Equity, Acceptance, and Respect

Pals for Paws, owners Rebecca and Aaron, and our staff proudly and unwaveringly stand for equity, diversity, acceptance, and most importantly respect in both our hiring process and for each and every one of our clients.

Our staff of sitters and client base is comprised of people of all ages, races, sexualities, and gender expressions and ALL are welcome in the Pals family. We extend respect for every person’s lived experience that we encounter, both on our staff and in our clients’ homes, and expect that respect to be reciprocated to our staff by our clients.

The Iowa City, North Liberty, Coralville, and Tiffin community of pet lovers is beautifully diverse and we celebrate and welcome all.

Current Pals for Paws Job Openings

9/1/24 Update: We do not currently have any open positions. Any applications received will be kept for future consideration.

We are not currently hiring! Our sitters are responsible, dependable animal lovers who like getting their steps in and snuggling pups and kitties. Professional animal experience is a bonus but not a requirement.

Applicants must have:

• Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation

• Smartphone with data plan

• Clean background check

• Capacity for chaos - working with animals is fun but unpredictable!

• Highly respectful and dependable - working for a small, locally owned business means we all rely on each other!

• Attention to detail - small details keep our clients safe

• Love of the outdoors - the vast majority of the work is outside in all weather and physically active

• Ability to work independently - all work is performed alone, if you love animals more than people this job is for you!

Job details:

• Hours are very flexible for the right applicant - minimum 15 hours a week, maximum 35. We aim to help our staff meet their hours goals!

• 2+ weekdays available between 10-2 required

• 1-2 weeknights available between 7-10 p.m. required

• Some weekend availability (flexible around your schedule)

• Pay $16-$20/hour plus tips

Fall and Winter 2023 Availability

We are currently accepting new dog walking clients for services starting after October 23, 2023, with new client meetings scheduled beginning October 16, 2023. Currently we have availability in all of our service areas.

We are currently accepting new pet sitting clients for fall and winter travel for services starting after October 23, 2023. Iowa City School District’s fall break (October 13-16) is full for new and existing clients. We are accepting new client inquiries for Thanksgiving and winter holiday travel - please plan ahead and book with a minimum of 4 weeks notice if you are a new client hoping for winter holiday services! We do get full and our current clients get priority booking.

Click here to begin the new client process by requesting a meeting and I will reply in 24-48 hours with meeting options for the week of October 16 or 23, or later depending on your start date!

Looking forward to talking with you about your fall and winter pet care needs! - Rebecca

Spring 2023 Availability

We are currently accepting new dog walking clients. New mid-day dog walks can begin within one week of inquiry providing we can find a time to meet in advance. Generally our meetings are conducted between 12-2 on weekday afternoons, 4-6 on Tuesday evenings, and 9-11 on weekend mornings. Currently we have availability everywhere, but Tiffin and the West side of North Liberty are almost full!

We are currently accepting new pet sitting clients for spring and summer travel, other than Spring Break. Spring Break is one of our busiest times of the year and we are waitlisting most clients as we determine our capacity. Therefore, new client inquiries for the week of March 13-18 will also be on a temporary wait list. Our Spring Break waitlist decisions will be made by Monday, February 6.

Click here to begin the new client process!

2023 Night & Weekend Rates

In 2022 we raised our rates for the first time in 5 years. We tried to keep the rate change as minimal as possible, and in doing so we didn’t quite keep up with the demands of the current economy and staffing market. It is important to us to respect the investment our clients already make in their regularly scheduled dog walking so our base rate remains unchanged. However, in order to ensure the flexibility and availability we are known for, as well as keep your favorite dog walkers long-term, we are introducing new rates for night and weekend visits.

Our night and weekend visits ask more of our employees, and to fairly compensate for this, we are introducing a higher per-visit rate for visits done after 4 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays. In keeping with our philosophy of straightforward pricing, this rate will be a flat $25 per visit, and will not be subject to holiday fees.

