Policies & Procedures

Client / Pet Owner will be required to sign and agree to the following before beginning service with Equinox Pets; hereafter referred to as EP.

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1. Liability Policies

•  EP and its representatives agree to provide services in a reliable and trustworthy manner. In consideration of these services and as an express condition thereof, the client expressly waives all claims against EP or its representatives unless arising from gross negligence on the part of EP.

•  EP shall not be held liable for pets that bite, suffer accidental death, or escape due to faulty fencing or from inside the home due to faulty windows, screens, doors, or the use of pet doors.

•  EP or its representatives shall not be held responsible for the loss, injury, death, or actions of any pet that the client has left outside. It is against EP policy to leave any non-farm type animal outside while the pet owner is away.

•  EP is legally and morally obligated to report any suspicion of animal abuse or neglect to the proper authorities and seek medical attention if there is a threat of loss of life, blindness, loss of limb, or any other medical emergency.

•  EP is more than happy to water indoor plants and small gardens, however we are not professionally trained in the care of plants, so cannot be held liable should your plants fail to thrive, droop, or die. If you have extremely rare or valuable plants, EP recommends hiring a professional that is trained in plant care to tend to your plants while you travel.

 

2. Scared/Shy/Aggressive Pets:

• EP cannot be liable for the health or welfare of any pet that remains in hiding for the duration of the visit.

• EP will, to the best of their ability, attempt to locate the pet and assess its condition.

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3. Payment Arrangement:

• All visits require a minimum non-refundable deposit of 25% of the total invoice and must be submitted within 48 hours of scheduling to confirm your booking. Deposits are credited towards the invoice.

• All visits that include holidays (see ‘holidays’ below), require a minimum non-refundable deposit of 30% of the total invoice and must be submitted within 48 hours of scheduling to confirm your booking. Deposits are credited towards the invoice.

• Any remaining balance for holiday services must be paid in full 7 days prior to the first visit.

• Payments for non-holiday drop-in services, boarding or vacation sit services do not require a deposit but are due 1 day before the first scheduled visit.

• Any Board & Train invoices must be paid in full before the service can be started. If there are multiple Board & Train services scheduled back to back invoices still need to be paid in full but payment arrangements may be made.

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4. Cancellation / Early Return Policy

• Account credit, minus any deposits, for paid balances will be applied to your account to use at a future date if services are cancelled within the cancellation period. No credit will be offered if cancellation is not received before the due date. (See payment arrangement above in section 3.)

• No credit is given for early return. These dates and times were reserved specifically for you.

• All available credits must be used within 12 months, if they are not used, they will expire and no longer be available.

• EP does not offer refunds, only account credit except as mentioned below in section 5, Scheduling.

       Walks & Trainings must be canceled or rescheduled within an 8hr time limit. If not, you will still be charged

​Holiday Fees: Holiday Fees: There is a 50% increase in our fees for all services on the following days.

• New Year's Eve and New Year's Day

• Easter Weekend (Friday through Sunday)

• Memorial Day Weekend (Fri-Mon)

• Independence Day (July 4th)

• Labor Day Weekend (Fri-Mon)

• Thanksgiving (Eve and Day)

• Christmas (Dec 24- Dec 25)

 

5. Scheduling:

• Any requests made 90 days or more in advance are tentative only; EP reserves the right to cancel any arrangements prior to the 90-day period preceding the arrangement for a full refund of fees paid.
   

6. Business Hours:

• Office telephone hours fall between the hours of 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Phones are not answered on Sunday- however we perform visits and trainings 7 days a week. We strongly suggest leaving a text or email if you have an immediate need.
   

7. Keys / Lockboxes:

• EP prefers clients to provide a lockbox with key even if coded entry such as door lock codes or garage entry codes are used in the event electronic methods fail.
   

8. Home surveillance policy:

• EP understands and appreciates the use of video and audio surveillance in the average home. Surveillance in or that has view of any bathrooms or bedrooms that EP and its representatives have been granted permission to use, is unlawful and will result in immediate and permanent termination of services if these devices are not disabled during our stay.

• If you have an extremely shy pet that we cannot locate and we notice lack of food or water consumption, no litter usage, or damage to windows or doors, we may ask you to check your cameras or ask if we can temporarily place our own to verify that your pet is coming out and behaving normally between our visits.
   

9. Inclement weather policy:

• EP always monitors weather conditions closely, especially during colder weather months.

• We will always attempt to reach your home if we can do so safely, but if this is not possible, we will contact a neighbor you have designated and ask them to check on pets. We do not like to skip a visit but if we cannot visit safely, a visit may be skipped. Therefore, it is imperative to have a neighbor or someone else local we can call that you trust to visit in the event we cannot.

• We do plan for events in which we cannot safely drive to your home.

• We will place extra water and food down for pets, drip one faucet in a single-story home, or 2 faucets in a multiple-story home.

• If your pet is on a strict medication routine that cannot be skipped, please discuss with us how you would like us to handle this situation before it becomes an emergency, such as taking your pet to your vet or a friend for overnight care.

• EP watches the weather daily when it comes to walks with your dogs. With that said there will be days when it may be too cold or too hot for both your dog’s safety and the walker’s safety too. Generally, when the temperatures get to around 90F and 32F walks will be kept to just 15min short potty walks and the remaining time just inside activities.

• If the dog has a backyard EP will keep potty time to the backyard instead of a walk for safety of the paws. We are aware that some breeds thrive in these different temperatures and won’t change anything for them!