At this time we only provide private walks. If you have multiple dogs in your household we can walk them together, however we do not do group walks with other people's dogs.

Yes. Not only is the staff certified in pet CPR and first aid, Jason Hofmann is a certified Pet Tech® CPR & First Aid instructor. For more information about the four hour Pet Tech® CPR & First Aid classes  go to www.MyPetFirstAid.com.

It's important to note that not all pet first aid programs are created equal. Some people claiming to be pet first aid and or CPR certified really aren't. There are some online pet CPR & first aid pet programs that take minutes to complete and have no hands on training. Even some well known health organizations offer certifications that don't expire, and take a little more than an hour to complete.

In addition to the owner of 203 Pet Service, we employ a team of dog walkers and pet sitters who provide exceptional pet and home care. Our employees have gone through an extensive screening and training process including background checks and drug testing. During your initial consultation you will meet with Jason. In most cases, Jason will introduce your dog walker or sitter to your pet and go over the animal's routine. In order to compensate for staff time, please note that there is a 10.00 service charge for any additional meetings beyond the initial consultation.

While you are in no way obligated, gratuities are graciously accepted and may be offered directly to your pet sitter. If you would like to include a gratuity with your payment it will be passed along to your sitter or walker.

203 Pet Service  absolutely, positively guarantees your satisfaction with every service we provide. Simply make us aware of any dissatisfaction, within 15 days of service, and we'll make it right. It is that simple.

203 Pet Service is fully insured. We take responsibility for your pets and possessions when in our care. Your property and your pets are fully covered.

Three to four visits a day for dogs is typical depending on your dogs age, needs and routine. They are social animals and need care and companionship. And they need to pee somewhere other than your rug. Clients who choose less than three visits will be charged an extra fee for each accident we clean up. We will not do, nor do we condone, one visit per day for dogs.
 
One visit per day for cats is usually sufficient. We do not do every other day cat care.

Dog Walks & Pet Sits are performed by employees of 203 Pet Service, LLC (hereafter referred to as 203PET) employees including the owner Jason Hofmann (STAFF) on behalf of 203PET. All STAFF used by 203PET have successfully passed our background check witch includes drug testing prior to hiring, and are covered by our liability insurance when performing visits on behalf of 203PET. Although it is the intention of 203PET to notify clients in advance which sitter will be performing visits, it is understood that on occasion it may be necessary to substitute one pet sitter for another without prior notification to or meeting with the client.  Regardless of who performs the visits, 203PET and any STAFF working on behalf of 203PET will make every effort to provide care as requested and at the approximate visit time requested by the client.

Our STAFF are under contract with 203PET, and are prohibited from accepting service requests of any kind directly from 203PET clients during and for up to two years after the completion of their contract. Attempting to solicit them for any reason will not only force your sitter into an uncomfortable position, but can also result in termination of your service with 203PET. Clients are always responsible for payment to 203PET when service is rendered by a STAFF under contract with 203PET.

Our payment policies are designed to allow us to spend a minimal amount of time on bookkeeping & banking, so we can focus our energies on what we do best – caring for your pets!  As of February 1, 2014, we will be pre-billing all scheduled services.
We accepts credit card payment Visa, MasterCard, Amex & Discover ONLY.

- For recurring dog walking services, we will pre-bill your credit card every week on Monday. (Our week runs from Sunday to Saturday.)
- For non- recurring dog walking services, we will pre bill your credit card at the time of booking and or, pre bill your credit card every week on Monday.
- For pet sitting services, we will pre-bill all scheduled services that occur that month.
- For pet sitting reservations that occur outside of that time window, we will charge a 50% deposit at time of booking. The remaining balance will be charged on or after the 1st of the month that the service is scheduled to occur.

• If payment is not rendered promptly at the start of service, an administrative fee of $1.00 per visit will be applied ($5.00 minimum charge). The administrative fee is applied each time 203PET issues a bill for services already rendered (approximately every thirty days). On the second violation of our payment policies, any discounts given will be eliminated and the current visit rate will be used going forward. On the third violation we will charge your credit card in full at the time of booking future service and we will not be able to provide credits or returns for canceled service.
• Checks that are returned by the bank are subject to a $35.00 fee.
• If additional time beyond the standard visit is required due to pet illness or accident, the client will be billed accordingly.
• Sufficient food, litter, and medication should be provided by the client, but if additional supplies need to be purchased so we can properly care for your animals, we will do so. In that case, the client agrees to reimburse 203PET for any costs, and to pay a $25.00 service fee.

