Frequently Asked Questions
About Making a Booking
We will do our best to help you when you are caught out at short notice. However, we would need you to work with us to make this happen. The things you can do to help us are to register online, add your dog’s details, add your booking and sign our online terms and conditions. On bookings that are starting in less than 6 business days we do require full payment at the time of making the booking. Once we’ve found the right minder you will need to visit the minder with your dog a.s.a.p.
When you add a booking you will be asked to pay a two-day deposit so be sure you are absolutely certain that you are ready to proceed. After you submit your booking your local Dog Care Manager will contact you to discuss your dog's needs. If you have paid the deposit we will then commence our search for a lovely minder for your dog. If we can’t find a minder with whom you are totally happy, within the travel time that you specified, we will refund your deposit. However, if you cancel for any reason, your deposit will be your cancellation fee.
Visit our Fees page to see the fees for your area.
When you pay your deposit we invest a considerable amount of time looking for the best minder for your dog. We sometimes need to call several minders to see who is available. Because of this your deposit is non-refundable. However, if we can’t find a minder that you’re happy with we will refund your deposit in full. Please read the section on cancellations on our services page.
Of course, however do let us know as soon as possible as it may mean that the minder we have found for you is not available for those dates. We would then need to work quickly to organise another minder.
We have a variety of dog minders ranging from retired people to families with children. We use the information you give us at the time of booking to select the right minder for your dog. Our minders all mind dogs for the love of dogs and not for the money. Read about how much our minders love minding dogs for “Don’t Fret Pet!”.
Absolutely, it is essential that you meet the minder. That way you can go away feeling totally comfortable that your dog will be in good hands. It is also important for the minder to meet your dog so that they can be sure that he/she will fit in with their household. There is an even more important reason to meet in advance. It is so that, when you drop your dog off, they are not going to a totally strange place. They will be happier going to a place they have visited before and staying with people they have met before.
Our minders are all carefully-screened and fully-supported by us so they are not on their own. The benefit of this is that, should they have a personal emergency, we have backups available.
All minders must have experience with dogs and, of course, love them! You will meet the minder in their home beforehand enabling you to make your own assessment. Most importantly, if we wouldn’t leave our own dogs with the minder then we don’t take them on board.
As we have been operating since 1993 we have a great team of minders. This means that we can probably offer you an alternative minder. If we can’t find a minder to suit your dog then we will refund your deposit.
Yes, we believe that it is important for them to be together as that will help them to settle in with the minder.
Our minders are very flexible about drop-off and pick-up times. This often means that you can leave your best friend for one day less than you would need to in a dog kennel. However, it is best to deliver your dog during daylight hours so that they have time to settle in before bedtime. We do ask that you do arrive during sociable hours unless previously agreed with your minder. We also ask that you respect their time by calling them if you are going to be more than 15 minutes either side of the agreed drop-off or pick-up time.
You are welcome to sms, phone or email the minder to see how your dog is settling in. We just ask that, if you do sms or phone, you do so at a reasonable hour.
We know how important it is for dogs to have a similar environment as at home. So, if your dog sleeps inside, he/she will definitely sleep inside when staying with our minder. Some dogs even get to sleep on the bed!
You send along the food that your dog usually eats at home. This will prevent an upset tummy due to a sudden change of diet. Another important item is your dog’s bedding so that he/she has something familiar from home. It may also be a good idea to include an old t-shirt that you have worn the day before. This will ensure that he/she has your familiar smell around. His/her bowls, lead and favourite toys should be packed as well.
We will take your pet to his/her regular vet. In the case of an emergency we will take him/her to the nearest vet. We will, of course, keep you up to date.
When our minder walks your dog they will keep him/her on a lead at all times. They also attach a tag with a unique id and a 1300 number to your dog’s collar from the moment they arrive until they leave to go home with you. The 1300 number is manned 24/7.
Go to our Online Booking Form and complete the form. After you submit your booking your local Dog Care Manager will contact you to discuss your dog's needs.
You can pay either online or over the phone with your credit card (Mastercard or Visa). All credit card payments are processed via eWay which is a secure and reliable online payment gateway.
Alternatively, you can transfer payment into our account via online transfer or over the counter at a bank.
In order for us to hold your dog’s fabulous minder for you we need payment 14 days prior to the commencement of your booking.
Have look at our minder information page on this site and then contact us if you would like to proceed.