Is Family Tails insured and bonded?

Absolutely. Family Tails maintains a comprehensive liability insurance policy and crime bond with Pet Sitters Associates.

What are your service areas?

Our areas of service include College Park, University Park, Hyattsville, Takoma Park, Greenbelt, MD. We now serve parts of Chevy Chase and Bethesda, and Silver Spring, MD.

How do I request a pet sitting service?

All service requests, confirmations and changes to schedules are managed Monday through Friday. Service requests received over the weekend will be handled the following Monday. Family Tails is open on the Weekend - Saturday 10 a.m - 1 p.m./Sunday closed for all general enquiries and emails/phone calls. We are always available outside of business hours for emergency preparedness plans and back-up procedures for pets.

Why choose Family Tails?

Family Tails is designed to make you and your pet’s life easier and better:

Your pets stay in their own comfortable home environment.

You have someone regularly checking on your home.

You save time and energy not transporting your pets to and from a kennel. Your pets no longer come home from a kennel stressed out or sick from exposure to other animals’ illnesses.

Best of all, you don’t come home to a dark, empty house. Using Family Tails, your beloved pets will be at your door waiting to welcome you home.

How do I prepare my home and my pet for my trip?

You can download our recommended best practices from this link.

What are the Office Hours?

Although dog walking is available 7 days a week and pet sitting services are available 24/7, official office hours are Monday-Friday from 9am - 5pm and Saturday from 10am-1pm. Sundays our office is closed. Emails (familytailspetsitters@gmail.com) and phone (301-277-3570) voicemails are returned in 24 hours.

Family Tails web based reservation service is available 24 hours a day.

New to Family Tails? Click New Clients login to request information for services.

Current clients can login with their email. Submit reservation requests at Client Login.

Do you have minimum pet visits?

All pets must be visited a minimum of once a day. Dogs without a doggie door must be visited no less than twice per day. If you have a special situation, please call to discuss your service.

What is the cancellation policy?

Family Tails is committed to be as flexible as possible regarding your pet care needs. You are free to cancel any days that you do not need your pet sitter to come as scheduled, but we request notice 24 hours in advance or by the close of business (according to published office hours) the day prior to the day you need service to avoid cancellation fees.

The canceled visits will be removed from your invoice and you will not be billed for them. If your service term or billed period has started, visits canceled within the above-specified time will be credited to your account for your next scheduled service. Visits canceled without enough notice will be charged the normal visit rate. *Note: Credits for canceled visits may be used anytime within the next 6 months.

How do I pay for pet sitting services?

Family Tails accepts VIsa and Mastercard through our secure online PayPal account. Please contact Family Tails to arrange a payment plan if necessary. Family Tails requires payment of all invoices within a 30 days period. Payments received after this time will be subject to a 10% late fee and a 5% cumulative fee every month thereafter.

What is the process for changes to my confirmed service order?

All service order requests/changes must be made by email to FTPS main administrative office. This is the only way that we can guarantee that your pet will be cared for as requested.

Client families can let sitters know but they are responsible for telling the main office directly or schedules will not be changed.

Any service that you do not receive a confirmation email from our office is not on our schedule and will not be performed. If you change or cancel your confirmed service order on the day of the service, you will be charged.

What if I don’t make it back from my trip on time?

We require you notify us upon your return. If we don’t hear from you, we contact you. If we still don’t hear from you, we continue our services until you return. The pets ALWAYS come first.