Our new 2023 rates will be:

• Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. - 4 p.m.: $20/visit (no change)

• Monday-Friday, 4 p.m.-10 p.m.: $25/visit

• Saturday-Sunday, 7 a.m. - 10 p.m.: $25/visit

• Our usual $2 peak-time charge will still apply to M-F morning and afternoon visits scheduled for New Years Eve and Day, Spring Break, July 4th, Thanksgiving Thursday and Friday, and December 24-26.

• We are no longer charging extra for additional animals for any of our visits, though we may request longer visits for households with a particularly high level of care needs due to multiple pets.

• Cancel fees are unchanged for 2023: no last-minute booking fees or cancel fees >24 hours (non peak times). 50% same-day cancel fee, and 20% cancel fee for peak times (listed above) <7 days.

You can see a breakdown of the new rates in the chart below:

Holidays are Full + 2023 Dog Walking Availability

We have good news and bad news! Good news first: we are taking new dog walking clients starting immediately in 2023 - you can submit a new client inquiry now and we’ll get a meeting scheduled for the first week of January, with our earliest start dates for new clients being Monday, January 9.

Unfortunately the bad news is that we are currently fully booked for Christmas and New Years. We will not be able to accommodate any new client meetings before January 2, 2023. While we also currently do not have availability to add existing clients to our holiday schedule, we do sometimes get last-minute openings, so if we’ve taken care of your pets before, it’s worth sending us a note to double check!

Because we are operating at full capacity, our scheduling portal will remain closed to new requests for the dates of December 22 through January 2. The best way to check availability is to either use our contact form or text at 319-535-0748.

We wish you a wonderful holiday season and can’t wait to see everyone’s pets in 2023!

Fall 2022 Dog Walking Waitlist

Since 2006, we’ve prided ourselves on always being able to say YES to clients, new and old. However, in the past 12 months, demand for our Dog Walking services has begun to outpace our capacity. While we’re lucky to be fully staffed with three full-time sitters, two part-time sitters, and owners Rebecca and Aaron, each of us is nearing the capacity of what we can handle. The most important thing for us is that we can ensure consistently high quality of care for our clients, and to that end we are currently not taking new dog walking clients.

We briefly had a waitlist in August and September while we finished training our last hires, but as we’ve brought all of the clients off of that waitlist and into rotation, our dog walking schedules are now full in all of our service areas. At this time, in the interest of quality of service, we are not looking to add new staff. This means that while we will be maintaining a waitlist for the remainder of 2022, openings may take longer. We anticipate a minimum of 4-6 weeks on the waitlist.

If you would like to be added to our waitlist, please fill out the Contact Form and I can give you a more detailed idea of how big the waitlist is for your location. Thank you for understanding!

New client availability for Pet Sitting is limited, depending upon location and dates needed.

Rebecca Dirks, owner.

Spring/Summer Dog Walking Position

We are looking to add a responsible animal lover to help with our mid-day dog walks, along with 1-2 short evenings (7-10pm) and one full weekend day. Total hours 15-25 to start, increasing to 30-35 in the summer.

Applicants must have:

• Lunchtime availability 2-3 weekdays (5 if interested in full-time hours)

• Experience and comfort level with dogs of all sizes as well as cats

• Ability to work independently and strong character references

• Own vehicle and smartphone

• Comfort walking 2-10 miles per day in a variety of weather conditions

Preference given to applicants with demonstrated animal care experience and animal care references!

APPLY: On Facebook | On Indeed | Email Resume and Cover Letter to aaron@palsforpawspetsitting.com

Pals for Paws is a locally owned Iowa City family business. We are an inclusive workplace and welcome applicants of all races, ages (18+), ethnicities, sexual orientations, and gender identities. Bring your colorful hair, tattoos, ideas, compassion, and love of animals!

2022 Rates

Did you know that we haven't changed our rates since 2017? In 2017, “Despacito” topped the charts, Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi was in theaters, and The Handmaid’s Tale was making its TV debut!

