FAQs

Before we accept any bookings we carry out a free pet consultation in your home. This gives us a chance to meet with you and your pet. It takes about 30 to 45 minutes and we go through details such as normal daily exercise, feeding requirements, phobias, hiding places, and your special requests.

Yes, all of our Pet Care Professionals are insured and bonded by Horizon Insurance. We’ve got the certificate to prove it.

When we hire we first look for experience in the pet industry, and whether the person has had dogs and/or cats all his/her life. After training, we arrange for dog walkers to take the next available Pet First Aid course, usually within 3 months of starting work. All our walkers carry First Aid Kits.

When we arrive for our initial consultation, we ask that you have a set of keys and fob available for your building. If your building allows you to leave keys at security, this is also acceptable.

We invoice at the end of the month for most services. The exception is for dog walking three or more times per week, when we invoice you on the 1st and 15th of every month. All fees are due promptly and must be paid via cash, cheque, or email money transfer only.

A $20 fee is assessed on all returned cheques.

Business and visiting hours are 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Barks ‘n’ Purrs cannot guarantee strict adherence to agreed-upon times for care, but will not vary more than one hour from what has been scheduled. Dog walking and puppy visits are every day except for statutory holidays. Of course, our dog boarding clients go for walks every day of the week, and we see our cat visit clients as often as you wish while you’re away.

For dog walking and puppy visits, cancellations must be made at least 5 hours in advance of the scheduled time or there will be a 50% cancellation fee. If we are not notified of the cancellation, the full cost of the walk will be charged.

For dog boarding and cat visits for regular clients, cancelling or postponing appointments must be done at least 7 days prior to the start date or there will be a 50% cancellation fee. If we are not notified of the cancellation, the full cost of the visits will be charged.

For dog boarding and cat visits for new clients, there is a $25 deposit due on our initial meet and greet. Cancelling or postponing appointments must be done at least 7 days prior to the start date or the $50 deposit will not be returned.

Barks ‘n’ Purrs reserves the right to deny or terminate service because of safety concerns, financial concerns, or inappropriate or uncomfortable situations.

Barks ‘n’ Purrs has the following privacy policy

Your dog walker leaves a book with your dog's name on it. After every walk, he or she records the time and date, how the walk went, and any comments regarding your pet for that day. This way, you can feel certain you and your dog are getting the care you deserve.

It is important to get an impartial assessment. During our initial visit, we ask a lot of questions about your dog’s behaviour and history. We are looking for behaviours that will tell us how easily your dog may learn and adjust to new situations. No dog is perfect, and most dogs benefit greatly from socialization and outings.

In the interest of safety, male dogs over 8 months of age must be neutered. We accept unspayed female dogs provided they are not in heat. If you have no intentions of neutering your dog after 8 months we will have to discuss other alternatives.

Pickups and returns depend on the schedule we arrange in our initial visit. Because we are fully bonded and insured, we can pick up and return each dog whether or not the owner is home. Please allow an hour’s leeway in timing to account for unforeseen weather, broken elevators or just having too much fun with his friends.

Yes, we ask for at least once a week. The day or time can vary; however, a more consistent schedule is better for the dog.

We walk your dogs no matter what. Your dog still needs to relieve himself, even if it’s a quick outing.

Yes, all dogs must be licensed with the City of Toronto and vaccinated.

If a dog has issues, he or she will have trouble fitting into a group walk. While we don’t accept a dog with aggression or behaviour problems for group walks, we can recommend other services who walk dogs privately. And if you like, our services include training, or we can refer you to other trainers.

A young puppy can suffer from two things: separation anxiety and a small bladder. The puppy visits ease both issues. A regular schedule helps to curb those nasty symptoms of separation anxiety: destructive or unhealthy chewing, and excessive barking or yelping. Plus, reliable scheduling makes your puppy’s house and crate training more effective.

No. Puppy visits are private outings, for a lot of reasons. First, puppies have sensitive natures. Second, they're not very strong physically. Third, there’s a 3- to 4-month period before their immunizations are complete. So we don't even take other dogs to visit puppies.

Generally, we recommend the service for pups under 4 months of age. After that, we advise graduation to a group walk where your puppy can benefit from socialization and increased exercise, not to mention leash training.

That depends on your schedule. Generally, for a "9 to 5" worker we assume you have to be away from your puppy from about 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. If we are visiting twice a day, we aim for a 10:00 a.m. morning visit, and an afternoon visit around 2:00 p.m. The idea is to reduce both the length of time a young dog has to go without a bathroom break, and the time he or she has to spend alone.

A visit lasts a minimum of 30 minutes.

We are happy to administer medication in pill or liquid form; however; we are not able to provide insulin shots.

We provide cat visits as often as you like while you’re away. During the cat sitting we ensure that the litter is refreshed and there's ample food and water. And we clean the cat bowls as well as any "accidents" that may have occurred. We offer cuddles and quality time. Also, we pick up mail and water plants.

It's up to you, but we find our half-hour visit is more than enough time to give your feline friend the comfort she's looking for. See our rate chart for pricing.

Your pet care worker leaves a book with your cat's name on it. Each time, he or she records the time and date, how the visit went, and any comments regarding your pet for that day. This way, you can feel certain you and your cat are getting the care you deserve.

Cats are creatures of routine and domain, so we feel they are happier in their own home rather than ours. The last thing you want is a stressed-out cat. Plus, you know someone is keeping an eye on the place while you're away. We will gladly provide you with the names of companies offering such cat care. Please see our Resources for a few Kitty hotels.

The dog boarding takes place in my home. Some of my dog walkers also provide boarding on weekends.

A week’s notice is ideal, sooner around holidays when we get a lot of advance bookings. For first-time boarding we ask that you and your dog visit our home and dog well before the drop off date to make sure everyone gets along.

At this time we do not offer regular doggie day care; however, on the odd occasion you need to be away all day, we'll take the dog for the day. The cost for this is between $25 and $35.

Our only stipulation is that dropping off and picking up happens between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

We take puppies at least 6 months of age whose house training has progressed beyond exclusive use of puppy pads.

We either go for 3 walks lasting 45 minutes, or 4 walks lasting 25 minutes. It depends on the weather and the other dogs we have staying with us. Puppies get extra walks for their little bladders.

Please provide food and food bowls, and a blanket or bed. And if they need to be crated at night, please "BYOC" (Bring Your Own dog Crate). His or her toys are fine if you're okay with other dogs playing and chewing them. We will remove toys that we feel are causing possessiveness.

In a word, yes. We can’t entertain dogs that urinate or mark in our home.

Unfortunately, we cannot take unneutered male dogs. We accept unspayed females provided they are not in heat. It’s very important for everyone to get along, and sometimes other dogs have behaviour issues with females in heat or unneutered males.