Winter is coming! And while the cold weather gives you an opportunity to play in the snow or snuggle up next to the fireplace, it can also throw a chill over your pet care plans. So before you break the skis out of your garage or stack up the firewood in your backyard, please take a quick moment to refresh yourself on Pet and Home Care’s winter weather policies and best practices:

• In the event of inclement weather, and service is no longer needed, Pet and Home Care will waive its late cancellation fee until two hours before your scheduled service. If for any reason you must cancel within two hours of your scheduled visit, please call our office at 301-PET-CARE.
• Pet and Home Care prides itself on servicing its clients even in inclement weather conditions. But there may be limited occasions when we delay or cancel services because the safety of our team is paramount, and we will never put them in imminent danger.
• In general, we will follow the lead of local county governments. If they close due to weather conditions, we will further assess the situation on the ground and make decisions on our own operations. If snowy or icy conditions develop overnight, we will communicate any cancellations or delays by 7am that day. If snow or ice develops during business hours (7am-9pm), we will make decisions based on weather predictions or road conditions in each county. For example, we may conclude that we need to do visits early or late based on anticipated road conditions.
• If we determine that it’s unsafe to make a visit on time or at all, and you have not already canceled your service, we will reach out to you ASAP. We will not charge clients for any visits that Pet and Home Care cancels. Please make sure your contact information (including emergency contact info) is updated in your profile. If you want to confirm that we will make a scheduled visit, you can always call our office at 301-PET-CARE.
• Unless otherwise instructed, we will still walk dogs in bad weather. But we may limit outdoor exposure to give your pets at least enough time to do their business, then spend the rest of the visit playing and loving them inside. We will happily follow any other weather-specific instructions within reason. You may update those instructions in your online profile.
• Whenever possible, please keep pathways clear of ice and snow for the safety of your pets and their sitters. Please salt walkways and steps with pet-safe salt, too. And to keep your home clean, we recommend that you leave a towel near the entrance.
• If your plans take you out of town, please have a backup plan for inclement weather if our sitters cannot reach your home. Also, remember that garage codes do not work if there is a power outage, so please provide a backup method of entry if garages are the primary method of entry.

If you have any questions at all about our winter weather policies, please contact us any time at care@petandhomecare.com or at 301-PET-CARE (301-738-2273).