We also hired Hope in 2016, who is still with us today! And having a quality staff is more important than ever. We've been lucky to avoid the staffing problems plaguing many industries and want to keep it that way. In order to ensure that we maintain these long-term relationships between your pets and our staff, we want to make sure we are staying competitive with wages and benefits. We appreciate your understanding as that minimally affects our pet care rates going forward.

New 2022 rates are as follows:

20-minute Dog Walk / Pet Sit: $20

30-minute Dog Walk / Pet Sit: $25

60-minute Hike/Dog Park Visit/Extended Walk: $40

10-minute Quick Check In: $15

Holiday surcharge: $2 per visit

Rates are effective January 1, 2022. If you have already booked 2022 travel, we will honor our previous rates for those dates. We look forward to caring for your pets again in 2022!

Wedding Packages

Wedding packages are here! Let us help make sure your dogs are included in your special day while letting your friends and family stay focused on what's important: the celebration! Wedding packages include:

• One planning meeting in advance of the wedding day

• Picking dogs up at your home or boarding facility

• Preparing the pups with costumes, collars, flowers, or other decorations as provided by the client

• One dedicated handler per dog during the ceremony and photos

• Facilitating walking down the aisle or standing with the wedding party for the ceremony (handing off the pups to a wedding party member and retrieving after their role is complete)

• Handling the dogs during photography (walking them from location to location and bringing them in and out of photo poses so the wedding party can stay put)

• Returning the dogs to the boarder or home when their role is complete

Wedding Packages are $100 per dog and include 2 hours total of dog handling service. Additional time will be billed hourly as necessary based on travel - contact us for an exact quote.

Because our wedding packages are time- and staff-intensive, availability is limited so send us an email to see if your date is open!

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Updated COVID-19 Protocol (2021)

One year into the pandemic, we are lucky to have a more detailed and nuanced view of how COVID-19 does and does not spread and have updated our protocol accordingly. Click here to read our original safety protocols. We have discontinued the use of disinfectant wipes on surfaces we handle except if specifically requested. Likewise, per CDC guidelines, masks will no longer be required when outdoors for our vaccinated sitters. COVID-19 instructions can be updated by the client in your client portal to reflect your expectations beyond our company policies listed below!

• Masks will be required for clients and staff when meeting for a new client meeting or if the client is home when the sitter arrives.

• Sitters will use their own leashes when possible.

• Masks indoors when the sitter is alone in the home will used per the discretion of the vaccinated sitter, unless specifically requested by the client.
  

Favorite Photos by Nick Schumacher

In the two years since Nick has been walking dogs for Pals for Paws, one thing has become clear: he has quite the knack for photographing client pets. He is at once able to capture the personality of each animal and make you laugh. At the end of summer, Nick will be departing the Pals for Paws family to pursue photography professionally at the University of Minnesota. While we are sad to be losing his great photo skills (and even more valuable skill of loving, compassionate care for animals), we are cheering him on as he takes steps to reach his goal of being a nature photographer. Before he departs, we wanted to share some of his, and our, favorite photos he has taken along the way.

COVID-19 Precautions Continue

We are nearly four months into our company-wide mandate of masks, frequent hand-sanitizing, and wiping down surfaces. As our policy had not been available on our website previously, it is as follows:

• All sitters will wear masks inside every house they visit. Masks will be worn outside if the sitter is in an area with heavy foot traffic

• Sitters sanitize their hands prior to entering the house and immediately after leaving

• Sitters will use their own leashes when possible.

• Sitters will wipe surfaces they touch with disinfectant wipes prior to leaving.

• Sitters will report any symptoms of illness prior to their shift and will not enter any homes while experiencing symptoms

• If the owner is home when the sitter arrives, we will practice “door to door” where we enter the home only so far to leash and unleash. We ask any client who is home to minimize interaction with our sitters from a safe distance (preferably stay in a separate room) and for all current clients to let us know if there is anybody sick in your home or if there are any precautions specific to your visit that we will be taking.

