Yes. Dori Tails LLC is a Limited Liability Company, holds a City of Chicago Business License, and Care Team members are bonded and insured through Business Insurers of the Carolinas. This protects you against theft, accidents, property damage, injury or loss of your pet, etc.
We take security and privacy very seriously. To this end, all Care Team members have been background-checked and are bonded and insured through Business Insurers of the Carolinas.
Owner and Head Tail Wagger Dorian Taylor is a Certified Professional Pet Sitter® and hold certifications in Dog, Cat and Bird First Aid, Dog and Cat CPCR, and the care of several species. She has also been certified in Health and Sanitation, as well as in Disaster Preparedness. Click here to see all of Dori’s certifications.
We have specific policies regarding security and privacy. Please click these links to read our policies re: Keys and Home Access, Security Cameras, and Security and Privacy
We have a separate Privacy Policy that discloses how this website uses and safeguards your information. Click here to read our Privacy Policy.
On hot days, we provide water breaks and keep to shaded areas, and on cold days we will keep moving. However, if your dog shows signs of distress, we will quickly “take care of business” and then come inside for playtime. We do walks in snow and rain as long as conditions are not dangerous (lightning, high winds, blizzard conditions, etc.). Please remember to leave a towel out to dry your dog when wet.
How short of a notice are we talking about? Please keep in mind that a Virtual Meet & Greet and an In-Person Meet & Greet are required before New Clients can schedule services, and that Services must be scheduled at least 48 hours in advance. For established clients, you must contact us using the Chat feature in your Time To Pet Client Portal, and availability is not guaranteed. Please click here to read the rest of our policies about Booking Requests.
All bookings are paid for in advance, just like you would do if you were reserving a hotel room. Please click here to read all of our payment policies.
We use your booking to plan availability for all of our clients. When you book our services, we reserve exclusive time for you and your pets and have likely turned away other clients during your scheduled time. Therefore, the following cancellation policy applies to the entire balance of the booking:
Daily Walks and Drop-in Visits (weekly/recurring clients only):
- Must be canceled by Noon the day before, in order to receive credit toward your next invoice.
- 2 weeks notice is required to stop service.
Periodic Walks, Periodic Drop-in Visits, and Overnight Care (non-holiday bookings only):
More than 7 days notice: 50% refund. 4-6 days notice: 25% refund. 3 or fewer days notice: no refund.
Periodic Walks, Periodic Drop-in Visits, and Overnight Care (holiday bookings only):
More than 2 weeks notice: 50% refund. 7-14 days notice: 25% refund. 7 or fewer days notice: no refund.
Dori Tails only offers in-your-home pet sitting services, which means that we come to your home to take care of your pets. This is usually a better option than taking your pets to a kennel because many pets suffer from anxiety when taken to an unfamiliar place. When you choose to hire a pet sitter, your pets get to stay in a comfortable and familiar environment. Additionally, they get to maintain their regular routine and are not exposed to any potential illnesses.
We are trained in Pet First Aid for several species as well as CPCR for Dogs and Cats, so if something happens, we know how to ensure that your pet(s) will be taken care of. Click here to read our emergency policies.
Business hours are 9 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday, and we are also available for evening/weekend Meet & Greet sessions. Please see the individual service pages (Dog Walking, Drop-in Visits and Overnight Care) for service hours.
You will receive a post-visit (or daily, in the case of Overnight Care) report from the Time to Pet app, including:
- Time-tracking data
- GPS route data for Walks
- GPS begin/end location data for Drop-ins, and Overnight Care
- Potty breaks, food, and water info
- Medications given
- Pet behavior and energy levels
- Notes about pet tasks completed
- Specialized task notes for Exotic Pets
- Photos of your pet(s) taken during the visit
- Notes about household tasks completed for Overnight Care
No. We will provide positive reinforcement as per your training guidelines, but our main priority is to ensure the safety and happiness of your pet. In the case of any behavioral issues, we will inform you, and work with you to cope with them.
We include minor household tasks, such as bringing in your mail/packages, watering plants, and taking out trash/recycling during Overnight Care. Your primary Care Team member will leave your house the same way they found it on the final day, which means that they will clean up after themselves before they leave. We ask that you please leave your home clean prior to leaving for your trip, including litterboxes (if any). We do not offer any non-pet-related house-sitting (or house-cleaning) services.
We ask that our Care Team members will be the only people entrusted with the responsibility of taking care of your pet(s) while you are away. If other people will be allowed in your home during the times that we will be providing services, whether for pet care or other reasons, you are required to notify us in advance of the visit of everyone who has been granted access to your home during the service period. This is for the safety and security of our Care Team, as well as your pets and your home. Please click here to read the rest of our visit policies.
We do not offer “Constant Care” (24 hours of exclusive care in your home, during which the Care Team member never leaves for any reason).
Instead, we offer Overnight Care (12 hours of exclusive overnight care in your home, followed by 12 hours of priority daytime care in your home). There may be times that the Care Team member will need to leave to attend to other clients, or to run errands. However, we will ensure that your pet(s) will never be alone for more than 5 hours at a time, that they maintain their regular feeding and other routines, and that they receive ample amounts of attention and care.
