We know you're going to have questions...
After all, we know you don't leave your pets with just anybody!
Q: How does it work?
A: Clients start with either a free introductory phone consultation with one of our admin staff, or a meet and greet consultation*. From there, you can create an account on our app, enter in all of your information, and book any appointment you need. You can let us know ALL about your pet in their pet profile, from their eating habits, to medications, to training specifications. It will be saved in your pet's permanent file, so we will have all of the information readily available 100% of the time. We arrive within a 2 hour time window, though we will always make our best effort to arrive in a timely manner. For example, if you book a noon appointment, your pet care extraordinaire will be there between 11am and 1pm. You can book any appointment you need, from leashed hikes, off leash hikes, yard let out visits, cat care visits, or training appointments. We have a lot of options, so we encourage you to contact us at 207-558-3218 if you need any advice on which appointment to book.
Q: I don't see an opening for an appointment I need today on the handlr calendar. What should I do?
We can always help last minute.
If you don't see an appointment you need, please click "request an appointment here" below the calendar. Choose your ideal date and time of the appointment. Once we receive your request, we'll confirm a time for you. We will always arrive within one hour of your scheduled time.
If it is a distant time in the future, please note we are absolutely and definitely available. It's simply that the computer can't compute an "autobooking" space to fit your appointment into, and it will require manual adjustment.
Have no fear! As soon as we've confirmed your appointment, you will see it appear on the date that you've requested.
We approve all requests within 1 business day. If you need something on shorter notice, feel free to give us a call!
The only exception is Christmas and Thanksgiving Day, where we have few last minute booking slots available.
Q: I don't really care what time my cat's appointment occurs during the day, as long as it is roughly 24 hours apart. How do I tell you that?
Please put in the note "Anytime is fine, as long as it is roughly 24 hours apart" and let us know any specifications in the note about the scheduling. Alternatively, please feel free to text us at 2075583218, call us, or message us on facebook.
Q: I have a scheduling question, and I keep messaging on handlr... but no one is answering me. How do I relay the information?
We always welcome feedback!
Handlr messaging is only to reach the pet care extraordinaires during the appointment. Otherwise, we don't get notifications about your messages to our admins (there are hundreds of messages every day, perhaps thousands!).
We would love to hear from you via facebook, texting, or calling 1-207-558-3218.
Q: Does Kara's Pet Care LLC do boarding?
We rarely do in-our-home boarding. Why? It's not because we don't want to spend 24/7 with your pet (Believe me, we do!), but because we find your pet is more comfortable inside their own home.
From years of working with pets in kennels or having pets over for in-home boarding, we can tell you, that your pet's world will be rocked by a change in environment. It broke our hearts to see your pets so stressed and out of their home environment. Even with our amazing pet sitters, we were seeing calm-demeanored pets with diarrhea, skipping meals, or showing behavior problems (marking, barking, whining, chewing) that their owners had not experienced.
We do not want to stress your pet while you are away!
In lieu of owner-centric "traditional" pet boarding, we offer visits and in home pet care. You will simply book visits as your pet needs, decide on mealtime visits, and describe exactly what you would like done for your pets in each of these visits. We come within an hour of the time you select, and you can book 24/7 on our app. Please be sure to fill in any details that you need. If you're more comfortable, our administrative staff is happy to speak with you at 207-558-3218 to discuss the details.
Q: Do you offer training classes?
We do in home dog training sessions for personalized one on one attention, then we integrate these skills into your pet's daily care visits.
We have a great referral list for dog sport & group classes, including:
Inspire K-9's Training Center LLC in Barnstead, NH run by Megan Arey & associated trainers,
Red Pointy Dog Training run by Louise Diagle & Jake based out of Strafford, NH,
or Canine Karma with Eden Zook and Sara Placy out of Deerfield, NH.
We are happy to refer you to other trusted professionals for dog sport classes, and advanced obedience classes after or in conjunction with our in-home sessions.
We will be hosting classes at the Canine Academy of Berwick in Berwick, ME starting in the Summer of 2020, when construction is complete on our facility.
Q: How do your dog walkers gain access to our home?
A majority of our clients use real estate lock boxes. Then, they enter the code into the handlr app, and put the lock box and key out for our staff as needed.
To keep the information permanently saved in your profile, please click "profile" then "edit pet" and enter your home entry information under each pet under "access information".
Other clients may leave garage codes, or any applicable notes, about how to enter to their home. ***
Q: Are you bonded and insured?
Absolutely. We are happy to provide a certificate of insurance to any client who would like to see it.
