FAQ Section



Have questions about how pet sitting/ dog walking works?
Here are our most frequently asked questions!





service questions



VIPets llc 505-984-8006



Why should a pet owner use a professional pet sitter?



Many veterinarians and experts believe that keeping their pets in their familiar surroundings helps to alleviate the stress imposed when their owners have to leave home. Pets are then also able to maintain their diet and exercise routine and enjoy the personal attention provided by a pet sitter. This also eliminates the trauma of being transported and minimized their exposure to illnesses of other animals.



What services do you offer?



VIPets provides in-home pet care plain and simple. This means our pet sitters travel to our client’s homes to care for their pets. We provide service for whatever they need; travel long work hours, a late meeting, recovering from surgery, working from home but not enough time to walk the dog, don’t trust the kids to care for the animals properly. Whatever the reason, we’ll be there! Our clients are mostly cat and dog owners, but we’ll also visit rabbits, birds, frogs, guinea pigs, gerbils, hamsters, ferrets, iguanas, snakes, bearded dragons, horses, etc.


Our clients can customize how long they would like their VIPets Pet Sitter to visit with their pets. We will also bring in the mail, take out the trash, rotate the lights, and open and close the curtains to give the home a lived-in look. We also offer a variety of premium services that our clients can schedule to complement their pet and house care routines.



How does a client go about getting started?



All are welcome to call or email the office with their questions. The office number is 1-800-995-1245 and the email is info@vipetsllc.com. When they’re ready to get started, we have a very simple registration process that will be explained to them. We can get started as soon as the registration meeting has taken place.



Will you provide "gate-keeping" services even if someone doesn't have a pet?




Of course! We have many clients who contact VIPets to visit their homes while they travel to do all of those things. This gives them peace of mind that their home is safe while they are out of town. So, no, you do not have to have a pet to use VIPets.



Do you provide boarding services?




Yes, but we currently only provide this service in the Santa Fe, NM location, and at the owner’s home. Pets are accepted on a case-by-case basis, and also depending on how many animals are currently being boarded. Another option is our very popular housesitting/overnight service.



What time do the sitters make their rounds and how long do they stay?



Our sitters can visit their client’s homes up to 4 times per day.

– The “morning” time slot is between 7 & 9 AM.

– The “mid-day” time slot is between 11 & 3 PM.

– The “evening” time slot is between 4 & 6 PM.

– The “late night” time slot is between 7 & 9 PM.



No longer than 12 hours ever goes in-between visits. For example, if your pooch were visited at 8 pm, the sitter would arrive at your home no later than 8 am the following morning.


We offer 15-minute, 30-minute, 45-minute, and 60-minute visits. The client chooses the duration of the visits and can mix and match to design the best plan for his or her pet.

Note: The 15-minute option is not offered to clients using the Travel & Occasional Service for their dogs. We don’t believe that 15-minutes is enough time to visit with a dog that is by him or herself for an extended period of time. As much human interaction as possible is best to keep the hounds happy and calm until their parents return home.



What is the meet and greet?




The registration meeting is a visit that allows the client to get to know our service and their assigned VIPets Sitter prior to the start of their service. During this visit, their pet care provider will introduce themselves, spend some quality time with the pet, confirm and review the pertinent information about the home and pet care routine (e.g. vet information, emergency contact, special requests, etc.), and answer any additional questions the client may have. We do NOT provide service until this meeting has taken place. There is a fee of $15 fee for the registration meeting. This fee covers all administrative costs related to their account, as well as the sitter’s time.



So, after a client has completed their meet and greet can they schedule service anytime?




Absolutely! All clients are provided with unique login information to their secured VIPets account. From this gateway, they are able to schedule service, check their personal service calendar, update their billing information and also update their password. It’s a handy little tool! All scheduling requests are confirmed during our regular business hours, which are 9AM-5PM Monday through Friday.



Can your clients schedule directly through their sitter?




No! For the safety of our client’s pets, all visits MUST be scheduled through the VIPets office. We use a high-tech scheduling program, which ensures that “no pet is left behind.” If a client schedules through their sitter and the sitter forgets to inform the office, that takes us out of the loop and therefore unable to follow up with the sitter to make sure that the pet has been seen. VIPets will not be held liable for visits scheduled without the office’s knowledge.



How do you accept payment?




We prefer to be paid by check, Venmo, or Zelle.


However, we also accept payment by Visa, Mastercard, Discover Card, or American Express. Paypal can also be accepted.



Are there extra costs for services rendered on a holiday?




We consider the following to be our major annual holidays: New Years Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Christmas Eve Day, and New Year’s Eve. There is up to a $15 surcharge per visit, plus the standard charge for the service being provided on these dates. 100% of these fees are paid to the sitters.



How about last-minute requests?




We’re more than happy to schedule pet care for last-minute needs, however, we cannot guarantee that a sitter is going to be available on short notice, (though 99% of the time it really isn’t a problem). We also only schedule service during our regular business hours (9 AM-4 PM Monday through Friday). We do charge a $10 late booking charge for visits scheduled without 24-hours notice. Note: If a client emails on a Saturday for Monday service or Tuesday night for Wednesday service, the $10 fee will apply.



What is the VIPets cancellation policy?



Since I understand what it’s like to have a busy and ever-changing schedule I have implemented an extremely flexible cancelation policy:

– Mid Day Dog Walks (for those that use us on a weekly continuous basis): 24 hours notice

– Pet Sitting and Kitty & Small Animal Care: 48 hours notice

– Overnight Care: 7 days notice



pet care questions



What happens if a client's primary sitter is not available for a pet sitting request?



