cancellations made between 2-4 weeks of service starting we will require 50% payment for the amount of the originally agreed service, less than 2 weeks in advance we would require 100% payment.

10c. We send the invoice via email for weekly services at the end of each week on a Monday, we ask that payment is made by the Friday of the same week.

10d. For sitting and drop in services we ask the invoice is settled before the start of the service. All payment deadlines will be supplied on your invoice.

10e. In the event of frequent late payments, a late payment fee of £5.50 will be incurred to the late invoice, with an additional 50p for each further day that the invoice is unpaid.

11. Updates

11a. We will text on our arrival and departure of the first visit, supplying photos should you wish, then posting all future visits by photographs taken, on our social media which you are very welcome to follow. 11b. The team will provide regular updates of behaviour, anything to note from walks and/or behaviour.

Please note:
It is not always possible for us to send photos of every walk as the team are quite busy, however will happily provide on request.

12. Updated Terms & Conditions

12a. All Paws reserves to right to update it’s terms and conditions when required.

If you have any questions at any time regarding All Paws services, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Dog Walking Agreement

At All Paws, we love all of the pets under our care and want the best and safest experience for each and every one.

We are so proud that we are growing and continue to have such lovely clients and fur-clients joining us for our services.

With this in mind we ask the below requirements for those whom dogs participate within group and off lead walking services.

This is to ensure the safety of the dogs, our team members and the public, in addition to complying with requirements asked of our insurance provider.

1-2-1, GROUP & OFF LEAD WALKS

In order to maintain a safe environment during group walks, we put our trust in any advice you give us about your dog’s behaviour and ask for honest details provided within your client form and discussed during your meet and greet.

As dog walkers, walking in permitted, public areas all dogs must be under control at all times. This includes good recall and good manner of on-lead walking when required.

When walking groups of dogs, if a dog pulls hard on lead or have spotty recall, it is very difficult for the team member to keep dogs safe from accident or avoid injuring themselves.

Incidents can result in prosecution, dogs or walker injury, injury to the public or another walker's dog, threat to livestock and lost dogs.

To ensure we can keep all dogs safe, as well as our team and the public, we ask that for dogs to be included in and continue participation within our group walks or 1-2-1 walks, that they demonstrate good recall in order to be off lead, as well as a good manner of lead walking when on lead.

NEW & EXISTING CLIENTS
With any new clients and existing clients going through training with their dogs currently for recall and lead walking, we are happy to assess over a 3 week period and come back to you with feedback with how we feel the arrangement is working and if any changes need to be addresses to ensure a safe walk for all involved.

ALTERNATIVES WHILST TRAINING
We understand a lot of our clients have young dogs, puppies or dogs in training and some reactive dogs.

For these situations if we cannot guarantee recall or dogs pulling during on lead walking at this time, we would be more than happy to provide group walks, or off lead 1-2-1 walks in a safe, enclosed field.

We are familiar with 3 fields in Hildenborough, Ightham and Seal and would be happy to arrange this hire on your behalf and add the cost to your weekly invoice (please note we would ask that the field hire is paid one week in advance), depending on the field location this ranges from £10-£12 per hour.

We deeply appreciate your support and for choosing All Paws.