Frequently Asked Questions
1. What suburbs do you service?
2. Are you insured?
3. Do you have a police clearance?
4. Will you walk my dog in bad weather?
5. How many dogs do you walk at once?
6. Can I choose what time you visit or walk my dog?
7. Can you administer medicine to my pet?
8. How early do I need to book?
9. Do you need a copy of my house keys?
10. What happens in an emergency?
11. How can I help you care for my pets?
12. How and when do I pay?
1. What suburbs do you service?
Based in Nedlands, we primarily service the Western and Inner suburbs. Our preferred range is North of Canning River and South of Scarborough, and as far East as Kewdale to the South or Inglewood to the North. See the map above for our range.
If you live a little outside this range it may still be worthwhile contacting us: If our daily rounds already take us in your direction, or you're in an easy-to-get-to location we may still be able to accommodate your needs at no extra cost. And no matter how far away you live, if you are willing to cover the cost of the extra travel (expect about $1/km beyond our preferred area, per visit, negotiable) we will be happy to come to you. If you live to the North of our range, there is a good chance that Perth Pet Pals will service your area.
2. Are you insured?
Yes. We have $5 million public liability insurance which covers your pet's health and life, your property and your keys, as well as any third party liability resulting directly from us working with your pets and around your property.
3. Do you have a police clearance?
Yes. All Critters staff have a police clearance issued within the last 12 months and are happy to provide you with a photocopy of the document.
4. Will you walk my dog in bad weather?
We are happy to walk your dog in any weather conditions that are not hazardous to either your dog's or our own health (generally 40+ degree days or extreme storms). Some clients prefer that their dog isn't walked in certain milder weather conditions, either because they won't enjoy it or they will come to expect it; we will discuss your preferences during the initial consult.
5. How many dogs do you walk at once?
Our insurance covers us to walk up to two dogs at a time, provided they are from a single household. We will never take the unnecessary risk of attempting to walk too many dogs at once. If your two dogs walk well together we are happy to walk them at the same time, but if we consider this dangerous we will discuss alternative solutions with you.
6. Can I choose what time you visit or walk my dog?
You can choose to have a morning or afternoon/evening visit or walk. You can also tell us your preferred time and we will endeavour to accommodate it, but we cannot guarantee that we will be available at that time; we will let you know approximately what time we will be visiting if it does not match your preferred time.
If you have a good reason for us to visit at a specific time, such as to administer medications to your pets, we will make it a priority to meet that time.
7. Can you administer medicine to my pet?
Yes. If anything tricky (such as injections) is involved we appreciate you demonstrating this to us, if possible, at the initial consult to decrease the risk of an error on our part. We are happy to schedule the initial consult at a time that you would normally administer the medicine.
If you have a pet that requires medicine at a specific time, we prioritise the timing of the visit. There is no extra charge for administering medicine, unless it is a lengthy, complicated procedure.
8. How early do I need to book?
This really does depend. The earlier you book the higher the chance that we will be available, and the longer you will have to find an alternative if we are not. We recommend contacting us the same day you find out that you will need us. That said, if we are available we will not refuse last minute bookings.
9. Do you need a copy of my house keys?
This depends on your situation. If your pet and everything we will need is outside, and your gate is not locked, we won't need a key. If your pet or anything we will need (such as food kept in an indoor fridge) is behind a lock then yes, we will need a key. We prefer that your pet cannot access anywhere that we cannot, as this could be devastating in an emergency. If we need keys, it is easiest if you have these ready at the initial consult; alternatively you can hide them somewhere on your property or leave them with a neighbour. We may need to charge a small extra fee for an extra trip to pick up keys. We can drop the keys back off to you once you're home, leave them inside after our last visit (if we are confident you will be home) or hide them somewhere for you. In the case of an ongoing booking, we are happy to keep a set of keys if convenient.
We keep your keys as safe as our own and well away from any identifying information.
If you are going away, we recommend also providing a set of keys to a trusted friend or family member who lives nearby, so that they will also have access to your house in an emergency.
10. What happens in an emergency?
Before you go away we get as many contact details off you as needed to maximise the chance we will be able to get a hold of you at any time. We also get your preferred vet's details and discuss with you maximum expenditure in the event that we can't contact you. If you expect to be uncontactable at any time, it is also worthwhile giving us details of an emergency contact person who lives nearby.
In emergencies we use our best judgement to handle the situation and attempt to contact you or your emergency contact. We charge minimally for time spent on unforeseen circumstances, but some costs may be involved.
If we have a "personal emergency" your pets will NOT be neglected. We have backup plans to suit any event, and are happy to discuss these with you if you are concerned.
11. How can I help you care for my pets?
- Tell us everything you can think of about your pet's medical history and any behavioural issues
- Make sure there is plenty of food and other consumables stocked up before you go away (we carry emergency supplies of cat and dog food, but it is low quality and we may charge you if we need to go to the shops for other supplies)
- Make sure all the equipment we will need is somewhere we can find it (including leads, brushes, treats, cat litter, measuring cup for food etc)
- Tell your neighbours we will be visiting your house so they don't think we are burglars, and also so they watch out for burglars while we aren't there.
- Call us asap if you have forgotten something or there are changes in circumstance affecting our services.
12. How and when do I pay?
Critters' prefered payment methods are cash and bank deposit, and we can supply our bank details upon request. We also accept cheque if convenient for you.
If you wish to pay via credit card, we accept PayPal, however please add 2.5% to your fee to cover PayPal charges. To pay via PayPal now, click the button below.
We request that all payments are finalised not later than one week following the final services, in the case of discrete bookings, or two weeks following each service, in the case of on-going bookings. Payment can be made any time in advance, and for bookings valued over $100 doing so will result in a 10% discount. Cancellation fees for services cancelled within 48 hours are to be paid in the same time frame that the booked service was to be paid.