Wags-n-Whiskers is insured, bonded, and brings over a decade of experience. We love your animals like we do our own and strive to provide the highest quality of care. You can expect regular updates and photos that give you peace of mind.

Our pet sitters are rigorously interviewed, screened—including a background check—and trained based on carefully prepared guidelines, so you can rest assured knowing the professional in your home is one of the best.

Should an emergency arise that prevents your scheduled pet sitter from making it to your home, a backup will be provided, so your pet will never be left without care.

Yes! We are fully insured and bonded through Business Insurers of the Carolinas.

We service San Mateo through Palo Alto, CA, including:

• San Mateo
• Belmont
• Redwood City
• San Carlos
• Emerald Hills
• Menlo Park
• Atherton
• Palo Alto
• Stanford

Currently we only accept ACH/Wire, Cash, or Checks. Soon, we will be accepting all major credit cards.

Wags-n-Whiskers offers Dog Walking and Drop-In Pet Sitting Services.

Dog Walking: Choose this service for Monday–Friday dog walking services only. These walks range from 30 – 60 minutes and can be performed anywhere from one to three times per day. This service does not include: feeding, caring for other pets, or home-sitting services. If you are going out of town, please choose our drop-in service.

Drop-Ins: Travelers choose this service for pet and home care. This service can include care for cats, dogs, fish, and other small animals. Drop-in services can also include dog walks, pet feeding, pet playtime, litterbox cleaning, small cage or tank cleaning, and general house-sitting services (mail and package collection, plant watering, etc.), as long as these tasks can fit into the agreed-upon visit length.

Our most common clientele include dogs, cats, and horses. We’re happy to provide services for most critters as long as they don’t pose a danger to our employees. We cannot care for pets with a bite history or history of attacking other animals or people.

Thank you for asking! Wags-n-Whiskers is almost always 100% booked. This means last-minute cancellations are hard on us and often result in lost business. As such, we have the following cancellation policy in place:

Any stays/visits cancelled less than 48 hours before the scheduled booking starts are non-refundable. Client is still liable for the full amount of the booking. Any stays/visits cancelled less than 7 days prior to the start of the scheduled booking will be refunded 50%. Any stays/visits cancelled more than 7 days prior to the scheduled booking will be fully refunded.

Visits scheduled during the months of November, December, and January must be cancelled 30 days before the start of the booking to receive a refund. Cancellations made less than 30 days before the start of a booking scheduled in November, December, or January will not be refunded.

Cancellations must be stated in writing via email to: caroline@wagsnwhiskers.pet

Yes!

Holiday visits are charged an additional fee. There is an additional $15 charge per dog walk during holiday periods and an additional $10 charge per drop-in visit during holiday periods. We appreciate your understanding, as this helps us reward our pet sitters who are willing to spend their holiday time with your pets.

Holidays fees are charged during the following periods:

• Christmas/New Year’s: December 23 – January 2
• Martin Luther King Junior Weekend: Friday through Monday of holiday weekend
• Easter Weekend: Friday through Monday of holiday weekend
• Memorial Day Weekend: Friday through Monday of holiday weekend
• Fourth of July: July 3 – July 5
• Labor Day Weekend: Friday through Monday of holiday weekend
• Columbus/Indigenous People’s Day: Friday through Monday of holiday weekend
• Thanksgiving: Wednesday through Sunday of holiday week, encompassing Thanksgiving on that Thursday

We look forward to spending the holidays with your pets!

Please Contact Us as soon as possible so your sitter doesn’t stop by while you’re at home. We cannot provide refunds in instances where clients leave later than planned or come home early.

To ensure every visit is performed with utmost quality and that no one sitter is overbooked, scheduling must be done through Wags-n-Whiskers directly.

Please note: Under no circumstances is a client permitted to retain services directly by a Wags-n-Whiskers employee. All bookings and payments must be done directly through Wags-n-Whiskers. No bookings or payments shall be made directly to an employee of Wags-n-Whiskers. Should Client retain services directly with an employee of Wags-n-Whiskers at any time, Wags-n-Whiskers is entitled to a $500 placement fee.

Wags-n-Whiskers is fully team based. This means we utilize our full list of professional, vetted, and trained pet sitters at all times. Our main goal is to provide you with the outstanding care you need, no matter who your sitter is. 

While it's our preference to use the same sitter for any one set of dates, sometimes multiple sitters will step in depending on the team calendar and our staff's availability. Sitters can also vary between sets of dates.

If you have an exceptionally shy, reactive, or fearful animal, please let us know and we will do our best to provide the same sitter each time.

In order to provide our clients and their pets with the most reliable service, Wags-n-Whiskers requires that each client uses a key storage lock box to hold a minimum of two keys, or two sets of keys, to their residence. Two are necessary in order to ensure that a backup key is always available in case one breaks or becomes lost. The storage box must have a combination code access and we recommend one with at least four digits.

The use of a secure lock box provides you with the peace of mind that your key will always be at your home and secure.

It is important to provide at least two identical keys (or two sets of keys) inside of the lockbox. A backup set is necessary in case a key breaks or if your pet professional accidentally becomes locked out of your residence. Should this occur and you have not provided us with a backup key(s), we will be required to call a locksmith and there is a minimum $125 fee for this service – as well as for the time the sitter must remain with your pet(s). Costs are subject to increase during holidays and weekends.

Please remember to test all of the keys to ensure that they work properly prior to placing them into your lockbox.

We realize that some clients may not be able to have a lockbox. If you cannot for any reason, please Contact Us so that we can make other arrangements for you.

We will stop by in the general times of day requested by clients, which include morning, midday, and evening. Flexibility is required to ensure we can accommodate everyone’s pets in our busy schedule.

Visit times are the following unless a specific time is agreed upon in advance:

Morning Visits – will occur between 6am - 10am
Midday Visits – will occur between 11am - 3pm
Evening Visits – will occur between 4pm - 8pm

Any visits required to be performed before 8am or after 6pm on weekdays and before 9am or after 5pm on weekends are subject to an additional 25% fee per visit.

If your pet requires medication at specific times, please Contact Us so we can schedule accordingly.

Please provide ample supplies that cover the time you are away and at least a week beyond that, including pet food, treats, poop bags, medication, and any other necessary supplies.

In the event that a supply runs out, we will notify you first so you are aware and can tell us if extra supplies are stored somewhere in the house. If your pet sitter is required to buy supplies, you will be charged the cost of goods plus an additional $50 fee.