Q: I just had a pet care visit, and it was great. However, some minor details were missed and I'd really like to know how to correct that. How can I communicate this?
In Handlr, please click "profile" then "edit pet". You can update any details you need- from which plants to water, visit timing notes, etc. We also recommend entering any important details in capitals next to your pets name with stars to draw attention to it. For example "Macy *DIABETIC*" next to your pet's name will clearly indicate your pets highlighted medical condition. You can use this for a variety of important details. We check every pet's profile before every appointment, so updating this often is actually very helpful for us.
Alternatively, you can communicate by clicking on the chat bubble next to your pet's appointment. From there, you can have full on conversations with your pet care extraordinaire about your pet's care. Also, feel free to email us with any concerns at karaspetcareservice@gmail.com and/or call/text us at 1-207-558-3218.
Q: The app always asks us about tipping when the appointment is over. Is it standard to tip?
A: Many of our customers utilize the tip feature, but we want to stress that the app is made off of an uber-style app platform. Tipping is built into the program and absolutely not necessary, but definitely appreciated by our staff members.
Within the same function, you'll see stars where you can "rate" your dog walker for that visit. Our staff competes monthly for the highest percentage of 5 star ratings. We see all of your kind words, and really want to know your feedback regarding their visit. It makes our day to hear about your tired pup, see photos posted of how happy they are on facebook, and to know your feedback regarding our service.
Q: Who are your staff? What are their back rounds?
Our staff is a quality team of veterinary technicians, dog trainers, and dog training interns. A visit with Kara's Pet Care L.L.C. is an experience. When we check in, you'll get a photo of your pet ready to start their visit, and a GPS tracked check in that we have arrived. You can check in with your pet, and see photos of all of the fun they are having! When we leave, your pet will have a bowl of fresh water (unless you tell us otherwise), any treats you've provided, and any food you wanted fed. You'll receive a photo of it, so there is NEVER a question of what was or wasn't done.
Q: Why doesn't my dog see the same dog walker for every appointment?
We see pets within a scheduled 40 hours weekly. This ensures our staff is always well-rested, happy, and there to care for your pets. It also ensures our capability to hire educated, high level staff with a great quality of life.
(We are growing due to our excellent reputation. If you are interested in applying to be on our team, we encourage you to apply. Check out our recruiting page!)
Q: Are there any surcharges?
We are available 24/7 via our self service app, but our regular business hours are 7:00am-6pm Monday to Saturday. Outside of those hours, a $25 surcharge will be added to visits on major holidays, or outside of these hours. This ensures our staff is fairly compensated for caring for your pets outside of those hours, and a majority of the fee is paid directly to our pet sitters.**
Q: What do you consider major holidays?
Holiday fees apply to major holidays, such as Christmas Day, Christmas Eve Day, Thanksgiving Day, New Years Eve (4pm-midnight), Independence Day, and Memorial Day.
Q: Do you offer doggie daycare?
We do not offer standard dog daycare. Although it can work for some young dogs or well socialized dogs, we find it a very stressful environment for a majority of dogs we encounter.
For example, the "extreme extroverts" of the canine world. We find our small group hikes are a great match for individual attention.
We are opening a dayschool and daycare program (estimate start is 05-15-2020). The facility is called the Canine Academy of Berwick, and we will be accepting appications starting 5-01-2020. The academy is for well socialized dogs looking to refine their skills.
Q: What are your training methods?
Although we do not like to label our training methods, I would say we veer towards LIMA-style training.
This means our methods are "Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive". We find clicker-training or a marker word work well for communicating with our dogs which behaviors we are rewarding, and ignoring/redirecting for behaviors we would like to minimize--- to put our training methods very basically. We encourage your dog to express their emotions, so we can work to help them feel more comfortable with any stimuli they encounter.
In addition, for your young puppies or adolescents, we encourage training notes in your pet profiles so we can continue, in our care visits, the training you are working on at home. In fact, you can leave us notes with what you are working on (from decreasing jumping, to improving leash walking skills). Our staff is happy to work through this using methods free of coercion, or force. Managing the environment to prevent your pup from "failing" (in the human's eyes) is also a method we will use.
We utilize long leads on our off leash hiking program, and encourage you to have a 15-30 foot lead available for our hikes with your dog. This allows us to work with your pup as if they are off leash, with a safety in case they come across something unusual in the environment or an unexpected wildlife encounter. We encourage pet owners to utilize these philosophies in their daily life with their dog, and we are happy to book private training sessions.
