Policies & FAQ

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DogCentric Policies/Terms and Conditions

New Client Set Up

A consult with a manager and your dog’s walker is required prior to starting services. The consult is an opportunity for us to meet your dog and develop his or her routine.  Consults are scheduled Monday through Friday during normal business hours, and Monday through Thursday into the early evening, subject to manager and walker availability.  

Please have two copies of your house key and a copy of your dog’s vaccination records for us, and please allow 30-45 minutes for the consult.

SMS Terms and Conditions

Terms and Conditions:

• Customers can expect to receive appointment reminders and service/order delivery info. Answering customer questions, confirming appointments and service type.
• MESSAGE AND DATA RATES MAY APPLY. Your mobile carrier may charge fees for sending or receiving text messages, especially if you do not have an unlimited texting or data plan. Messages are as-needed, and message frequency varies.  Reply HELP for info. Opt out anytime by replying Stop, Cancel or Unsubscribe.
• How Customers can opt-out. Opt-Out: You can opt out of the SMS list at any time by texting, emailing, help for info or replying Stop, Cancel or Unsubscribe to Bark@DogCentric.com or 301-275-8752.   After unsubscribing, you will receive a final SMS to confirm you have unsubscribed and we will remove your number from our list within 24 hours. 
• Privacy policy can be accessed at https://www.dogcentric.com/privacy-policy.php

Scheduling Walks

To schedule a walk, please call or email DogCentric, or submit a request through our online management system, LeashTime, by 5:00 PM the day before the desired visit. If you need a last-minute walk (added after 5:00 PM the day before), a $10 last-minute addition charge will be added to the normal charge for the visit.  "Tentative" visits are not considered scheduled until we get positive confirmation from you.

Canceling Walks

Clients may cancel one week in advance at no charge. If cancellations are made less than one week in advance, clients are charged a cancellation fee equal to 50% of the walk rate. Regular clients receive one "fee" cancellation per month if the cancellation is made less than a week in advance, as long as received by 4:00 pm the day prior to the walk.

Last-minute cancellations (cancellations requested after 4:00pm the day prior to the walk) incur a cancellation charge equal to the fee of the cancelled visit(s), up to $50.

Please note, as-needed clients may cancel by 4:00 pm the prior day free of charge. After this time, the cancellation fee is 100% of the walk rate.

Time of Walker Arrival

Your walker will arrive during your two-hour time window. We cannot, unfortunately, guarantee a specific time within that time window due to the potential for unexpected delays that walkers may encounter throughout their day.

Payment

Our package clients are billed at the beginning of each month, prior to services rendered. If you have a credit card on file you will be charged at that time. Check payments are due by the 10th day of the month. Any balances or credits resulting from added or canceled walks will be applied to the next month’s invoice.

Our as-needed clients are billed at the end of each month, and payment is due by the 10th day of the following month. If you have a credit card on file your card will be charged the last business day of the month.

DogCentric accepts Visa, MasterCard, and checks. There will be a $30.00 charge for all returned checks.

Key Policy

Two working copies of your house keys must be provided at the time of the consult. If you do not have two copies available for us at that time, we are happy to arrange to pick them up at another time for a fee of $10.

Walker Sick Days and Vacation Days

Occasionally, our walkers get sick or request time off. We will always let you know that your walker has requested time off and arrange for another DogCentric employee to walk your dog. Unfortunately we cannot guarantee you will have the same substitute each time, however, we make sure that each substitute is prepared.  All of our employees are bonded and insured through the company, and will always have a copy of your dog’s profile sheet so that he or she can keep the routine consistent and give your dog a great visit. The regular cancellation and scheduling policies still apply.

DogCentric Holidays

DogCentric is closed for business on the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, the Day After Thanksgiving (Friday) and Christmas Day.

Pet Behavior & Well-Being

All dogs under our care must be up to date on their vaccinations.

DogCentric cannot care for aggressive dogs or dogs with a history of biting. We reserve the right to refuse or terminate services for a pet that we deem as being a danger to our walkers. We will contact you immediately if this decision is made.

Inclement Weather/Natural Disaster

DogCentric will be closed if the Federal Government is closed for weather related events. If the Federal Government is open but public schools in your district are closed due to inclement weather, you can call us by 9:00 AM the day of the visit to cancel the walk without charge. DogCentric will make all reasonable attempts to drive safely to your home and care for your pets as soon as possible in inclement weather. However, we strongly recommend that you give a house key to a trustworthy neighbor in case roads are closed, dangerous or impassable due to ice, snow, floods, etc. DogCentric reserves the right to cancel visits if walkers are unable to safely reach your home. The service schedule may be changed, interrupted, altered or cancelled due to circumstances.

Precise Petcare

We use an online management system called Precise Petcare for all of our scheduling, invoicing and record-keeping needs. Upon starting services each client is assigned a unique username and password which they can use to access the system. They have the option of altering their dog’s routine, requesting schedule changes or viewing their payment history.

Frequently Asked Questions

1.    What happens if my walker gets sick or goes on vacation?  Does my dog still get a walk?

We will always ensure that someone is there to walk your dog at the time and date you have specified.  We employ substitute walkers who are contacted when walkers get sick or need time off. Substitute walkers go through the same training and application process as regular e mployees, including background and reference checks. These are typically individuals with flexible schedules who are detail-oriented and quick learners.  Substitute walkers are provided with the profile and keys of each dog on the route they are covering so they are able to accurately follow the dog’s typical routine.

2.    Are you insured and bonded?

Yes, DogCentric is insured and bonded.

3.    Why don’t you offer group walks?

We feel that offering private walks allows us to focus all of our attention on the dog in our care. When you walk more than 3 dogs at once, it is impossible to keep track of every dog’s behavior, what they are eating off the ground, if they have any medical issues, not to mention picking up poop! Having just the dogs in one household enables us to tailor the routine to that dog(s) needs and preferences. It also allows us to take the time to leave a detailed note about the dog’s visit and give him the love and personal attention he deserves!

4.    How do I know when my dog was walked?

Once the walk is completed, you will receive a detailed report of when the walk started and ended, the map of the walk, whether your pup did their "business", a picture of your dog during the visit, and any additional or important information from our visit.

In addition, our walkers leave a detailed note after each visit to include the time the walker arrived and left their visit and any significant details regarding their visit.

5.    How do you know that the walker is always following instructions with my dog?

We give our walkers a detailed profile for that includes all information about the routine provided by you, including location of supplies, emergency contacts, and a routine that details how the visit should be completed. We provide our walkers with policies and procedures training, online training and on-the-job training to ensure that they understand our policies and procedures and are aware of how to properly walk dogs for DogCentric. We also do random spot-checks on our walkers to ensure that they are following the routines and walking for the full 30 minute visits.

6.    What do you do if there is an emergency?

Our office team is there to support the walkers in any type of scenario. We employ a minimum of two staff members who work in the office from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM to support the walker. Walkers are instructed to call the office team at the first sign of any problem or emergency. Our office team always contacts clients by phone and email if there is a medical concern about the dog or if another emergency arises. We also collect up to 2 emergency contacts for each client so we know who to contact in the event that the you cannot be reached in an emergency. We have every dog’s vet information on file. If the dog is in a life-threatening situation we would transport him to his vet or to Friendship Hospital for Animals (whichever were closer) and would continue to call the owners until they were reached.

Have a question we haven't provided an answer for? Please email us.