No credit will be given once travel has commenced, including early returns, cases where the pet behaves aggressively enough to warrant discontinuation of care, ect.

- Mid day dog walking (M - F) - The client will be subject to charged the full amount for any cancellations with less than 24 hours notice on weekdays and 48 hours on weekends.

- Pet sitting - We have a 7-day cancellation policy for pet sitting visits. To cancel please log into your account or call the office at 203-682-6443 8 days before your departure if you need to cancel in order to get a full refund. Cancellations made 7 to 5 days before your departure date are subject to a 50% cancellation fee. Cancellations made with 4 or less days before your departure date are subject to a 100% cancellation fee. We do not give credit or refunds for early returns.

- Overnight Pet sitting - Because overnight pet sitting is an exclusive service with limited availability we have a 10-day cancellation policy for overnight pet sitting visits.. To cancel please log into your account or call the office at 203-682-6443 11 days before your departure if you need to cancel in order to get a full refund. Cancellations made 10 to 7 days before your departure date are subject to a 50% cancellation fee. Cancellations made with 6 or less days before your departure date are subject to a 100% cancellation fee unless we are able to fill the entire spot that you had previously booked with your sitter. We do not give credit or refunds for early returns.

- Dog training - Appointments canceled with less than 48 hours are subject to full charge. Please note that for clients who have enrolled in a 6 or 8 session program we require that the program be completed within 8 weeks for 6 session or 10 weeks for the 8 session program. Any missed sessions after that point will be considered void.

NO REFUNDS
If you make a cancellation after making payment  you will receive credit to your 203 Pet account after subtracting any cancellation fees that apply.  Your credit will expire 3 months after the canceled service unless the client make arrangements with the owner at the time of cancelation.  NO REFUNDS of any kind.

203PET reserves the right to change the charge per visit at any time, as is necessary in any business to keep pace with the economy and the fluctuating price of gas 7/20/2016 currently at 2.299, we will provide notice of any rate change on our blog.

203PET  subscribes and uses an online pet sitter specific software to ensure that all visits are properly scheduled & assigned to a STAFF, and that in case of emergency a backup sitter can quickly be provided with current information on your pets. Please note while we try to provide availability on a first-come first-serve basis, online bookings via the client login will be addressed first. All scheduling, including cancellations & changes, must be done through one of the following methods:

• Please note while we tried to book on a first-come first-served basis online bookings via the client login have priority over all other bookings.
• Online via the client login (this is our preferred method of requesting or canceling any service).
• E-mail the office or log in to your account online at http://203pet.com/Newlogin.php or by filling out the contact form at 203pet.com.
• or call the office 203-682-6443 during office hours Monday - Friday 9 AM - 8:30 PM. Please note the office is not officially open on the weekends, but we do check messages from time to time on the weekends.
• The Office Manager Robyn and her assistant are in the office Monday - Friday 9 AM - 8:30 PM.   

To be as Green as posable and to help keep our rates reasonable, 203PET tries to use digital media (i.e., email & internet) whenever possible to provide information to our clients. We have a monthly newsletter that goes out to clients as well as a “blog” on our website, where we post news (like policy updates or rate changes) as well as other useful information. You’ll need to visit our website regularly to make sure you keep up to date.

Our primary concern is the care of your animal friends. If the veterinarian requested by the client is not available and an animal needs medical attention, another veterinarian will be used (most likely VREC in Norwalk or Shoreline VREC in Shelton ). 203PET will make reasonable efforts to notify the client before approving veterinary care, but in the event the client is unable to be reached, 203PET will approve treatment up to $500.  The client is fully responsible for reimbursement for veterinary services promptly upon their return, which will include the additional time, Credit Card Processing Fees and mileage costs of the pet sitter. 203PET assumes no responsibility for the actions and decisions of the veterinary staff, or for sickness, injury, loss or death of pets due to non-negligence of the pet sitter.

