Professional pet-care providers bring experience and expertise. They have knowledge and experience with animal behavior and the different stages of development. In addition, professionals from a reputable company have passed background checks and are also bonded and insured. In addition to the convenience and value of a helpful service, you have peace of mind that your pets and your home are in good hands.

Change can be difficult. Like most people, pets are more comfortable in their own home. This is especially true for older or anxious pets. While you are away, the familiarity of their surroundings and their normal routine help to reassure your pets. Their diet and exercise routines are uninterrupted, and there is no exposure to illness from other pets. Your pets receive dedicated attention. Having someone visit your house several times a day or staying overnight maintains the appearance that your home is occupied.

The first step in signing up for services is to schedule a consultation in your home.

Meetings usually last 30 minutes. We gather detailed information about your pets, learn your preferences for your home, and collect two (2) sets of house keys (one goes with your dog walker or pet sitter, and the other is kept securely locked in our office in case of an emergency). You have an opportunity to meet your dog walker or pet sitter at this time.

We follow your instructions for your pet's normal routine, usually:

• For dogs, we take your dog for a walk, or depending on your requirements, have backyard play time or other activitiy. At the end of the walk, we provide your dog with a fresh bowl of water and a treat, if allowed. We will also feed your dog, administer medication or other task, if required.
  
  
• For cats, we feed your cat, refresh their bowl of water, clean and refresh their litterbox. We also play with your cat, so having toys and a hairbrush about would be helpful. We find that a 15-minute visit once or twice a day is sufficient for cats, depending on their diet and feeding schedule. A longer visit may be needed if injections are required.
  
  
• For caged pets such as hamsters, we will feed your pet, refresh the water bottle, and clean the cage. For fish, we will feed your fish, clean the tank, and check the pH balance, if necessary.
  
  

In addition, we can perform other house or pet-related tasks that you might request. A detailed report is left at the end of each visit.

An overnight visit entails taking care of your pets during their evening, late night and morning routines: feedings, medications, and other designated tasks. For dogs, this service includes a 30-minute evening walk, a 15-minute late night potty break, and a 30-minute morning walk. From the time we arrive for the late night visit, we will stay the night in your home until the next morning.

We can also bring in the mail/newspaper, water plants, open/close blinds, turn on/off lights, and other crime-deterrent activities. In addition to a dedicated companion for your pets, you have the added benefit of a housesitter staying overnight.

We can accommodate this request. One of our goals is to add value to the services we provide.

When there is a medical emergency while your pet is in our care, your pet sitter or dog walker calls our office for support. We send a staff member to your home for additional support and to help transport your pet to your veterinarian, if necessary. Our office then contacts you and apprises you of the situation and obtains further instructions. In life-threatening situations, we transport your pet to your veterinarian immediately.

During the consultation, we obtain your authorization to take your pet to your veterinarian in case of an emergency. Unless you specify differently, for after-hours emergencies, we take your pet to The Hope Center - a 24/7 emergency medical facility accredited by the American Animal Hospital Association. It is the closest emergency facility to McLean and is located in nearby downtown Vienna. The Hope Center is used for after-hours emergencies by many local McLean and nearby animal hospitals.

We become a valued and vested team member in your pet's overall care and well-being. We familiarize ourselves with the policies and procedures of local animal hospitals in case of an emergency involving our clients' pets. We have met with many local area animal hospitals and have received guidance from them on their protocols and procedures. This knowledge allows us to be prepared and act quickly, so we can be responsive to your pet's needs.

There are instances when it is necessary for us to stay with your pet beyond the scheduled time for the visit. Some of these instances include medical-emergency situations, transport of your pet to a medical facility, or when your pet has an accident inside the house that is time consuming for us to clean. A-Plus Pets charges an amount based on the additional time we are with your pet. The amount will be based on your contracted rate.

As long as the roads are safe to travel, we continue as normal. If weather becomes hazardous, we make a decision that is in the best interest and safety of our team. We notify you if we cannot provide service. If inclement weather is expected, we work with you on a contingency plan beforehand. Please understand that you may experience a delay in service when there is inclement weather, as it may take us longer to get to your home. When the federal government closes due to inclement weather, we will also close and no services rendered for that day. 

One of the first things we do upon entering your home is to check for the 3-Ps (pee, poop, and puke). Any indication alerts us to potential problems with your pet (e.g., multiple spots of vomit). If it is only an "accident," we simply clean it up.

We schedule your visit as close as we can to your desired time. We ask for the 2-hour timeframe to allow us to schedule our pet sitters' workday more efficiently and effectively. We have been able to accommodate our clients' desired time in most cases.

We do our best to accommodate all requests. We cannot, however, guarantee service for requests with less than a 24-hour notice.

With the exception of closings due to inclement weather, we provide services year-round. Our office is open from 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM, Monday - Friday. During weekends and holidays, messages may be left, and we will return your call within 24 hours. We are "on-call" for our clients, who may call us at anytime.

We make every effort to have the same dog walker or pet sitter provide service to your pet. If the pet sitter is not able to make a scheduled visit, we send a substitute. If the situation allows, we have the substitute go on a visit with your regular pet sitter. This substitute will then become the "official" back-up for your pet. Time-permitting, we will make every effort to provide you with an opportunity to meet the substitute before services are rendered.

All candidates undergo an extensive interview process. Candidates submit to criminal, credit, employment, reference, education and driver’s license checks. Upon joining A-Plus Pets, our professionals undergo on-boarding orientation on our policies and procedures, with a focus on protocols for pet care and security of clients' homes.

Our daily dogwalkers are employees and not independent contractors (IC). There is a big difference in whether you choose to use one or the other.

• Training - As an employee, our professionals receive paid company training and pet first aid certification. Our mandatory training program helps to ensure that all our dogwalkers follow the same procedures and protocol dictated by the company in order to provide high-quality service. An IC is responsible for obtaining and paying for their training.
• Oversight - As an employee, our professionals receive their schedules and keys in the morning and return their keys and copies of the Visit Report at the end of the day. Thus, client keys are locked and secured every evening. The Visit Reports are reviewed nightly in order to ensure that all tasks were completed as directed by the client. Most ICs keep clients' keys with them. The security of clients' keys is dependent upon how secure the IC keeps them.
• Quality - As an employee, A-Plus Pets manages the scheduling of pet visits. We allocate enough time for the visit as well as commuting time to the next client. ICs manage their own schedules and, as many are paid on a commission basis, this can lead to ICs overbooking themselves, causing mistakes and shortened walks.
• Institutional Knowledge - All client communication is handled through the office. As an employee, our professionals communicate any instructions given to them by clients, and we duly note it in our client service reports. Conversely, clients may call the office, and our professionals are instructed accordingly. This allows the company to maintain an institutional knowledge regarding the history of care for clients' pets. Any change in dogwalkers will include a complete debrief of the pet's history. Our clients have a relationship with not only their dogwalker but also our company.
• Insurance and Bond - As an employee, our professionals are covered under our insurance policy and are bonded. Some ICs are not.