FAQs
Below is a list of the most frequently asked questions which we hope will help make your decisions easier before you even make the first contact with us! If you have any further questions not found below, please don't hesitate to reach out via the contact form.
Have you got insurance coverage?
Absolutely! We have an insurance policy with Cliverton which provides specialist insurance coverage to animal-related trades, rural and equestrian businesses, farms, and smallholdings
What about a Basic Disclosure/DBS check?
Yip! I have a Basic Disclosure Scotland Certificate as well. Both the Basic Disclosure Certificate and Insurance Documents are available to view at your FREE Meet & Greet session.
Do you offer Group Walks or Solo Walks for dogs?
I offer a majority of Solo Walks for dogs as I tend to work a lot with dogs who may have some challenging behaviors, the elderly, or dogs with extra medical needs. This allows me to focus my attention appropriately and ensure they get 1-2-1 dedicated care. The only group walks I tend to offer are socializing walks for young dogs with other compatible clients at the client's discretion OR dogs from the same household.
How many dogs do you walk at once?
No more than 3 dogs at once and all must be from the same household. The exception is for dogs <1yr old who may be walked with other clients at both owner's discretion or my own young dog to help with socialization needs. If you have more than 3 dogs in one household, I will split the walking time between them eg 4 dogs would be walked two at a time.
Do you care for other pets?
Heck yes! I love all animals and with my veterinary nurse assistant background and animal rescue volunteering work, I have a broad range of experience with a variety of animals from small mammals to reptiles, horses, cats, and even birds.
Do you offer boarding or daycare?
I currently do not offer either service in my own home, I chose not to obtain a license for the time being as I have two elderly dogs myself, neither of which, in their advancing years, enjoy the changeable nature of clients in and out all day or new animals coming to stay. This is a service we DO hope to offer sometime in the future.
In saying that I have a new service: "Your Home Daycare" where I will come and spend a half day or a full day with your pets at your home, playing, stimulating, feeding, walking, and socializing as required as well.
Do I need to be home when you come to dog walk or pet sit/daycare?
Not at all. You absolutely can be, that's no problem at all, however, most clients will have a spare key cut for me to use to let myself in as needed to pick up your dog for their walk, or to do a drop-in session and care for animals.
Will you walk unneutered dogs or bitches in season?
For bitches in season we prefer to alter the agreement for the short time your dog is alluring to unneutered males as a precaution against offlead dog entanglements and hormone-fueled chaos. This is for both dog safety, my own, and that of the public in general. The preference is to offer drop-ins and garden time as much as possible with plenty of mental stimulation to make up for the reduced walking times.
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I will walk unneutered dogs and bitches (not in season).
Do you allow the dogs offlead?
This may come as a surprise, but our preference is NOT to do offlead walking for many reasons I'm more than happy to discuss this in person at our Meet & Greet but generally it boils down to Pet Safety. I do however utilise long-line dog walking as often as possible, from 5m lines to 15m lines which gives your dog more than ample room to run, play, and explore without the added risks of offlead.
How can I pay for your services?
There are two ways to pay: Cash or BACS (bank transfer)
Dog Walking Paid : Either on the day, weekly, or monthly pre-pay.
Drop Ins Paid : either on the day, weekly, or monthly pre-pay.
Pet Sitting Paid : 50% deposit at the time of booking, remaining fee 1 week prior to sit.
Your Home Daycare Paid : either on the day, weekly, or monthly pre-pay.
Weekend Adventures Paid : on the day.
Pupdates Paid : on the day.
Do you work in all weather?
Come rain or shine, snow, wind... we have our boots on and ready to go, however, in extreme adverse weather that can prove dangerous to your pet's safety or my own, I may defer a service such as in extreme heat that could cause heat stroke, flash flooding, gale force winds/storms, blizzard conditions that make walking or driving treacherous.
What should I do if I need to cancel?
A week's notice period is required for pre-paid dog walking or drop-in sessions for a full refund, for those pay-as-you-go clients, 48 hours ' notice would be preferred.
60 days or more notice prior to your booked dates is required for all Pet Sitting Bookings & Wedding Chaperone Packages to be eligible for a FULL refund of your deposit.
30-59 days prior to your Pet Sitting Bookings & Wedding Chaperone Packages is required for a 50% refund of your deposit.
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Your deposit will be retained in full for any cancellations less than 30 days before your booked dates.
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We will always do our best to rearrange dates where possible if needed.
How much do you charge?
At Hike On! we try to provide a range of services to fit our client's needs, be it Dog Walking, Pet Sitting, Drop-Ins, Daycare (in your home) as well as a few extras!
You can find our full list of day-to-day services on our Services & Testimonial page.
Services & Testimonials | Hike On Pet Services
You can also find our range of package offers for Wedding Chaperone Services on our dedicated pages as well!
Wedding Chaperone | Hike On Pet Services
