FAQ's and How we Operate
Here at Parkpups, we pride ourselves on our above-and-beyond services and preventative methodology. Our dropoff and pickup times are completely flexible, we offer last minute bookings and can tailor our services to you and your dogs' needs. Here are some of our frequently asked questions!
Q: Can I tour the premises before my booking?
A: YES, absolutely! We require you and your pup to come over for a 1 hour 'Meet and Greet' before your first booking. This will give you a chance to get to know the sitter, view the house your dog will be staying in and give your dog a chance to meet our sitter's dogs, Roxy & Puzzle!
Q: Why do I have to fill out paperwork for my first booking?
A: We require all new clients to fill out our initial booking form. This provides us with all necessary information to take great care of your dog. It also allows us to screen all new clients to make sure all dogs are up to date on their vaccines and desexed to reduce the risk of spreading preventable diseases. We know that filling out paperwork can be annoying, but it is a necessary part of utilising our services and we thank you for your cooperation and understanding.
Q: Why do I have to provide proof of my dog's C5 vaccination and desexing?
A: You MUST provide proof of an up to date C5 vaccine as this allows us to prevent the spread of illness between our daycare dogs as well as our sitter's personal dogs. A desexing certificate is required because as per state law, all dogs must be desexed by six months old unless you have obtained a letter of exemption from a veterinarian or you are a registered breeder. We will require you to show evidence of an exemption or breeder registration prior to the booking. We will under no circumstances board two entire dogs of the opposite sex at any time, even if they are from the same household.
Q: Why isn't a C3 vaccine accepted?
A C3 vaccine does not cover Canine Cough (formerly called kennel cough), which is the number one illness spread through dog daycares, boarding kennels and dog parks. A C5 vaccine is required by the majority of dog daycare and boarding services country-wide, as well as all dog parks.
Q: How do I make a payment?
A: Payments are made via Bank Transfer or Pay ID prior to the commencement of the booking.
Q: What is the cost of the services?
A: The cost of our services can be found on our "Our Services" page. We may adjust prices at any time, however this does not affect bookings that are already confirmed, even if they are not paid yet.
Q: What happens if my dog does not get along with the sitter's dogs at the Meet and Greet?
A: We understand that not all dogs are going to get along. If your dog does not get along with our sitters dogs for any reason, we will either work around the problem if possible, or you may be asked to remove your dog from the premises and to seek out a different sitter. Please understand that this is for the safety of the dogs, as that is our number one priority.
Q: What is the refund policy if I need to cancel my booking?
A: Current refund policies can be found in our Terms and Conditions. Refund policies may change over time, so please keep yourself familiar with our Terms and Conditions.
Q: What happens if my dog needs veterinary or medical attention while in the sitter's care?
A: If your dog requires medical attention whilst in our sitter's care, we will do our best to transport them to the closest vet clinic. Please note that our sitter does NOT drive, but will do her best to ensure your dog receives medical care ASAP. We do have a dog First AID kit on hand at all times which we can use for minor injuries. A home callout vet will be contacted if we cannot transport your dog to a vet clinic. Our sitter is Pet First AID qualified through Red Cross and has undertaken additional FirstAID training through TAFE SA as part of her Cert II and Cert III qualifications.
IMPORTANT: As per our Terms and Conditions, owners are responsible for ALL veterinary costs associated with their dog whilst in the sitter's care. Owners are also responsible for any veterinary costs associated with their dog injuring the sitters personal dogs, Roxy & Puzzle. However, the sitter is responsible for any veterinary costs associated with her personal dogs Roxy & Puzzle, causing injury to the owner's dog. The owner is also responsible for any costs associated with their dog injuring another client dog during their stay. Although this has never happened and is extremely unlikely to occur with our preventative philosophy, it is important to know this information for emergencies and accidents.
Q: What happens if my dog escapes the sitter's yard or house?
A: We have measures in place to make sure the possibility of this is as low as possible. Our yard is securely fenced and we have a baby gate in the house to ensure that the dogs cannot run out the front door if someone is entering or exiting the house. The dogs are never beyond the baby gate unless they are with someone and secured with a collar or harness and a leash. If you have any concerns about your dog escaping, please bring them up at the Meet and Greet.
Q: How will my dog be secured during car travel?