With any species we work with (cats, birds, rabbits, etc), we do not force interaction. We feel the presence of a stranger is not always comfortable for many canine, feline, avian, lagomorph, etc friends, and we will honor their feelings in the matter!
All of our staff members are enrolled in an internal course with our dog trainers on staff from week one, and many of our staff members have external certifications (CPDT) or titles in dog sports. We have staff members who are CVT's (Certified Veterinary Technicians) also, in case your pet has medical needs.
Q: Do you work with medical needs pets? Are you comfortable giving subcutaneous fluids, insulin injections, medications, working with pets with medical conditions?
Absolutely, but in order to book your request with the right pet sitter, we highly recommend booking a technician visit.
Q: Can I book last minute appointments?
Appointments can be booked on the same day (...and up to an hour before the appointment if we have an opening available on handlr!)
Q: Is (insert staff member here) available for my pet's visit?
Pet care visits and hikes with specific staff members can be planned, yes!****
We, generally speaking, cannot guarantee booking last minute or 100% of regular visits with specific staff members. We follow laws set forth by the labor board, and our staff works up to 40 hours weekly with rotating days, weekends, & evenings. Additionally, they have paid time off, unplanned sick days, vacations, etc.
We appreciate your understanding in keeping our employee culture the best it can possibly be!
Q: How do I pay for your services?
A: We use a payment processor online, Braintree (a paypal service). When you create your profile, Handlr will ask you to put a card on file. Your data is secure and encrypted, and we don't even have access to your card number on file internally. With your card on file, you can book any appointments you need for the week, and Sunday through Saturday's appointments will be billed on the last day of the billing cycle, Saturday.
Courses (Puppy course, On-leash Running Course, Off Leash Course) and Overnight Pet Care are billed at the time of booking. Courses are only refundable with 48 hours notice.
* Meet and Greets in the clients home are typically 20 minutes to 1 hour. The travel fee is $25.
** Surcharge of $25 effect 4-01-2020.
*** If we are unable to gain access to the home because of a lack of information on home entry, the full cost of the visit will be incurred. You will be notified via Handlr message immediately. We will contact a locksmith if we need to gain access for a medical needs pet, or if the owner is out of town. We would, in that case, bill the cost to the card on file.
****Visits specific staff may incur an additional charge, based on their experience and specialty skills.
After all, we know you don't leave your pets with just anybody!
Q: How does it work?
A: Clients start with either a free introductory phone consultation with one of our admin staff, or a meet and greet consultation*. From there, you can create an account on our app, enter in all of your information, and book any appointment you need. You can let us know ALL about your pet in their pet profile, from their eating habits, to medications, to training specifications. It will be saved in your pet's permanent file, so we will have all of the information readily available 100% of the time. We arrive within a 2 hour time window, though we will always make our best effort to arrive in a timely manner. For example, if you book a noon appointment, your pet care extraordinaire will be there between 11am and 1pm. You can book any appointment you need, from leashed hikes, off leash hikes, yard let out visits, cat care visits, or training appointments. We have a lot of options, so we encourage you to contact us at 207-558-3218 if you need any advice on which appointment to book.
Q: I don't see an opening for an appointment I need today on the handlr calendar. What should I do?
We can always help last minute.
If you don't see an appointment you need, please click "request an appointment here" below the calendar. Choose your ideal date and time of the appointment. Once we receive your request, we'll confirm a time for you. We will always arrive within one hour of your scheduled time.
If it is a distant time in the future, please note we are absolutely and definitely available. It's simply that the computer can't compute an "autobooking" space to fit your appointment into, and it will require manual adjustment.
Have no fear! As soon as we've confirmed your appointment, you will see it appear on the date that you've requested.
We approve all requests within 1 business day. If you need something on shorter notice, feel free to give us a call!
The only exception is Christmas and Thanksgiving Day, where we have few last minute booking slots available.
Q: I don't really care what time my cat's appointment occurs during the day, as long as it is roughly 24 hours apart. How do I tell you that?
Please put in the note "Anytime is fine, as long as it is roughly 24 hours apart" and let us know any specifications in the note about the scheduling. Alternatively, please feel free to text us at 2075583218, call us, or message us on facebook.
Q: I have a scheduling question, and I keep messaging on handlr... but no one is answering me. How do I relay the information?
We always welcome feedback!
Handlr messaging is only to reach the pet care extraordinaires during the appointment. Otherwise, we don't get notifications about your messages to our admins (there are hundreds of messages every day, perhaps thousands!).
We would love to hear from you via facebook, texting, or calling 1-207-558-3218.
