Frequently asked questions

100% guaranteed! Every greenPAWSchicago client has a dedicated pet care specialist; we don’t have a revolving door of people coming to your home. That said, people get sick, take days off, go on vacation, etc. So we have your primary pet care specialist train a back-up PCS whom we designate. Also, in the event that neither your primary pet care specialist nor their back-up PCS are available (unlikely), one of our office team members will always fulfil every visit. This double redundancy approach exemplifies and is embodied in everything we do here at greenPAWSchicago because your peace of mind, along with your furbabies’ wellbeing, is of utmost importance to us.

Consistency is psychologically important for cats and dogs alike. Not only is that what’s best for your pets, but it’s also important for people to have a routine, too. As such, we want each of our pet care specialists to be completely familiar with your instructions, your pet’s needs and habits, and the specific routine you want us to follow on each and every visit. All of this is why, unlike many other in-home pet care providers here in the city, greenPAWSchicago pairs each client with a primary pet care specialist. That said, people do get sick, take days off, go on vacation, etc. Accordingly, we have your primary pet care specialist train a back-up PCS whom we designate. Also, in the event that neither your primary pet care specialist nor their back-up PCS are available (unlikely), one of our office team members will always fulfil every visit. This double redundancy approach exemplifies and is embodied in everything we do here at greenPAWSchicago because your peace of mind, along with your furbabies’ wellbeing, is of utmost importance to us.

While every client at greenPAWSchicago has a primary pet care specialists (PCS), we understand that people get sick, take days off, go on vacation, etc. Accordingly, we have your primary pet care specialist train a back-up PCS whom we designate. Also, in the event that neither your primary pet care specialist nor their back-up PCS are available (unlikely), one of our office team members will always fulfil every visit. This double redundancy approach exemplifies and is embodied in everything we do here at greenPAWSchicago because your peace of mind, along with your furbabies’ wellbeing, is of utmost importance to us.

After each visit, you will receive a “Pupdate” with a “Repurrt Card” as well as a note from your pet care specialist and pictures and/or video(s) from the visit. These will come to you through our software system, Time To Pet. Since nowadays we all have our phones on us, we recommend that you download the native iOS/Android app from your phone’s respective app store. The Time To Pet is free to download and free for you to use (we pay the costs). This way, you will receive your post-visit reports 24/7 no matter whether you’re at work, out shopping, or vacationing on the beach. Additionally, Time To Pet has a browser-based Client Portal, so if you’re more comfortable receiving visit reports on a laptop or desktop, the portal may be reached using the same email address and password you use to log-in to the app.

We use a software system called Time To Pet that’s specifically made for in-home pet care services, and you’ll be receiving reports after every dog walk, cat visit, and throughout your in-home sitting through the Time To Pet platform. Time To Pet has both a free Client Mobile app (native to both iOS and Android) and a browser-based Client Portal and you can receive your post-visit messages (which we call a “Pupdate” or “Repurrt Card”) through your greenPAWSchicago account on either of those. With each report you’ll a note from your pet care specialist with pictures and/or video(s) from each visit.

We do require all clients to go through our quick onboarding process [add link here to the infographic]. But once you’ve had your in-person meet-and-greet, you may book both as far in advance as you like as well as place last-minute scheduling requests. Because all irregularly scheduled (vs. recurring visits we’ve set-up on a template) require us to communicate with staff to arrange coverage, we do charge a fee for late bookings.

Cats and dogs alike need mental stimulation. greenPAWSchicago offers plenty of stimulation for both canine and feline furbabies through a combination of indoor play for cats and enrichment walks for dogs. For cats, this can include feather toys, climbing structures, and laser pointers. You’ll find more about mental enrichment for your cat in our blog post “Is Your Cat’s Zoomies Behavior a Sign of Stress? Here’s How to Tell!” For dogs, people often think about distance as the primary focus, but enrichment activities involve allowing your pup to use their natural senses, especially their sense of smell, to stimulate their brain and body. Activities can include puzzle toys, nose work, flirt pole work, and scent bubbles! Veterinarians and canine behaviorists tell us that 20 minutes of sniffing is equal to about an hour-long walk in terms of mental stimulation. With nose work and other scent-related activities, your dog exercises both their mind and their body! Including enrichment activities with your dog’s regular walks benefits their mental and physical health as they age over time. And older pups who may not be able to handle as much physical activity can still enjoy enrichment activities that will benefit them just as much as longer walks did when they were younger pups!

Absolutely! We tailor every service we provide specifically for your furbaby. If your pup needs a few walks or socialization sessions to feel comfortable with your pet care specialist, we are happy to figure out a plan for you! During your virtual meet-and-greet, we will go over every detail about your home and your furbaby to ensure we have all the necessary information to begin services. And we review all of the information and instructions that you provide us with your PCS to ensure they’re following the directions you’ve provided us to the letter.

We ask that all requests for new visits, requests to move a visit, and requests to cancel a visit go through the scheduling section of your Time To Pet account. You may do this from either the browser-based Client Portal or from the Client Mobile App you’ve downloaded onto your Android or iOS phone. The only exception to this is that we do ask for same-day requests to be submitted to us via message through Time To Pet’s private messages channel that comes directly to the office team here at greenPAWSchicago.

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