Our Policy on Policies
Patriotic Paws Dog Walking terms and conditions and policies were built with a purpose – to protect your pets, your pet sitter, and the company.

We will bend over backwards to provide the best pet care but we can not bend on our policies, rates, or terms and conditions in the contract.

Scheduling and Communications Policy
All scheduling and messaging is done in the online portal or app. We do not accept bookings by texts or booking direct with the dog walkers. We do not allow clients and walkers to exchange numbers or email addresses.

It is best to update your schedule by Saturday for the upcoming work week. We finalize the weekly staff schedule on Sunday.

We recommend scheduling in advance. Same day requests are difficult to squeeze in. We’ve had to turn bookings down before and it’s something we never want to do. Please book early!

Scheduling is done in time blocks. We do not book exact times.

We Work as a Team

We do not guarantee that you will have the same walker on any given day. You are hiring the company and not a specific walker. We rotate shifts as needed.

Cancellation policy
The cancellation policy is as follows and will be enforced to cover administrative time and expense.

1) Pet sitting must be canceled 48 hours in advance to receive a credit or refund. Cancellations within 48 hours will be billed at the regular rate.

2) Clients who leave late or return early from a trip early will not receive a refund for canceled services. A credit may be given for cancellations more than 48 hours in advance.

3) For dog walking clients services must be canceled by 1 am on the day of service to avoid a 50% cancellation fee.

4) The cancellation policy will be enforced to cover administrative time and expense. Please understand that the Company’s team made time for your visits and may have turned other people down to allow time for your pets.

5) If you do not cancel and we show up you will be charged the full price of service.

Key Policy
We require two key copies and a lock box. During the consultation we will provide a lock box for one set of keys to be placed at your property and a duplicate copy will be kept at the office as a backup. For keys that cannot be duplicated we still require the use of a lock box. If your building prohibits a lock box we will work with you directly for a solution. You may provide your own lock box. We cannot be responsible for keys hidden under a mat or rock.

Will I receive a refund if I leave later than expected or return early?

No, please understand that we have made time for your visits and may have turned other people down to allow time for your pets. We appreciate your understanding in this matter. We are unable to provide refunds.

What are your holiday policies?
We are closed on the following holidays. New Years Eve, New Year’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, The Day After Thanksgiving/Native American Heritage Day, Christmas Eve (all day), Christmas Day. Our pet caregivers will be taking time away from their loved ones on these special days to care for your loved one. We also will close for large events like the inauguration.

We are open on certain holidays to service those who still report to work or need help. We are open Martin Luther King Day, Washington’s Birthday, Indigenous People’s Day, Juneteenth, and Veterans Day. We may reevaluate these holidays based on demand.

Lockout Service Charge
In the event you are traveling and haven’t given us a working key or a door code we offer lock out service starting at $450. This is the estimated cost to have a locksmith come if your pets are home alone and need care. We have never been in this situation and if you follow our key policy this should never happen.

Pet Taxi
We very rarely have time to offer a pet taxi service. If we are available we will drive your pet to and from an appointment starting at $25/each way. Additional charges apply for waiting.

Key Return Fee
In case you discontinue our services, we will pick up the lock box and return your keys. The fee will be $5. If you need the keys to be dropped off, we can arrange that as well for a $25 fee.

Severe Weather Service Changes
If the Federal Government or Wmata close we will plan to close for daytime walks. We will reach out to all scheduled pet parents to learn discuss if arrangements are still needed or not. We have found that if the weather is bad most DC residents will telework or have the day off and get to stay home and a walk is no longer needed. If a severe snowstorm is upon us and you have a pet sitting scheduled we may need to arrive early to ensure that we can get to your pets to provide service. Please make arrangements to shovel your driveway and/or sidewalk as we are unable to assist.

In the winter we typically requests the name and phone number of a trusted neighbor who may provide care if we are unable to reach you.