Office hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Office telephone (703) 838-5898.
On-Call Manager available by phone or text to (703) 424-4168 for before- and after-hours contact.
The On-Call Manager is responsible for communicating with caregivers with any emergency, urgent, or high-priority information related to animal care visits. This position/responsibility is rotated among several people outside of office hours. On weekdays, Robbyn serves as the On-Call Manager and Kate and Danny provide back-up help. The On-Call phone may also be used to communicate with you about scheduling requests (pet sits), general communication, or other notifications.
Scheduling
Your daily schedule is created to maximize your time to complete visits and to minimize your travel time, though exceptions may exist due to your handling experiences and/or our client’s needs. All scheduling activities are conducted by Robbyn and Danny who are also the primary contact for client communications. There are some midday visits that are scheduled as needed which may impact your usual schedule. If a client speaks with you about any scheduling concerns, please redirect them to contact the DoggyWalker.com office for assistance.
Key Management
You will be assigned keys to your client’s homes as well as a locking carabiner (key chain). Keys are kept in storage units throughout Alexandria for ease of exchange.
ALX keys are stored at Extra Space Storage, 1022 N. Henry St., Alexandria, VA 22314
MV keys are stored at Public Storage, 7208 Fordson Rd., Alexandria, VA 22306
CS keys are stored at Mini-U Storage, 500 S. Pickett St., Alexandria, VA 22304
You will be specifically trained about keys and key exchanges at one of the storage units closest to the location of your visit.
You are able to assign keys to yourself and to assign them back to a key safe using the LeashTime system. Please watch the video to learn how to do this.
Daily Communication Expectations
Check your schedule in LeashTime each morning by 10 a.m. and before beginning your walks in case of schedule changes, updates, etc.
Return all texts and phone calls (during normal office hours) within 15 minutes or more quickly if you are able. Failure to return calls or texts may negatively impact clients and their pets!
Immediately report to management anything that endangers your life, a pet’s life, or the home of an owner. If needed, you may use the owner’s home phone in this case.
Always stay at the visit site for the entire visit time, even if the pet(s) is uninterested in playing or walking.
Check your feet before entering the home, and if necessary, remove your shoes so mud, dirt, or water is not tracked inside.
When walking dogs, always carry clean-up bags provided by DoggyWalker.com on your person and pick up all #2. Also, discard waste in a responsible manner, which means at a public trash bin or the client’s bin and not anywhere else!
Always provide a report of the visit by sending an electronic visit report if you are not able to communicate the information verbally with the client.
Make sure that the doors are closed and locked before leaving the home. If the client requests that you leave a door unlocked (and that information is not in the profile, make sure management is notified of the situation.
Please do not contact a client directly without speaking to a manager. There is a 24-hour/7-days/week on-call phone, and someone is always available to respond to clients and other caregivers.
If a client leaves a check for services, please notify the on-call manager to arrange a pickup. We ask all clients to mail in checks so that you don’t have to deal with this inconvenience.
Never leave your client’s keys in your car during, between, or after visits.
Contact management immediately if:
The dog exhibits aggressive behavior towards you (tries to bite you, etc.).
You notice disruption to the owner’s home (looks like someone broke in).
If you break something in the home (a window, key breaks in the lock, etc.).
Anything seems suspicious or unusual.
Someone arrives and says they should be let in the house or building.
You should never let anyone else inside the owner’s home! If someone arrives claiming they are supposed to be let in, do not let them in and report it to management ASAP.
The pet(s) seem sick or display unusual behavior and you think immediate attention is needed.
DO NOT take the pet to the vet without calling management first.
DO NOT contact the client without coordinating with management first. Contact the management after your visit, either by phone, text, or e-mail if:
The owner leaves a note about a schedule change.
There are updates to the profile (routine, medicine, etc.).
Any other information that will be useful to management. Basically, if the safety of the pet, the house, or you are or has been endangered, report it to management IMMEDIATELY, before leaving the home or sending your visit report. If you’re having trouble entering a client’s home, please do the following before contacting the office:
Verify that you are at the correct address. Does the address include a directional prefix, such as N. Royal St, or S. West St., E. Del Ray Ave, W. Rosemont Ave,? What about the descriptor? Especially in Arlington, there are different streets and roads and circles, such as 13th Street S, 13th Road, 13th Circle, and 13th Court.
Verify that you are in the correct city (Alexandria, Fairfax County, or Arlington). A few of the street names appear in multiple areas.
Re-read the Client Profile for information on which door to use, especially any tips on keys or locks.
Try all the keys and all the locks again after taking a short break (pull the door all the way toward you or push it slightly away from you, jiggle the key back and forth, etc.).
Verify that you are using the correct keys for the correct client.
Weekly Screening
Every Monday and regardless of whether you have visits scheduled, there will be a “Weekly Screening Survey” visit on your schedule. This survey is required to be compliant with DoggyWalker.com’s pandemic operational policy established in August 2021. Please watch the video to learn how to do this.
