Terms of Service Agreement

In accordance with the current labor laws in the State of California, Visiting Animal Friends limits our house sits and pet sits to 5 consecutive days of work, maximum, per employee. For pet sit jobs that exceed 5 days we expressly acknowledge that there will be more than one animal caretaker who takes on your animal’s care shifts to ensure quality, prevent unnecessary costs, and most importantly prevent burnout in our workers that way we are communicative and dedicated to care for your pets and our greater mission as an organization to improve the quality of relationships between people and animals.

We believe that animals can teach us so much. They teach us patience, loyalty, how to rest, love, care, respect, understanding, support, and strength. Even during busy vacation and holiday seasons, and times when we have 10-15 animals in our care in one day we do our best to send messages updating pet parents about arrival times. We have a small team of 5 people and are growing. If you know anyone who wants an animal care job please send them our way. :)

Payment for our services is due prior to services being rendered, OR three business days from the date that we confirm your dates for the booking. 

Weekly and monthly recurring clients can select a day of the month when they would like their invoice to be generated or their autopay bill to be charged by submitting an email to visitinganimalmedics@gmail.com with the subject line “Monthly Bill Date”. Once an invoice is generated it is due within 3-5 business days. When a payment is received late a $65 late fee is incurred. Enrollment in autopay prevents late fees under all circumstances.

We are a simple operation and require simple transactions whenever possible unless there are extenuating circumstances. We acknowledge how personal this work is to each of our clients. The best way that you can support our mission and be a good client we want to keep is by understanding our limitations. Please try to come to us with dates with decisiveness to keep our calendaring process as simple as possible. We serve more than 200 families and that number is growing.

Visiting Animal Friends requires that folks agree to the following terms for their house sits:

• Our animal caretakers are available for 2.5 hours of diligent and mindful care per day of your house sit, 1 hour drop in visits or ½ drop in visits. We do not provide refunds under any circumstances, but on a case by case basis with established clients credits for future services can be applied to your animal care account with 48 hours notice.

• Every animal under our care needs to be on a monthly or semi-annual flea and tick preventative with the exception of indoor-only cats. Some people, cats, and dogs have flea allergies and the risk of spreading fleas is high throughout the year especially in the Bay Area. We highly recommend Comfortis and Trifexis for dogs and cats, they are derived from a mushroom and are eaten as a tablet instead of a topical medication often made from petroleum based derivatives.

• We require that all interactions with us and our staff are safe, respectful, communicative, and kind to every one of our staff members. The world is hard enough given circumstances that are completely out of one person’s sphere of control. We provide considerate communication and require it in return from all parties of a family involved in an animal care interaction. 

• VAF’s hours of operation are 7am-8pm even during overnight house sits and we need respect for our sleep hours.

• Privacy during pet sits and house sits. This means absolutely no cameras in bedrooms, bathrooms or rooms where we will be sleeping or staying, and we must be made aware of any cameras in and around the home at the time of the meet and greet. 

We greatly appreciate reviews for our website and tips for our hardworking animal caretakers. If your animal is an emotional support animal or service animal please disclose this at our meet and greet so we can take all of the necessary care precautions and special instructions to ensure your ESA/service animal is thriving and happy, that they may better support you. Cancellation Policy: Cancellations received within 48 hours of the bill’s due date, or the scheduled booking will be charged at full price. Holiday rates may apply on federal holidays.

VAF provides a discount to clients who work in public education, social work, human rights, animal rights, labor rights, social justice or for a grassroots nonprofit. If this is you, let us know!