All clients are expected to provide a safe, secure, and healthy environment for their pets. This includes ensuring that fences, doors, gates, crates, leashes, & collars are kept in working condition; that items hazardous to pets (sharp objects, medications, chocolate, etc.) are kept out of their reach; and that waste is not allowed to accumulate excessively in yards, pens, or litter boxes. In accordance with Connecticut law, 203PET requires that all dogs be properly restrained at all times, either by leash or within a fully fenced yard (traditional or electric fence). Cats who have “cat-door” access to go in and out as needed may continue to do so while under our care, otherwise they will need to be kept inside exclusively. 203PET cannot accept responsibility for the welfare of pets with unsupervised access to the outdoors.

Reasonable effort will be made to clean up messes caused by client’s pets that are found by the pet sitter with cleaning materials provided by the client. 203PET is not responsible for damage to carpets, rugs, floors, plants or lawns caused by pets or inappropriate cleaning products. Unless there is proven negligence on the part of the pet sitter, the client waives any and all claims against 203PET.
Summer – While we are happy to water up to three or four indoor plants while caring for your pets, we cannot be responsible for any lawn & garden care beyond that. Our goal & focus is the care of your pets, and time spent out in the yard on landscaping takes away from the time we can spend with your pets. Please be aware that plant care will be performed only in the manner requested by the client, and that 203PET is not responsible for plants that wilt or die.
Winter – For the safety of our sitters & your pets, we ask that you keep your home accessible for us by shoveling and/or putting down ice melter at the door we use for entry (preferably the pet-safe type if your animals will walk on it as well). 203PET does not provide snow/ice removal service, but we do recommend that anyone going out of town makes arrangements for snow removal in the event of a large storm.

203PET is happy to provide medication to your pets when necessary, as long as clear instructions are provided, and the pet is not unduly uncooperative. If the pet aggressively refuses medication, we will discontinue medicating and notify the client. 203PET requires that we be notified of any other individuals who have access to the home while we are providing pet care, and cannot be responsibility for the security of the premises if other individuals are allowed access. We reserve the right to cancel or temporarily suspend service if we feel the work environment is unsafe, such as aggressive behavior from a pet, extreme weather, etc.

In the case of extreme weather if the roads are shut down by the state or they are inaccessible do to flooding, downed trees, flooding, snow and Ice. We may not be abel to preform your scheduled service and reserve the right to cancel the service. It is the responsibility of the client to have an emergence contact on file in your account so that we can contact if we are unable to preform services.

In order to ensure a safe work environment for my employees and your dog please;

- Shovel a clear path to your home from your driveway.
- Use a pet safe ice melter. Paw-Safe, PetSafe Ice Melter and Paw Thaw are 3 brands that we recommend.
- Use sand to improve traction.
- For really icy paths use both sand and pet safe ice melter.

Please note that if your dog walker slips or falls it will be their discretion as to whether or not it is safe enough to walk your dog. If they feel it is unsafe to walk your dog, they will notify the office of the unsafe conditions and will not be able to walk your pet that day. The office will notify you if this happens. Please note that you will be charged for the missed appointment.

In the event of blizzard or sever winter storms, for mid day walking service we ask that if you decide to stay home and cancel for the day please let us know before 10am or as early as possible so that we can cancel your appointment. If you are going to work, or will be away, we will make every effort to get to you and safely walk your dog(s). In order to do this, we must be able to safely drive to and from your home. With the possibility of impassable roads due to snow, flooding, road closings, downed trees and power lines that may not be possible.
Please note: if the Governor shuts down the highways and roads we will not be able to get to you, as we are not considered emergence vehicles. Please be sure you emergency contact information is up to date in your pet's 203pet.com profile.
If you do need us to provide service during the storm, please be aware that we may need to shorten your visit in order to service all the animals that need us in the storm.
If you do cancel it's best to do so online at: http://203pet.com/Newlogin.php
If that's not possible please email us or call us at 203-682-6443
Please let us know before 10 am.
As always, there is no cancellation fee due to extreme weather events if you cancel before 10am the day of. if the walker is on there way to your house and or at your house before you cancel you will be subject to charge.