• New clients must wear masks for the duration of meetings (we will also be masked), and maintain a reasonable distance while showing us the routine.

• Finally, we are waiving all cancel fees during this time.

On Black Lives Matter

We have been watching the groundswell of support for Black Lives Matter in the Iowa City area and around the world over the past two weeks. While our hearts and minds have been with the Black community, our words have not. I could not answer the question of what a pet care company's voice added to such an important movement, and in fear of saying the wrong thing, we said nothing. We realize now the silence spoke something we never intended and want to make it perfectly clear: our company stands with the Black community seeking justice and meaningful change.

“our company stands with the Black community seeking justice and meaningful change”

We love our clients of every color, occupation, and background and do not discriminate in whose pets we care for and afford the highest level of care to every single client we serve. Our support of Black Lives Matter does not change this commitment; we do not make this statement as a political line in the sand, but as a declaration of support for human rights, which we believe to be an entirely non-political and universal cause.
Sending love to everyone out there fighting for change.

Signed,
The Pals for Paws owners and staff: Becca, Aaron, Hope, Nick, and Sarah.

Policies

Acknowledge and sign our policies here: https://forms.gle/x6nqLPkC1YQKwLM97

Scheduling

• We prefer scheduling requests be made through the Time to Pet online portal or app; scheduling requests made this way will be approved or denied within 48 hours. 

• Scheduling requests can also be made via text (319-535-0748) or email (aaron@palsforpawspetsitting.com)

• Scheduling requests will not be accepted via phone call, voicemail, or social media

• Scheduling requests for summer and holidays should be made 2-4 weeks in advance to ensure availability. 

• We have no fees for last-minute requests; if we have availability, we will add your visits regardless of notice given. 

Timing of Visits

• Our first visit of the day is 7 a.m. and our last is usually 10 p.m. For dogs, we get to all of our early morning visits before 8:30 a.m. and start our bedtime visits at 8:30 p.m. 

• Visits will be scheduled within a 1-2 hour range; we require this flexibility to schedule intuitive driving routes and accommodate traffic or other emergencies.

• We cannot guarantee exact arrival times due to the above; priority scheduling will be given to animals receiving medication and very young puppies.

Cancelation Policy - Dog Walks

• Cancellations made outside 24 hours for scheduled dog walks are not subject to a fee

• Same-day cancellations for scheduled dog walks are subject to a half visit fee

• If we arrive to your home and the walk is not needed you will be charged for a full visit

Cancelation Policy - Pet Sitting Trips

• Non holiday cancellations are as follows: 

• No fee when canceled 48 hours+

• 20% of total trip due when canceled 24-48 hours in advance

• 50% of total trip due when canceled same-day

• Holiday cancellations are as follows: 

• No fee when canceled 7+ days in advance

• 20% of total trip due when canceled 48+ hours in advance

• 50% of total trip due when under 48 hours

Additional Animals/Extra Time Spent

• We do not charge extra for additional pets in the home

• If we cannot care for all of the animals in the home in the scheduled time, we reserve the right to request additional visits. 

• Visits exceeding our standard 20 minutes are approved sparingly dependent on need and staff availability. 

Payment Policy

• Payment is preferred to be made online via our scheduling portal. Payment information is stored in secure servers through our national payment processor, WePay, and not stored with our company.

• Payment is due for new pet sitting clients prior to the start of services

• Payment is due for existing clients at the completion of services

• Payment is due for dog walks either at the end of the week of services or the end of the month of services, depending on preferred billing frequency

• Clients can opt-into auto matic billing where a card will be charged at the end of the service period. 

• Dog walking services will be ceased if any bill is more than 45 days past due.

• Late fees will be assessed at 20% of the total bill after 60 days past due.

• Customers with a history of delinquent billing may be required to keep a card on file or pre-pay to book subsequent services.