Q: Does Kara's Pet Care LLC do boarding?
We rarely do in-our-home boarding. Why? It's not because we don't want to spend 24/7 with your pet (Believe me, we do!), but because we find your pet is more comfortable inside their own home.
From years of working with pets in kennels or having pets over for in-home boarding, we can tell you, that your pet's world will be rocked by a change in environment. It broke our hearts to see your pets so stressed and out of their home environment. Even with our amazing pet sitters, we were seeing calm-demeanored pets with diarrhea, skipping meals, or showing behavior problems (marking, barking, whining, chewing) that their owners had not experienced.
We do not want to stress your pet while you are away!
In lieu of owner-centric "traditional" pet boarding, we offer visits and in home pet care. You will simply book visits as your pet needs, decide on mealtime visits, and describe exactly what you would like done for your pets in each of these visits. We come within an hour of the time you select, and you can book 24/7 on our app. Please be sure to fill in any details that you need. If you're more comfortable, our administrative staff is happy to speak with you at 207-558-3218 to discuss the details.
Q: Do you offer training classes?
We do in home dog training sessions for personalized one on one attention, then we integrate these skills into your pet's daily care visits.
We have a great referral list for dog sport & group classes, including:
Inspire K-9's Training Center LLC in Barnstead, NH run by Megan Arey & associated trainers,
Red Pointy Dog Training run by Louise Diagle & Jake based out of Strafford, NH,
or Canine Karma with Eden Zook and Sara Placy out of Deerfield, NH.
We are happy to refer you to other trusted professionals for dog sport classes, and advanced obedience classes after or in conjunction with our in-home sessions.
We will be hosting classes at the Canine Academy of Berwick in Berwick, ME starting in the Summer of 2020, when construction is complete on our facility.
Q: How do your dog walkers gain access to our home?
A majority of our clients use real estate lock boxes. Then, they enter the code into the handlr app, and put the lock box and key out for our staff as needed.
To keep the information permanently saved in your profile, please click "profile" then "edit pet" and enter your home entry information under each pet under "access information".
Other clients may leave garage codes, or any applicable notes, about how to enter to their home. ***
Q: Are you bonded and insured?
Absolutely. We are happy to provide a certificate of insurance to any client who would like to see it.
Q: I just had a pet care visit, and it was great. However, some minor details were missed and I'd really like to know how to correct that. How can I communicate this?
In Handlr, please click "profile" then "edit pet". You can update any details you need- from which plants to water, visit timing notes, etc. We also recommend entering any important details in capitals next to your pets name with stars to draw attention to it. For example "Macy *DIABETIC*" next to your pet's name will clearly indicate your pets highlighted medical condition. You can use this for a variety of important details. We check every pet's profile before every appointment, so updating this often is actually very helpful for us.
Alternatively, you can communicate by clicking on the chat bubble next to your pet's appointment. From there, you can have full on conversations with your pet care extraordinaire about your pet's care. Also, feel free to email us with any concerns at karaspetcareservice@gmail.com and/or call/text us at 1-207-558-3218.
Q: The app always asks us about tipping when the appointment is over. Is it standard to tip?
A: Many of our customers utilize the tip feature, but we want to stress that the app is made off of an uber-style app platform. Tipping is built into the program and absolutely not necessary, but definitely appreciated by our staff members.
Within the same function, you'll see stars where you can "rate" your dog walker for that visit. Our staff competes monthly for the highest percentage of 5 star ratings. We see all of your kind words, and really want to know your feedback regarding their visit. It makes our day to hear about your tired pup, see photos posted of how happy they are on facebook, and to know your feedback regarding our service.
Q: Who are your staff? What are their back rounds?
Our staff is a quality team of veterinary technicians, dog trainers, and dog training interns. A visit with Kara's Pet Care L.L.C. is an experience. When we check in, you'll get a photo of your pet ready to start their visit, and a GPS tracked check in that we have arrived. You can check in with your pet, and see photos of all of the fun they are having! When we leave, your pet will have a bowl of fresh water (unless you tell us otherwise), any treats you've provided, and any food you wanted fed. You'll receive a photo of it, so there is NEVER a question of what was or wasn't done.
Q: Why doesn't my dog see the same dog walker for every appointment?
We see pets within a scheduled 40 hours weekly. This ensures our staff is always well-rested, happy, and there to care for your pets. It also ensures our capability to hire educated, high level staff with a great quality of life.
(We are growing due to our excellent reputation. If you are interested in applying to be on our team, we encourage you to apply. Check out our recruiting page!)
