Benefits of hiring a pet sitter
versus boarding your pet:
Pet Benefits
- Staying at home in his/her safe, secure environment
- Being surrounded by familiar sights, smells and sounds
- Following his/her regular diet and exercise routine
- Having play time
- Receiving love and personal attention
- Maintaining medical treatment, when required
- Having someone responsible in case of an emergency
- Eliminating the trauma of travel or an unfamiliar environment
- Ensuring good health (no exposure to other animals' illness or parasites)
Your Benefits
- Knowing that your pet is in caring, loving hands
- Having the confidence that the pet sitter can deal with other issues - such as grooming, vet visits
- Eliminating the trauma of having to transport and leave your pet
- Not having to impose on family, friends or neighbors
- Feeling your home is more secure (with someone going in and out several times a day
Not all pet sitters are created equal, nor are they all professional. In hiring a pet sitter, it is important to make sure you have chosen the right person to care for your beloved animal.
- Uptown Charlotte
- Southend
- Dilworth
- Myers Park
- Elizabeth
- Chantilly
- Plaza Midwood
- Selwyn
- Sedgefield
- Ballentyne
- Huntersville
- Belmont
Bonded, insured, business license and pet sitter certified:
We are bonded and insured through Business Insurers of the Carolinas. We have a business license for Mecklenburg County. We are accredited by the Better Business Bureau. We are certified in Professional Pet Sitting through both the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS) and Pet Sitters International (PSI).
Scheduling is on a first come first serve basis and we will do our best to accommodate your needs. Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC will visit at the requested times as closely as possible. However, if an unforeseen situation arises, the time may be adjusted.
Confirmation Call (Prior to out-of-town Departure):
Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC will make a confirmation call no less than two days prior to each departure in order to verify all information (dates, contact numbers, etc.) are still correct. Please make sure we speak personally to you, this is to ensure your pet's needs are carried out as intended.
Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC carefully schedules our time to service you and our other clients. Therefore, there are no refunds or credits for early returns or last minute changes to pet care. Once pet care begins, payment is due for the original dates scheduled.
A full two-day notice prior to the date of the first visit is required for cancellations for a refund. Failure to provide any notice will result in a $20 cancellation fee.
Pet sitting services and kennels receive more requests for reservations than they can handle during the holiday time periods and we may have turned away other clients because we have reserved time for you during this busy season. If you cancel seven days or less prior to any holiday, you will be charged for one-half of the visits.
(Primarily severe storms, hurricanes, etc.): Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC will use our best judgment while caring for your pet and home at the time of inclement weather. We will try to carry out your instructions to the best of our ability. The care we provide your pet and it's safety is our first concern. The inclement weather plan will be as follows: 1) Every effort will be made to drive to your home; 2) The service schedule may be changed, interrupted, or altered due to circumstances; 3) If it is not possible to drive safely to your home, your emergency contact will be notified; 4) You will be notified that the above-mentioned contingency plan has been activated.
Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC has requested the name and phone number of a person living nearby who has access to your home. This should be a person close enough to walk to your home if roads are impassable. If we are physically unable to drive to your home this information is needed so that we can contact this person to request their assistance to check on your pet. Garage door openers are not operational in the event of power outages. In the event that the customer does not provide a nearby emergency contact with access to your home for Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC, customer realizes that Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC will provide service, but not until conditions allow us to reach your home safely.
Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC will attempt to administer medications as directed but cannot be held responsible for complications that arise as a result. Excessively shy cats with medical problems can be a serious risk. If you have such an animal, this must be thoroughly discussed. Under no circumstances will Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC service any pet that has any form of contagious illness. This is for the safety of our other customers. Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC requires that all pets have the necessary vaccinations and immunizations before service begins. If a Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC pet care provider is bitten or exposed to any disease or aliment received from a clients pet, which has not been properly or currently vaccinated, the client will be responsible for all costs and damages that may incur.
Access to your Home by Others:
If customer allows any other person access to their home during Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC’s contract period, Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC cannot be held liable for any damages to property or pets as a result. Please notify Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC if someone will be in your home. Please also notify the person in your home that Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC is coming so that your visitor is not surprised by our entrance.
Fenced in yards are wonderful play spaces for pets, however, no fence system is totally secure for your pet's safety. Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC does not accept responsibility or liability for any customer's pets that escape, are injured or become lost, fatal or otherwise, when pets are left out or given access to a fenced in area. This includes electronic, wood, metal, or any other fence type.
Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC will properly dispose of pet waste in your outside waste receptacle, and will do our best to clean up any accidents your pet may have. Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC is not responsible for carpet/flooring stains created by your pet(s). We do request that you provide plastic bags, towels, cleaning products, paper towels, trash bags and indicate where you would like the waste disposed.
All dogs will be required to be on leash during outdoor walks.
Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC highly respects our clients entrusting us with the care of their home and their pets. We do recommend you inform a trusted neighbor that while you are away, Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC will be caring for your pets and your home.
To ensure the health and comfort of your pet, please leave your thermostat setting within a normal comfortable range (68-78F).
