Frequently Asked Questions

Cancellation Policy

CANCELLATION POLICY FOR DOG WALKING:

Notify us before 4PM of the previous day of cancelled visits: full refund will be given to clients.
Notify us after 4PM no refund given to client; full reservation fee will be charged to client.

CANCELLATION POLICY FOR HAPPINESS PROGRAM:

Client receives credit for 2 cancellations/ month when requested before 4PM the day prior. There is no roll over option. Charge will remain for additional cancellations. We do not schedule walks on specific holidays unless requested.

CANCELLATION POLICY FOR PET SITTING: (INCLUDING CAT SITTING)

Notify us before 4PM prior to pet sitting start date: full refund will be given to clients. (example, if you request cat sitting for April 4-10, any cancellations for a refund need to me made before 4PM, April 3rd).
Notify us after 4PM no refund given to client; full reservation fee will be charged to client.

CANCELLATION POLICY FOR DOG WALKING AND PET SITTING OVER MAJOR NATIONAL HOLIDAYS:

Notify us 7 full days prior to Holiday Period start date: full refund will be given to clients.
Notify us 6 full days or less prior to Holiday Period start date: no refund given to client; full reservation fee will be charged to client

Rates

WHERE CAN I FIND A BREAKDOWN OF YOUR RATES?

You can find a complete list of all our different services and their rates here….

RATES

ARE THERE DIFFERENT RATES FOR WEEKENDS / MORNING AND EVENINGS?

Yes, there is a $5 surcharge per visit during mornings before 9:30am, evenings after 4:30pm and weekends.

HOW ARE YOUR RATES DETERMINED?

Our mission as a company is to provide pets with the best care possible, leading to happy people, happy pets and a happy planet.

To accomplish this, we hire intensely dedicated employees who’s temperament and lifestyle allows them to enjoy this type of work environment. Stephanie, the owner has a decade on hiring experience which is instrumental in finding the right people for our team.

Since our employees are not contractors, our payroll costs are higher. We deduce taxes, provide worker’s compensation benefits as well as PTO. As employees, we take into account current minimum wage, current wages in our field and travel time of around 15-30min in addition to the time spent with your pet.

IS THERE A MINIMUM NUMBER OF WALKS REQUIRED PER WEEK?

If you want to enroll in our Membership Program, we require a minimum of 3 walks / week on a recurring basis. Otherwise there is no limit. You can schedule services as you’d like on an as-needed basis. Please be advised however when requesting visits outside of our membership we cannot guarantee the same sitter. Also, requesting visits with less than 24-hour notice will incur a $5 added charge.

HOW DO I MAKE PAYMENTS?

We accept payments via our online portal Time to Pet. We take credit card and ACH payments. When onboarding as a client you will be prompted to add your payments credentials to your client account.

NEW CLIENTS

WHAT ARE THE STEPS FOR ON BOARDING NEW CLIENTS INTO YOUR SERVICE?

Once we have gotten a sense of what services you are looking for, we send you our welcoming materials to get you started with us.

This includes your client login to our online portal and our service agreement which you can read and accept upon registering with the client portal.

Within this email, we will schedule a video meeting with Stephanie the owner and set a in person meeting with your assigned sitter(s).

MY PET HAS BEEN AGGRESSIVE IN THE PAST, CAN WE STILL SIGN UP FOR SERVICES?

We understand some pup’s have troubled pasts, and we don’t want to leave any doggo out there with less love in its life if we can help it! On a case-by-case basis we will interview each household with a pet that has past aggression issues to see if they will be a suitable fit for our service.

It is important to note within our service agreement that should there be any medical injuries caused to the sitter by your pet resulting in any fees or bills, the client is responsible for these invoices as well.

WHY IS THERE A MEET & GREET?

This initial consultation (which is free) is the perfect opportunity for owner to see first-hand the sitter-dog/cat dynamic. Also in this meeting, the owner and/or sitter will perform the following tasks:

Introduce themselves to you and your pet,
Pick up keys,
Confirm pertinent information about you and your pet (contact info, your pet’s routine with feeding, accessories etc.)
Answer any additional questions you may have.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE LICENSED BONDED AND INSURED?

Licensed means that the city of Chicago acknowledges us as a valid business, allowing us to conduct business throughout the city limits.