A: If we need to transport client dogs to and from any location via car (usually driven by our sitter's partner, Fred), dogs will either be secured in the back seat with an appropriate seatbelt clip made for dogs, or they will travel inside of our specially made dog trailer! We very highly recommend leaving a harness with the sitter during your dog's stay as these are much safer to clip the dogs into the car than a collar. Both of these options are completely legal but a harness is definitely preferred (especially a crash tested harness). The sitter does have extra harnesses and collars on hand but for the more odd shaped dogs, these may not fit appropriately.
Q: Who pays for any damage that my dog causes while in the sitter's care?
A: In the event that your dog causes damage to the property or anyones' belongings despite reasonable attempts by the sitter to "dog proof" the house, it is the client's responsibility to cover any costs associated with repair or replacement. We spend the vast majority of the day exercising and enriching the dogs, managing them in such a way that minimises the risk of damage as much as possible. However, dogs will be dogs so the risk is always there.
Q: What insurance coverage does the sitter have?
A: Parkpups is covered by standard Public Liability Insurance as of November 3rd 2023 with the insurance company Bizcover, through Pet Professionals. Please note that our insurance does not cover vet bills! It is up to the individual dog owner to ensure that their pet is covered by their personal pet insurance. We cannot take out pet insurance for other peoples dogs, even if they are our clients.
Q: Do I get updates during my dog's stay?
A: Most certainly!! We provide owners with photo and video updates of their dogs stay throughout its duration. Updates will also be regularly posted to our Instagram account!
Q: Can I still bring my dog if they are unwell?
A: We ask that if your dog becomes unwell in any way, that you refrain from continuing with the booking. This is to ensure the safety of our other client dogs as well as our sitter's personal dogs. In the event that any dog in our care shows signs of being unwell, the owner or emergency contact will be called and asked to come and pick their dog up as soon as possible. In the event that an unwell dog has been on the premises, we will disinfect the entire house with a dog-safe veterinary-grade disinfectant (F10). We may also cancel upcoming bookings if we believe the risk of spreading illness is too great. If payments have already been made for any cancelled upcoming bookings due to fear of spreading illness, we can either refund in full or reschedule the booking for an alternate date. For bookings where the dog has become unwell in our care, the remaining cost of the booking will be refunded minus the days that the dog has stayed with us.
Q: How do you handle dogs that misbehave?
Parkpups works on preventative measures to minimise the likelihood of dogs 'misbehaving'. No dog truly misbehaves, as all behaviours that a dog exhibits are completely natural. There is a reason behind every behaviour, and we work with the dog to address the underlying cause of the behaviour rather than punishing the behaviour itself (which does not provide long lasting results or support a healthy relationship with the dog). By providing our dogs with plenty of breed-specific exercise, enrichment, brain games and training sessions, we find a massive reduction in dogs 'misbehaving'.
Q: How do you break up dog fights?
A: Again, Parkpups works on a preventative basis. We prefer to group dogs of similar size and most importantly, energy levels, to ensure the risk of a fight is minimal. We supervise all play and give plenty of breaks for dogs to rest and recharge. We watch for any body language that would suggest that someone is getting tired of playing so that we can end the play session before any tensions rise. For dogs that show any signs of resource guarding, we remove the resource immediately. Mealtimes are held in separate rooms to ensure no one fights over food.
In the unlikely event that dogs do start to fight, the first thing to do is yell, and yell loud. We always attempt to get the dogs attention first and foremost, and reward them if they stop. The next step is a handstand pull-apart. The aggressor will be grabbed at the hips, lifted into a handstand position and backed away rapidly from the other dog. Unlike the 'wheelbarrow method' where this is done by lifting the dog by their feet, the handstand method when done correctly, will ensure that the aggressor cannot redirect a bite onto the person separating them. The handstand method is also much safer for the dogs as it minimises the risk of injury.
After the dogs have been safely separated, owners will be notified immediately and the dogs will be given time to cool down, have some water and relax. Depending on the severity of the fight and the cause, the dogs may have another chance to play together later in the day or they may be separated for the remainder of the stay. If the sitter deems a dog to be a bite risk to herself or anyone else, she may choose to muzzle the aggressor using a basket muzzle until the owner can be contacted. We thankfully have never had to utilise these methods at Parkpups, due to our preventative methodology.