Key/Entry Policy

• We must have a reliable way of entering your home: code, key, or lockbox

• Lockboxes will be provided free of charge if you would like us to use a key to enter

• Clients who prefer to not use a lockbox will be responsible for providing two keys, with the exception of apartment buildings that use key cards or fobs

• Clients who would like to have their keys picked up and returned after each trip will be responsible for arranging pickup from our home OR a secure spot can be designated to leave the key at your home (ie under a mat, mailbox, or other hiding place).

• If a key is lost or misplaced by Pals for Paws, we are responsible for the replacement and potential re-keying of your locks.

• Clients using an electronic door code or garage code should ensure the code is functional before leaving; a backup key can be kept securely at the Pals for Paws office if desired.

• If a client is using an alarm system we prefer to be assigned a unique alarm code. 

Communication Methods

• Communication with the owners (Rebecca and Aaron) can be done directly via telephone (319-535-0748), email (aaron@palsforpawspetsitting.com), or private message within Time to Pet.

• Communication with our staff should be done via the Time to Pet messaging system or written notes.

• For our staff’s privacy we do not distribute staff phone numbers or email addresses to clients. 

• We will message you via the Time to Pet portal and email each time we visit with photos and a report on how the visit went so long as everything is proceeding normally; emergencies or concerns will be communicated by phone and/or text.

Camera Policy

• We are completely comfortable with cameras being used inside and outside of the homes we work in, and cameras do not have to be disclosed.

• We do ask that cameras not be used in bathrooms, and if motion-tracking cameras are used in areas we are working we may cover them with a light towel or similar while we do chores as the constant “following” motion can be distracting while we are trying to focus on care tasks. 

• We ask that clients do not talk to our sitters through cameras - this has been quite startling in the past!!

• We do have a “company camera” that can be deployed to help locate animals who are hiding - only upon request from the client.

Photo and Privacy Policy

• Unless specifically opted out, clients are accepting that photos of their animals may be used promotionally and on Social Media for Pals for Paws Petsitting

• Photos of the clients’ property and home, details about your travels or the nature of our care or animals, will never be taken or shared. 

• We will never allow access to the home by anyone for any reason (family members, utility or repair people), unless specifically authorized and requested by the client in writing.

Staffing

• The owners of Pals for Paws Petsitting are Aaron and Rebecca Dirks

• In addition, we employ 2-3 full-time and 1-2 part-time employees, and 1-2 as-needed/holiday employees.

• Every person who works for Pals for Paws is covered by our insurance, fully vetted, and has undergone our training and shadowing process. 

• We cannot guarantee the same sitters every time, but make an effort to develop relationships between our staff and your animals, and schedule the staff that is the best fit for your household as frequently as possible.

• If there are issues with a specific staff member, we do want them brought to our attention and we can address those concerns on a case-by-case basis. 

Emergency Policy

• If there is a medical emergency with a client pet, the owner, Rebecca Dirks, will assume care of the animals until it is resolved. Rebecca is pet first aid certified and will assess the situation and handle communication and transportation.

• We will make every effort to contact the client and the client’s emergency contact to decide upon care. 

• In the event the client is not available by phone, text, or email, we will contact the vet on file or the emergency vet to discuss symptoms and make a care plan. 

• If the vet recommends emergency care and the client is unavailable, we will pursue medical care unless the client has a “no medical care authorized” document on file. 

• Medical events that happen under our care may be covered by our insurance, but coverage cannot be guaranteed. Accidents are always covered, but complications from pre-existing medical conditions may not be covered.

Insurance & References

• We are insured by Pet Sitters Associates. Each walker carries liability insurance that covers medical care for your animal, your personal property, medical care for any person or animal injured by your animal under our care, re-keying in the event of lost keys, and more. 

• Aaron and Rebecca have been petsitting since 2006 and many of our clients have been with us 5+ years. We are happy to provide references that are relevant to the services you're considering upon request. 

• We are also Better Business Bureau Accredited with an A+ rating for three years running, and have many 5-star reviews on our Facebook page and Google.