To be bonded and insured is a way of ensuring our customers that should any negligent acts be committed by our staff that incurs damage to property of pet, becomes the responsibility of Chicago Urban Pets to replace or reimburse.

DO YOU REQUIRE A COPY OF KEYS TO MY UNIT AND BUILDING? IF SO, HOW MANY COPIES?

We do not require keys for those who live in a building with door staff that can allow our staff up into your unit.

If there is not a front desk, the preferred method of access is a lockbox left outside the building.

You are more than welcome to give us keys, we ask for two copies.

SERVICES

HOW FAR IN ADVANCE DO WE NEED TO CONTACT YOU FOR SERVICE?

We prefer a 48-hour notice when requesting last minute services. However, we can sometimes accommodate shorter notices still.

Please be advised however, anything requested with less than 24-hour notice will incur a $5 Last Minute Fee. Last minute requests are also not guaranteed to provide your preferred sitter.

DO YOU WORK ON HOLIDAYS?

There is not a day of the year Chicago Urban Pets does not provide loving care to many furry family members. We are open 365 days a year. Please note however, there is an additional $12 Holiday Fee incurred to all services falling on any major U.S. holiday.
The Holidays we charge extra for are:

Martin Luther King Jr. Day
President’s Day
Easter Weekend (Sat-Sun)
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Thanksgiving: Thu-Sun
Winter Holidays: Dec 24-Jan 01

CAN YOU STAY FULL-DAYS WITH MY PET IN MY HOME?

This is not a typical service we offer, but something we can accommodate.

A full day in-home stay during the hours of 8am-8pm are charged at our regular hourly rate. After those hours, the charge then becomes an overnight (12hr visit 8pm-8am).

DO YOU HAVE BOARDING FACILITIES?

We are not able in any way to take any pets for boarding, and none of our sitters provide a service of taking pets to their own homes.

HOW DO I SCHEDULE SERVICES?

You can schedule services through your client portal here.
As a new client you can send us an initial inquiry by choosing one of the following services…

CAT SIT

DOG WALK

OVERNIGHT

DURING THE VISIT

WILL MY PET RECEIVE INDIVIDUALIZED ATTENTION?

Of course! Chicago Urban Pets offers only private walks to each household thereby guaranteeing each pup and cat gets the completely undivided attention of their sitter.

DO YOU OFFER SERVICE FOR PETS OTHER THAN DOGS AND CATS?

We do! We take the care of every animal seriously and offer our services to those with mammals and non-mammals alike!

It is still the standard rate per 30-minute visits, and we cannot customize a visit to be shorter or adjust the rate. In the past we’ve cared for birds, rats, rabbits, turtles, and many more. For more information, please contact us with the form below or email us at admin@chicagourbannpets.com

CAN YOU ADMINISTER MEDICATION (INJECTIONS TOO)?

Chicago Urban Pet’s does not train their staff on how to administer medication. We are happy to do it if it’s an easy process. We do not administer injections.

HOW DOES YOUR SITTER DISCIPLINE MY DOG?

We practice positive reinforcement with all of our clients. However, we also do not want to undo any previous training you may have had with your dog.

Please feel free to instruct your sitter of any commands you may have taught your pup and gestures that may go along with them.

DO YOUR SITTERS EVER LET DOGS OFF THEIR LEASH?

We will only let your dog off leash if you have specifically requested it and in designed dog parks.

SITTERS

WHAT IS YOUR VETTING PROCESS FOR YOUR SITTERS?

When hiring sitters for Chicago Urban Pets we have a clear protocol that we follow.

We first communicate via email with the applicant to make sure they communicate clearly in the written form and respond in a timely manner.

Then we do a video interview with specific questions and if they sound good we will meet for an in person interview where we walk a dog together.

Last, we will call 2-3 professional references and then do a background check.

WILL I ALWAYS HAVE THE SAME SITTER?

When enrolling in our Happiness Program we will assign you a main sitter that will see your dog regularly.

If you are scheduling services for dog walking as a non-member or cat sitting, this is more difficult to guarantee. We can always introduce you to each sitter, but also know that each member of our team is vetted with a thorough background check and completes training for proper pet care.

WHO WILL BE BACK UP IF MY SITTER IS UNAVAILABLE?

If your regular sitter has scheduled time off or calls in sick, another sitter on our team will cover in the meanwhile.

We will guarantee that your pet will be taken care of. Anyone scheduled for your pet will have access to the routine notes via the portal.