Q: Are there any surcharges?
We are available 24/7 via our self service app, but our regular business hours are 7:00am-6pm Monday to Saturday. Outside of those hours, a $25 surcharge will be added to visits on major holidays, or outside of these hours. This ensures our staff is fairly compensated for caring for your pets outside of those hours, and a majority of the fee is paid directly to our pet sitters.**
Q: What do you consider major holidays?
Holiday fees apply to major holidays, such as Christmas Day, Christmas Eve Day, Thanksgiving Day, New Years Eve (4pm-midnight), Independence Day, and Memorial Day.
Q: Do you offer doggie daycare?
We do not offer standard dog daycare. Although it can work for some young dogs or well socialized dogs, we find it a very stressful environment for a majority of dogs we encounter.
For example, the "extreme extroverts" of the canine world. We find our small group hikes are a great match for individual attention.
We are opening a dayschool and daycare program (estimate start is 05-15-2020). The facility is called the Canine Academy of Berwick, and we will be accepting appications starting 5-01-2020. The academy is for well socialized dogs looking to refine their skills.
Q: What are your training methods?
Although we do not like to label our training methods, I would say we veer towards LIMA-style training.
This means our methods are "Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive". We find clicker-training or a marker word work well for communicating with our dogs which behaviors we are rewarding, and ignoring/redirecting for behaviors we would like to minimize--- to put our training methods very basically. We encourage your dog to express their emotions, so we can work to help them feel more comfortable with any stimuli they encounter.
In addition, for your young puppies or adolescents, we encourage training notes in your pet profiles so we can continue, in our care visits, the training you are working on at home. In fact, you can leave us notes with what you are working on (from decreasing jumping, to improving leash walking skills). Our staff is happy to work through this using methods free of coercion, or force. Managing the environment to prevent your pup from "failing" (in the human's eyes) is also a method we will use.
We utilize long leads on our off leash hiking program, and encourage you to have a 15-30 foot lead available for our hikes with your dog. This allows us to work with your pup as if they are off leash, with a safety in case they come across something unusual in the environment or an unexpected wildlife encounter. We encourage pet owners to utilize these philosophies in their daily life with their dog, and we are happy to book private training sessions.
With any species we work with (cats, birds, rabbits, etc), we do not force interaction. We feel the presence of a stranger is not always comfortable for many canine, feline, avian, lagomorph, etc friends, and we will honor their feelings in the matter!
All of our staff members are enrolled in an internal course with our dog trainers on staff from week one, and many of our staff members have external certifications (CPDT) or titles in dog sports. We have staff members who are CVT's (Certified Veterinary Technicians) also, in case your pet has medical needs.
Q: Do you work with medical needs pets? Are you comfortable giving subcutaneous fluids, insulin injections, medications, working with pets with medical conditions?
Absolutely, but in order to book your request with the right pet sitter, we highly recommend booking a technician visit.
Q: Can I book last minute appointments?
Appointments can be booked on the same day (...and up to an hour before the appointment if we have an opening available on handlr!)
Q: Is (insert staff member here) available for my pet's visit?
Pet care visits and hikes with specific staff members can be planned, yes!****
We, generally speaking, cannot guarantee booking last minute or 100% of regular visits with specific staff members. We follow laws set forth by the labor board, and our staff works up to 40 hours weekly with rotating days, weekends, & evenings. Additionally, they have paid time off, unplanned sick days, vacations, etc.
We appreciate your understanding in keeping our employee culture the best it can possibly be!
Q: How do I pay for your services?
A: We use a payment processor online, Braintree (a paypal service). When you create your profile, Handlr will ask you to put a card on file. Your data is secure and encrypted, and we don't even have access to your card number on file internally. With your card on file, you can book any appointments you need for the week, and Sunday through Saturday's appointments will be billed on the last day of the billing cycle, Saturday.
Courses (Puppy course, On-leash Running Course, Off Leash Course) and Overnight Pet Care are billed at the time of booking. Courses are only refundable with 48 hours notice.
* Meet and Greets in the clients home are typically 20 minutes to 1 hour. The travel fee is $25.
** Surcharge of $25 effect 4-01-2020.
*** If we are unable to gain access to the home because of a lack of information on home entry, the full cost of the visit will be incurred. You will be notified via Handlr message immediately. We will contact a locksmith if we need to gain access for a medical needs pet, or if the owner is out of town. We would, in that case, bill the cost to the card on file.
****Visits specific staff may incur an additional charge, based on their experience and specialty skills.
