Policies 

The utmost of care will be given in watching your pet(s). In consideration of these services and as an express condition thereof, the Client expressly waives and relinquishes any and all claims against Talk the Bark, except those arising from negligence of the pet sitter. Client agrees to notify Talk the Bark of any concerns within 48 hours of return. Talk the Bark cannot be held responsible for any mishaps, claims, and/or expenses attributed to the destructive or unpredictable behavior of the Client’s pet(s) that cause damage to the client’s home/property and/or a neighbor’s home/property (i.e, biting, furniture damage, etc.). Nor can they be held liable for injury, disappearance, death, or fines of pet(s) with access to the outdoors. Talk the Bark will be held harmless for complications in administering medications to pet, including accidental injury or death of pet(s).

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Talk the Bark reserves the right to terminate service at any time before or during pet sits, if Talk the Bark, in its sole discretion, determines that the service will pose a health or safety risk to the pet sitter.

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In the event of inclement weather, natural disaster, or national emergency, Talk the Bark is entrusted to use their best judgment in caring for the Client’s pet(s) and make determinations if services must be cancelled. Talk the Bark will be held harmless for consequences related to such decisions.

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Clients must provide a 48hr notification to cancel booked services. Full refunds are available if cancellation was made 48hrs prior to the date of service. Cancellations made 48-1 hour(s) before the scheduled service are nonrefundable*.

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*Except in the event of an emergency, subject to Talk the Bark’s discretion.

 

Although we can’t always guarantee it, we do our best to accommodate any last-minute requests or schedule changes. We know life is busy and plans change but please respect our time as much as we respect yours.

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Limited availability for holidays are available on a first come first served basis . Please schedule all holiday requests with as much advance notice as possible.

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There is a $10 surcharge on all services on the following holidays:

• Memorial Day

• Independence Day

• Labor Day

• Christmas Eve 

• Christmas Day

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There is a $15 surcharge on all services on Thanksgiving Day and New Year’s Day.

NOTE: Same day requests on Holidays are not provided.

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Cameras and video recording devices are a useful tool to keep an eye on pets when left unattended. Talk the Bark respects that decision and understands the necessity. However, we require all cameras to be turned off in areas of privacy (bathrooms and bedrooms in use) for the duration of our services. Devices can be turned back on once services have concluded. If a camera needs to be turned off via an app or other means not available to the pet sitter, clients must turn cameras off for all in-home overnights before the beginning of services. 

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All payments are due before the start of service. You will incur a late fee of $2 per business day until the payment is made. If there are any issues or emergencies that prevents you from paying before the service date, please email talkthebark@gmail.com to avoid any late fees. We accept cash and payments through Wix Wallet, Zelle, PayPal, and Venmo.

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All Clients must provide one set of keys prior to the first day of service or on the date of service. All keys are kept locked and secure when not in use. If you require that your keys be returned to you at the end of every service, keys must be available for every date of service. If the pet sitter cannot locate the key on the day of service, we will make all reasonable attempts to reach you. If we cannot reach you within 15min, the service will be cancelled, and payment shall be nonrefundable.

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In the unlikely event of a medical emergency, your pet will be taken to your veterinarian or the closest veterinary facility if necessary. You will be contacted immediately, but if we are unable to reach you we reserve the right to make medical decisions on your behalf in order to ensure the health and well­being of your pet. Please provide your vet with pre-authorization for your pet sitter to make any medical decisions ONLY when absolutely necessary for the wellbeing of your pet. In addition, please request your veterinarian to store your payment information in their records in the event payment is required before I am able to reach you. Any payment made by Talk the Bark must be 100% reimbursed by the Client. By utilizing Talk the Bark's dog sitting services you consent to allow us to provide your pet with medical attention if necessary and to reimburse any expenses paid. 

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All pets under the care of Talk the Bark must be up-to-date on all their vaccination requirements. Should any employee of Talk the Bark or a third party be bitten or otherwise exposed to any disease or ailment received from a Client’s pet which has not been properly and currently vaccinated, it will be the Client’s responsibility to pay all costs and damages incurred.

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We want to share with you the steps we have and will continue to take to keep you and your pet(s) safe.

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Here are the safety protocols we have in place to prohibit cross-contamination:

• Masks will be worn at ALL times. This includes during commute as well as throughout the workday.

• Hands will be washed before and after each visit.

• Hand sanitizer will be available during the time of service.

• Keys that are picked up and dropped off will be wiped down at the time of return.

• Talk the Bark will be transparent when it comes to COVID-19 exposure, we ask our Clients to do the same.

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Your privacy is important to us. It is Talk the Bark’s policy to respect your privacy regarding any information we may collect from you across our website, www.talkthebark.com, and other sites we own and operate.

 

We only ask for personal information when we truly need it to provide a service to you. We collect it by fair and lawful means, with your knowledge and consent.

 

We only retain collected information for as long as necessary to provide you with your requested service. What data we store, we’ll protect within commercially acceptable means to prevent loss and theft, as well as unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use, or modification.

 

We don’t share any personally identifying information publicly or with third-parties, except when required to by law. Our website may link to external sites that are not operated by us. Please be aware that we have no control over the content and practices of these sites and cannot accept responsibility or liability for their respective privacy policies. You are free to refuse our request for your personal information, with the understanding that we may be unable to provide you with some of your desired services.

 

Your continued use of our website will be regarded as acceptance of our practices around privacy and personal information. If you have any questions about how we handle user data and personal information, feel free to contact us.