Our sitter roster is chock-full of excellent pet care providers that would love to care for a client’s pet if their primary sitter is unavailable. Since we have all of the client’s pet care information in our secure database it’s really not necessary for the client to meet with the alternate sitter, however; if the client feels more comfortable with having a meeting with the alternate sitter, we are more than happy to schedule a “Pre-Departure Meeting.” The cost of this meeting is $15, which covers the sitter’s time and expense for driving over to the client’s home.



Do you care for pets that have aggression issues?



If the pet has aggressively bitten someone in the past then no, we cannot provide service. That is too much of a liability issue. If the pet is skittish and maybe just growls around those he doesn’t know, then we will be happy to work with the client to see if a pet care plan can be designed that works. Our sitter will interview the client and the pet to determine if this is possible. If additional visits are necessary to socialize the pet with our pet care provider then the client needs to be present at all visits and pay the normal service fee until socialized. If at any time our pet sitter or pet owner feels that it is unsafe to perform a service, we will reserve the right to discontinue service without notice.



Do you administer medication?



Yes, we have many sitters that have experience giving medication to pets. We can administer orally, and also have experience with insulin shots, IVs, and eye/ear drops.



How do the pet care professionals discipline the pets?



VIPets believes in positive reinforcement ONLY for the pets in our care. We will never hit, spank, slap, yank the leash, yell, shock, or grab your pet. If there is a disciplinary problem, i.e. toilet training issues, running away, etc., we inform our client of the incident(s), and together we work out a solution.



What happens if a pet becomes ill and the client is out of town or unable to leave work?



If we suspect that something is wrong with a pet, we will call you at the emergency phone numbers we have on file. If the client believes the veterinarian should see the pet, we will transport him to the veterinarian’s office for examination and treatment. In the event we cannot reach the client, we will decide if the veterinarian should see your pet. If necessary, we will take your pet for treatment. You will be billed for any extra time we spend on these services.



about vipets questions



What does it mean that you are bonded and insured?



A dishonesty bond gives you peace of mind that you will be reimbursed if anything is stolen from your home. Anyone that has workers enter their home should be sure that they have a dishonesty bond. We also carry a liability insurance policy that protects from financial loss in the event that we were liable for accidents that occur while caring for our client’s pets. Any responsible, professional business should carry liability insurance. We are happy to provide our clients with proof of insurance and our bond. We can easily email them a copy of our certificates.



What type of clients do you work with?



We work with pet owners who are searching for top-quality pet care and true peace of mind while they travel or when they have to leave their pets for long hours due to work or other obligations.



How are you different from other pet sitting services?



I have put my heart and soul into creating an extraordinary pet care service that truly provides pet owners with peace of mind that their pets and their homes are being well cared for in their absence. I created VIPets Peace of Mind Blueprint to ensure that every one of our clients receives the BEST possible service and overall experience. Each step in our Blueprint is what sets us apart.



What is the "VIPets Peace of Mind Blueprint?"



Our all-time goal is to provide our clients with the peace of mind that they know their pets and their home are in the best possible hands. We want our clients to leave their homes confident that their pet is receiving the love, attention, and exercise that they deserve. We accomplish this by following our Peace of Mind Blueprint.


The 10 steps are:

– Professionalism

– Reasonable and Competitive Rates

– Customized Services

– Safety

– First-Rate Staff

– Experience and Educational Development

– Technology and Convenience

– Unsurpassed Personal Service with Outstanding Communication

– Follow-Up

– Genuine Love of Animals



Tell me about your hiring process of the pet sitters



First, we employ ONLY dedicated pet care professionals. Not the high school kid trying to make extra cash. We work with sitters who have practical experience in the pet care field and view their time with VIPets as part of their career path.


Second, we run an extensive screening process, which includes a face-to-face interview, followed by reference checks, followed by a complete background check. All sitters are then hired on a trial basis until we have followed up with enough clients to ensure that they are an excellent fit for VIPets. All sitters employed by VIPets promise to abide by and sign our Code of Ethics.



you seem to have a very large staff of pet sitters. How is it possible to ensure that they are all keeping up with the standards of vipets?



All VIPets sitters attend an orientation where they learn about the standards of VIPets and the procedures that we follow to put our Peace of Mind Blueprint into action. They then work very closely with the office the first month to ensure that they understand and that they are following proper protocol. The sitters also have daily communication with the office and their clients and are required to check off their visits on our secure database at the completion of their day. This allows the office to confirm that each pet was visited by their pet care provider. We always follow up with our clients to make sure that their pet sitter is up to snuff.



how do you handle all of your client's keys? you must have a ton!



Actually, we don't. The only client keys that we keep are for those that use VIPets on a continuous, weekly basis. Otherwise, the keys remain in control of the owner. I strongly believe in this. I think it is the safest option.


Note: VIPets will not be held responsible for keys that a client asks a sitter to keep on file.



so, if you don't keep their keys on file, how do the sitters access the homes?



We have a few options for key exchange. My personal favorite is using a lockbox. It makes it so easy and is super safe! The client can purchase one from any hardware store. The client leaves the lockbox on a door or other secure location of their choosing. When their sitter arrives, they remove the key and hold onto that for the duration of their visit. Then the sitter returns the key to the lockbox at the end of each visit. The client can then remove the lockbox when they return home. Or keep it in the location at all times.


If the lockbox isn't a good fit for them, they can also leave a key hidden in a pre-determined location or schedule the key pick-up and drop-off service, which is $15 each way.


CALL US - (505) 986-8004



Serving the Santa Fe, NM and surrounding area.