Paw Pals Pet Sitting provides pet sitting and other valuable services to pet owners in Northern Virginia. The services that we offer are helpful for pet owners who deeply care about their pets and do not want to put them through pet boarding when they are away. We strive to offer the absolute “Best Care for your Best Friend” in the area. Our pet sitting services are flexible and can be adjusted to fit the schedules of even the busiest pet owner. Each of the Paw Pals Pet Sitting team members are trained and certified professionals who will guarantee that your pets will receive an exceptional level of care.
Vacation Pet Sitting Services
Paw Pals is happy to provide Non-Overnight Vacation Visits service at a pet owner’s house. Our Overnight Pet & House Sitting service consists of where a pet sitter stays at a pet owner’s residence for 12 hours at a time. Our Bed & Biscuit service allows a pet to stay at one of our pet sitters. Each of these services can be paired with our House Sitting and Garden Watering service where our pet sitters can look after a home when the owners are away.
All of Paw Pals Pet Sitting services include:
- Walks, playtime attention and affection, brushing, treats
- Fresh food and water during each scheduled visit
- Clean litter box for cats
- Cage cleaning for animals who need it
- Medication administration
Please take a look at our Pet Sitting Rates and Prices for more information on our pet sitting services.
Vacation Visits (Non-Overnight)
Paw Pals pet sitters love to help keep your pets happy in their regular routines while their owners are away. We guarantee highly professional pet care for when you travel or are unable to be at home, and we always aim for eliminating any stress for both you and your pets. While we take care of your pets, our pet sitters are able to take care of minor household tasks while you are away to help provide security and make it appear as if you were still home. This includes bringing in papers and mail, alternating lights, opening and closing blinds, and watering gardens or houseplants.
For the wellbeing of your pets based on the duration of visits, dogs will require at least 3 visits per day and cats will require at least one visit every 24 hours. Homes with both dogs and cats will usually be charged only the dog visit rate. As our pet sitters are reasonably able to take care of most pets, homes with only birds or smaller pets such as rabbits, guinea pigs, and fish will usually be charged the kitty visit rate. Otherwise, these pets can usually be cared for at no additional charge at the dog or cat rate.
Overnight Pet Sitting & House Sitting
One of Paw Pals pet sitters can stay at your house with your pets overnight to keep them company. Overnight stays in a home are always for 12 hour periods and begin when our sitters arrive between 7 and 10 PM. Two 30 minute walks for your pets are included in the evening and in the morning of the overnight stay. If any additional mid-day visits are needed, these can be scheduled as well. Please get in touch with us at least two weeks or more beforehand because this service is subject to the availability of our sitters.
Overnight Pet Sitting at a Pet Sitter’s Home (Bed & Biscuit)
Your well-behaved dogs may stay overnight at a Paw Pals pet sitter’s home based on our availability. Each stay is for 24 hours, and includes three walks a day, feeding, a comfy bed, and plenty of affection and attention. For a pet to qualify, they needs to be social, friendly, house trained, and up to date on all shots as well as flea and tick medication.
Each stay is highly personalized to allow as close to the same routine as possible. Pets are treated as part of the family when they stay with one of our pet loving sitters. Additional fees may be assessed if the sitter picks up or drops off your pets, and if you are interested in this please take a look at our Pet Taxi service.
Cat Sitting (The Cat’s Meow)
If your pets only include cats, Paw Pals pet sitters are ready to come to your home to give them the attention, food, and supplies they need. Our Cat’s Meow service includes playtime attention, brushing, treats, fresh food and water, litter box cleaning, and medication administration. The options for visits include:
15 minute visits (1-3 visits daily)
When your 1-to 2 cats just need a quick check and a pat for reassurance while you are away.
30 minute visits (1-3 visits daily)
When your 1 to 2 mature and less active cats need some TLC during the day.
45 minute visits (1-3 visits daily)
When your 1 to 4 younger and more active cats need some extra daytime play, attention, and affection.
60 minute visits (1-3 visits daily)
This longer visit would normally be for when there are multiple cats in your home. We want to make sure we can give enough playtime for the younger cats and quality attention and affection to the more mature cats.
Supplemental Pet Sitting Services
Paw Pals offers some additional Pet Sitting services which pet owners can utilize when they are unable or unavailable to take care of certain tasks. These include:
Pet Supply Pick-up (Go Fetch!)
