Sophie: 07808648784     Heather : 07784626598

Frequently asked questions

How do we book in with you?
Fill in our booking enquiry form online, once we receive it we will contact you to organise an induction so that we can meet you and your animal, we can fill in your important information onto our secure system, and you can meet the staff who will be looking after your pet too. (These will be online via zoom.)
Once the induction is complete you will receive a welcome email, which will give you your login for our booking system and allow you to book in your walks or visits with us. It will also give you access to some handouts and resources.

How does the booking system work?
You will have your own login to our booking system, you need to go to our website and the client log in area at the top right, and from there you can book in your pet’s walks or visits. You can book several months in advance, or just a week at a time. There is a shut off for booking each Thursday at midnight for the next week to enable us to put rotas together. Each week before Thursday you if you will receive an automatic email just to remind you to get your pet booked in. If you need to book in last minute after the system closes please call us, we try to be as flexible as possible and might be able to squeeze you in!
You can log in and change future dates (but not the current ones or next week, email or text/call to let us know if you need to change these days)
If you need to cancel last minute there is a cancellation fee if done after 5pm on the friday the week before, just email, text, or call us to let us know.

How and when do I pay?
At the end of each month you will receive an invoice via email, it will detail all the services you have had that month, and has banking information to allow you to pay via bank transfer- we also accept cheque. Payment should be made within 7 days of invoice.
For grooming services we send invoices at the start of the week before your appointment, payment should be made within 7 days of the invoice.

What happens at the induction?
The induction is a chance for you to meet us, ask any questions, and get to know the people looking after your pets. It’s also so that we can meet your pet too! During the induction we will take down some basic info about you, and your pet (contact details, registered vet, DOB etc) we will also take down information on the more practical things, such as where a lead is kept, where a litter tray is, what your pet likes or dislikes, what quirks do they have and any medical issues or allergies they have. All of this information is stored on our secure system in something we call your ‘Pet Passport’. This ensures we have all the important information about you and your pet in once place for our staff to access at any time to remind them. It is only accessible to staff who look after your pet, and our management team. We keep our passports updated too, so if something changes with your dog (for example a new medical issue) lets us know about any changes and we update the passports and let the team know.

Are you insured?
Yes, we are insured with Cliverton, a specialist pet business insurer.
Our insurance covers public liability (up to 5million pounds), care custody and control, employed liability, transport of animals, and covers all of our activities (training etc). Our vans have fleet business insurance too, so you can rest assured that we have everything covered.

What do you do in an emergency?
We have protocols in place for all of our staff should anything go wrong. Their first port of call is to ring our team manager and let them know what the situation is. Our manager will then take action, whether that is getting nearby staff to come help, calling owners to let them know of an injury or missing dog, calling mechanics to help with van issues. We have 20 years of experience, so there aren’t many situations that we haven’t already dealt with at some point, so we have solid protocols in place for everyone to follow to resolve them quickly and safely.
All of our staff are pet first aid trained, and carry a pet first aid kit with them. If it is a medical issue with your animal we will always call you straight away and discuss if you would like us to take them to the vets, or bring them home for you to take them. In the rare case of an emergency life threatening medical issue we will call you while already on our way to the nearest vets.

What happens if staff fall ill or are on holiday?
At your induction you will meet several of our dog walking and pet care team, this means we can be flexible with who is looking after your pet. If we have new team members start who cover your area we will contact you to see if you would like to meet them, or are happy for them to look after your pet without you meeting first. We would email you about anyone new coming to your property before they arrive.

How do you access my house if I am not in?
If you will be out when we come to pick up your dog, or do pet visits we will need to take a key from you. We are insured to hold customers keys in case of loss. Keys are kept by the staff members who will be visiting your home. Keys are kept in safes and they are all given a tag with a coding system, this means it cannot be linked to your address. Some customers chose to have a key safe instead to hold their keys and give us a code, just let us know at the induction.

My dog has not been neutered, is this a problem?
No, as long as your male dog is social with others, he will be fine. With non-neutered females we cannot take them out when they are in season as it will be unfair to the male dogs in the group, and obviously a risk for her too, we recommend they have 3 weeks away from any group walks during their season. We may be able to cover these days with visits instead.