Animal behavior can be unpredictable. Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC does not accept responsibility for liability for animal behavior, normal or otherwise, which results in injury to the client's animal. Further, if a Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC pet care provider is harmed or injured by the clients animal, the client/owner accepts full responsibility for the cost of any necessary medical attention required by either the Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC pet care provider or by the animal.
Please provide us with any changes regarding your pet care and/or other pertinent information.
Payment is due on or before the 1st day of the service; customer has the option to post-date their checks to the LAST day of service. Checks will not be cashed/deposited until after service is complete. Customer will be quoted the rate of the total payment at the time of the confirmation call and Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC will leave a paid invoice for your records as a receipt.
There is a $25 fee for any returned checks.
If you are not already doing so, consider letting Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC retain your house key. Keys are kept in a secured lock system and are coded for customer confidentially. If you choose not to have Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC retain a key, picking up and returning a key requires two (2) extra trips and there will be a $5 charge per trip for time and mileage. A second option for key return is via U.S. Mail. To cover costs, the charge for this option is $5. The last, and least preferred option due to safety concerns, is to leave your key is a predetermined place agreed upon prior to the start of sitting. Please check the key you provide Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC to ensure it will open your door!
Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC has the right to refuse animals who appear to be aggressive, ill, etc. or could cause harm to Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC or others. We do not have to provide reasoning for refusing to work with you or your pet.
If you abandon your pet in our care. We have the right to report your actions to the appropriate authority, give your pet up for adoption, etc. All expenses incurred during this time period the client will be held 100% liable for reimbursing Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC.
First Time Clients
1. Contact Little Friends Pet Sitting via phone or use the New Client Registration link located on the top of the website to set up pet sitting service needs.
2. We will coordinate a date and time for a FREE comprehensive home consultation at your convenience. We then meet with you and your pet(s). The interview gives the potential client an opportunity to discuss pet’s needs, ask questions, and discuss concerns.
3. Complete the information on PowerPetSitter website (click this link) for you and your pet.
4. Have two copies of your home key and any keys fobs ready for your consultation. If you do not provide two keys, a $10 fee will be applied to your bill.
5. During the consultation, we will review information entered onto the PowerPetSitter website and collect 2 copies of your home keys.
6. Payment is due prior to service performed. If payment by check, check will be collected at consultation. Payment may also be made via this site through Credit Card or PayPal. All payments are due prior to pet sit.
7. Sitter will provide a daily journal of all sits. If desired, sitter will also email, text, or call the client after the sit or at day’s end to provide an update on their pet family.
Weekly Clients
1. Client provides a schedule to the pet sitter for standing times/days. If clients schedule changes from week to week, client will provide sitter with the schedule for the week coming up by Sunday prior to that week, or 36 hours prior to the sit.
2. For weekly ongoing sits, sitter will keep a key and the office will keep a key for emergencies. These keys are to be provided by the client.
3. Sitter will confirm via email with Client for the upcoming weeks schedule no later than Friday prior to that week.
4. An invoice will be sent to the client via email the Thursday prior to the upcoming week. Invoices are to be paid prior to service via Credit Card/PayPal located on this site, Credit Card via phone to office, or check mailed to the office.
5. Sitter will provide a daily journal of all sits. If desired, sitter will also email, text, or call the client after each sit or at day’s end to provide an update on their pet family.
Recurring Clients
1. Client notifies the office at least 36 hours prior to sitting engagement.
2. Sitter is selected for the engagement and their name provided to the client. (Consistency with same sitter is preferred, but may not always be possible. Thanks for your understanding!)
3. If client has elected to keep a key with LFPS, the key is provide to the sitter. If not, an $8 charge will be applied for a sitter to pick up the key from the client.
4. Sitter will confirm via email with Client the week prior to the sitting engagement.
5. An invoice will be sent to the client via email the Friday prior to the sitting engagement. Invoices are to be paid prior to service via Credit Card/PayPal located on this site, Credit Card via phone to office or check mailed to the office.
6. Sitter will provide a daily journal of all sits. If desired, sitter will also email, text, or call the client after each sit of at day’s end to provide an update on their pet family.
Lockbox Key Service
You may elect to have Little Friends keep a key if routine pet sitting is needed. In addition, one of the services we offer is letting owners in if you have locked yourself out. A much more reasonable rate than a locksmith or breaking a window!
We have an extensive interview and background check process. All of our sitters must LOVE animals and have experience in owning them, pet sitting for others, volunteer work with animal rescue groups or have a vocation in pet care such as a vet technician. After a face to face interview, we obtain feedback from their references and or previous employers as well as obtain a background check to ensure no criminal activity is in their past. Our sitters are professional, trustworthy, reliable and again, LOVE pets!
Each client is assigned a primary pet sitter who will perform the initial free consultation. A back up sitter is also assigned in the event the primary sitter is unavailable. The client can choose to meet the back up or rely on Little Friends to ensure an appropriate back up sitter is assigned.