Whether you are too busy or if you are out of town, Paw Pals pet sitters can make the trip to buy pet supplies when you can not. We can get the food, litter, and other pet supplies to take care of any of your pets. We will shop at the nearest pet store, unless requested to go to a particular speciality store which may cost more depending on the store’s distance from your house.
Pet Transportation / Pet Taxi Service
Paw Pals Pet Taxi service helps our clients to better manage their time and everything else life is throwing at them. Our Pet Taxi services allow our clients to perform their personal or professional obligations without having to worry about taking off work or not being able to take a pet to places such as the groomer or the vet. We can safely transport up to two of your pets to any location they need to get to in our service area. Our experienced pet sitters can remain with your pet throughout their vet visit to give them positive reassurance and loving attention. For these kinds of visits, Paw Pals requires our clients to make payment arrangements with their vet or groomer prior to our arrival, and we also must require that our clients are reachable for any decision-making that needs to occur during the vet visit.
Pet Medication Administration
Your Paw Pals pet sitter is trained in administering various forms of medication. Most of the time, your pets will take the medication willingly or with slight coaxing, and there will not be an additional charge if pet medication is administered with a treat or hidden inside food. Some medications such as injections and subcutaneous fluids, however, require more expertise and therefore require an additional charge.
Pet Waste Removal (Poopie Patrol)
We understand that there may be any number of reasons why you would need someone else to get rid of pet waste (pet poop) for you. While our Paw Paws sitters are performing any of other other responsibilities, they can also be around to clean up pet waste in the home or in the back yard. This is available by appointment and can be a stand-alone visit, or as an addition to a regular pet sitting or walking visit.
House Sitting / Garden Watering
If you do or do not have any pets, and you want your house taken care of while you are away, our pet sitters can visit your home once or twice a day to take care of the minor household tasks that you would like to be taken care of. Additionally, we are able to water your gardens or houseplants. This service can be added onto either House Sitting or Pet Sitting visits. If you want to have your home more secure by appearing that someone is home, our pet sitters are able to perform crime-deterring measures, including the following:
- Bringing in papers, mail, and packages
- Watering gardens or houseplants
- Feeding fish and refilling bird feeders
- Opening/Closing blinds
- Alternating lights
- Taking out/Bringing in trash and recycling
Pet Sitting Service Policies
We have a few important policies and procedures for various situations, including but not limited to:
Safety First!
When providing care for pets, we ensure that our team members are trained and certified to account for your pet’s overall safety our care. That is why each and every one of our professional pet sitters is PetTech PetSaver First Aid and CPR certified, and must be recertified every two years to remain current with the best practices that may lead to saving a pet’s life. Unlike most other dog walkers and pet sitters in the area, Paw Pals can perform insulin injections as part of our Medication Administration services. Every Paw Pals pet sitter is a pet lover at heart who will be invested in making every attempt to provide the ideal amount of love, attention, and affection while their owners are away that you should expect from the best.
New Client Setup / Meet & Greet
Before a new client is able to obtain any of our pet sitting and dog walking services, you can expect Paw Pals we will need to come to your home to “Meet and Greet” you and all of your pets. We will discuss your needs, and evaluate your pet’s temperament and behavior, and to ensure they are eligible candidates for our pet sitting or dog walking services. We also use this as an opportunity for you to explain and show us your pet’s routine, and for us to complete all the paperwork and go over our policies and procedures. However, you are under no obligation to obtain services as a result of this visit, and we reserve the right to refuse service if a pet is not a good candidate for our services.
Reservations
Reservations, including all service visit requests, are to be made as soon as possible on our website. If you have not received a confirmation email within 24 hours, please contact Paw Pals Pet Sitters immediately through giving us call or sending us an email or to make sure your request has been received. It is important to never assume that your request has been received and scheduled if a confirmation notice has not been given. For major holidays, requests should be made at least 2 weeks in advance to guarantee the availability of our sitters during these busy times.
Late Bookings
We understand that not everything happens as planned. If you attempt to book any of our services with less than 24 hours’ notice, there may be a $10.00 visit surcharge if we can accommodate the request.
Inclement Weather
During severe inclement weather, a $10.00 weather surcharge may apply. This policy generally coincides with Fairfax County Schools being closed or if the government is shut down.