That's why your contract needs to communicate your pricing, payment terms, business processes, and expectations while also protecting you from potential litigation.

In this post, we cover what to include in a dog walking contract as well as best practices for collecting contracts and working with clients. 

There are four key elements you need to include in your dog walking contract. The main part of the contract is the service agreement. However, the release forms are also very important. 

• What this is: The service agreement details what the client is agreeing to by engaging your services.
• What to include: The service agreement should include your payment terms, pricing, payment process, late fees, cancellation policies, safety clauses removing liability should there be any unforeseen circumstances such as injury or escape. We include a contract template below to inspire you, but please consult your business lawyer before using it.

• What this is: With the media release form, you request authorization to use pictures of your clients' pets for marketing purposes.
• What to include: In your form, include the following statement, "I [client name] owner of [pet name] authorize [business name] to use images of my pet in public settings such as the park, sidewalk, etc. for marketing purposes." 

• What this is: This allows you to get veterinary care for the pet in the event of an emergency.
• What to include: In your form, include the following statement, "I [client name] owner of [pet name] authorize [business name] to take my pet to [veterinarian clinic name] in the event of an emergency. The veterinary clinic is authorized to conduct treatments up to $ without contacting me for permission. For treatments in advance of this amount, the veterinary clinic must contact me directly for permission at the contact information they have on file." 
  

• What this is: The management forms you might need to include are typically for key handling and house or apartment entry.
• What to include: In your form, include the following statement, "I [client name] owner of [pet name] authorize [business name] to use the house key and gate code provided solely for the purposes of caring for my pet during our agreed upon service times." 

In this video, we show you how to create a client intake form and dog walking service agreement inside of Easy Busy Pets.

• Require that the contract be signed 24 hours prior to the first appointment
• Use a digital signature tool to make signing easy for your client
• Require that clients re-sign your contract if your prices or terms change 

Save time and hassle in your business by using one cohesive platform for client intake forms, scheduling, and invoicing.

• The information from the agreement is automatically added to your client CRM
• You have one place to review all client information
• Clients can schedule appointments with you and pay their invoices online 

This template can help guide your own contract writing, but be sure to consult with your lawyer.

If you are an independent contractor and don't yet have a formal business name, just swap out the word "Company" for "Contractor" and use your full legal name.  

Here's the dog walking contract template:

The following agreement is between Company [your business name] located at [business address] and Client [client's name] located at [client's address]. The agreement details walking services provided to Client's pet.

Client desires to engage Company for dog walking services and agrees to the following: 

Pricing & payment

Dog walking services are charged at a rate of $ per session, and are payable in advance of the appointment. When booking your appointment, you can pay immediately at that time. 

Safety

Injury or escape of Client's pet 

Client understands that the Company will take the highest level of care in protecting the Client's pet. Company will take proactive action to ensure that the Client's pet is not placed in the company of aggressive animals. Any unforeseen circumstances causing injury to the Client's pet are the financial liability of the Client. 

Injury to other people or pets by Client's pet

Client understands that the Company will take the highest level of care in keeping the Client's pet away from other animals or people that upset the pet. Any unforeseen circumstances causing injury to people or pets by the Client's pet are the financial liability of the Client. 

Refunds and cancellation

Refunds

No refunds are given for services provided. Refunds for prepaid appointments can be given only if the appointment is cancelled with more than 24 hours notice.

Cancellations and rescheduling

To be eligible for a refund, appointments must be cancelled more than 24 hours in advance. Appointments can be rescheduled with 12 hours notice, and the payment will be applied to the new appointment time.  

Easy Busy Pets is a simple software to manage your entire pet sitting or dog walking business. Schedule a demo now!