Does my dog need to wear an ID tag?
Yes, it is a legal requirement for all dogs to have an ID Tag. We will not be able to take your dog out without an ID tag on their collar or harness. It is also a legal requirement to have your dog microchipped.
We always put an extra collar on your dog, a lovely yellow one to match us, with our name and phone number on for our insurance purposes.

Are staff police checked?
Yes, all of our staff are DBS checked by us before starting work. We also put all staff through a rigorous 10 days of training (regardless of any previous experience) so that they know our policies and procedures and the high standards we work to.

Do you offer evening and weekend walks?
No, we only do pet visits on weekends (cat and small animal visits while owners are away). Our dog walks are usually between 9am and 4pm Monday to Friday.

How many dogs are walked together at one time?
We are insured to walk up to six dogs at a time on our group walks. This is the maximum amount we will walk together (even if two staff bump into each other, they can only walk together if there are less than six dogs total).
We feel that this is a safe amount allowing us to keep control of everyone, give all dogs attention, and maintain a happy calm group.

How long do the walks last?
Our group walks are all one hour long, from leaving the van at the walk location. Your dog might be out of the house for several hours though as we will pick up to six dogs and travel to a walking location (as well as time washing and drying muddy paws and legs!)
Our 30 minute dog visits, and puppy visits are 30 minutes from us arriving at your property to leaving again, and our cat/small animal visits are 15 minutes.

Are your vans equipped for dogs?
Yes! Our vans all have crates to safely transport your dogs. We have a mixture of different sized crates to cater to everything from Chihuahuas to Great Danes!
Our vans also all have an electric fan to keep dogs cool, or let moisture out when dogs are soggy!
We have cooling mats for the summer, and each crate has fluffy vet bed in to keep them comfortable and cosy. All of our vans have dash cameras and a full tracking system so that we know where everyone is, and can get to them quickly in case of emergency.

Where do you walk the dogs?
We always walk in areas we know are secure and safe for group walks. We have a range of places we walk, all of which you’ll find on our map on the where we walk page.

What areas do you cover?
We cover all of Bath including Bathampton, Batheaston, Bathford, Weston, Newbridge, Twerton, Odd Down, Larkhall, Bathwick and surrounding in Bath.

What services do you offer?
A full list of our services and information about each service can be found on our services page, but they include dog walking, pet visits for small pets, one to one dog training, one to one puppy training, puppy classes, puppy playschool, pet taxi, and dog grooming. Our director and founder is also a qualified clinical animal behaviourist taking on behavioural consults via Heather Thomas Behavioural Consultant and Business coach.

Does it matter what size my dog is?
No, we walk a huge range of breeds, from Chihuahuas to Great Danes, and everything in-between. We match the dogs up so they benefit both mentally, physically and emotionally from the company of others.

What do you do if it is wet and muddy?
All of our team have electric showers in their vans to rinse the dogs down, and have a supply of towels too. We try our hardest to make sure your dog is clean dry when we drop them home. It helps us out hugely if you have a hose pipe outside we can use, and if you leave us a towel to do a second drying with.
We walk in all weather, and have only had to close due to snow once in 15 years! (Due to dangerous driving conditions), so you can rest assured that we will come whatever the weather.

Do you give treats?
All of our team are very highly trained in animal behaviour and know how to best use positive reinforcement, and plenty of treats! Using treats is an essential tool to create a great bond with the dogs; they can also be used to distract and calm dogs, and to train recall. We will ask your permission to give your dog treats, and check for any allergies at the initial induction.

Do you allow the dogs to be walked off lead?
Yes, but only if it is safe to do so with your dog, and if you are happy for us to. At your induction we will ask you for permission to let them off lead, so if you don’t want us to we will not. If you do allow us to let them off lead we usually will keep them on for the first few times we walk them, or use a long line, until they are used to us and we trust their recall will be good. Each dog is an individual, and if you change your mind about letting them off lead, or we think they are no longer safe to let off we will adapt how we walk them.