FAQ

FAQ - HOMESTAY

Whose house will my dog stay at?

Your dog will stay at the owners home, Barb and Nathan Webb's home in Traralgon.

Will my dog be allowed inside?

Yes, the whole idea of our service is to reflect there usual life at home and spend time with the family. Your dog will not be welcomed into our bedrooms, so please ensure the weeks leading up if you allow them to sleep on your bed that you teach them a new routine of a bed in the living room or laundry.

How many times a day do you feed my dog?

Generally feed time is both morning and night, however if you have a younger dog that is still on 3 meals a day this can be accommodated.

Does it cost me extra to administer medications?

Medication is included in the price. If they only take medication in a certain treat, make sure you pack that treat.

Where is my dog during the day?

We have a specially designed doggy play yard with lots of shelter, toys, activities and playtime. All dogs are encouraged to play in the yard, only elderly or special needs dogs would be inside during the day (extra cost for special needs dogs)

How do you keep the dogs cool in summer?

We fill small pools in the backyard to cater for the dog who would prefer water play to cool down. We also are mindful of drinking water being in shaded area's of our backyard.

Will my dog be exercised?

Dog walks can be booked, this attracts an additional cost on top of your boarding fees.

Can I meet the carers before I book?

Yes, we offer a free meet and greet service by appointment. Please contact us to arrange. This is for 15 minutes. This is not always possible for last minute bookings as the timeslots book up quickly and some times there is a week or two wait.

Do I provide the food for my dog?

We will provide quality meals to the dogs staying, the only time you would provide your own food is if your dog is on a special diet.

How many dogs do you have stay at once?

This depends on the mix of the dogs. Over holiday periods we will regularly have dogs coming and going and may have more on 1 day than the next.

Does my dog need to have flea treatment?

Yes, we request that you bath your dog and administer flea treatment the day before you come.

Do you have a doggie door?

No, dogs in the inside back room of a night do not have access to a doggy door. We have recently introduced a heated cubby house to the yard, of which does have toilet access so many dogs who cant make it through the night are enjoying this new addition.

Immunisation

My dog is not immunised, can he stay? NO, although all risks involved with traditional kennel environments are minimised with our homestay service to a large extent, we still would like all dogs staying with us to be fully immunised.

Your website says small to medium dogs only, do you consider larger pampered pooches?

Yes we do, but Barb will need to speak with you and possibly meet you and your dog before making a decision. When we assess larger dogs for suitability we work on a criteria by breed and the general nature of the breed and the dogs gentleness with smaller dogs. Usually this includes but not limited to golden retrievers, Labradors, Cockers, labradoodles, groodles, grey hounds and the very laid back friendly dog.

Do I have to pay a deposit?

During our peak season (Dec / Jan School holidays and Easter) yes you do.

I have a puppy that I am still toilet training will you board them? Yes we will, and will happily continue your toilet training as puppy's are so adorable!

Do you bath my dog before I collect them to come home?

Dog hydro baths can be booked and arranged without a problem however this does attract an additional cost on top of your boarding fees.

FAQ - PET SITTING

Will we meet the carer who will be coming to our home?

Yes generally, a meet and greet is offered to all new customers once off at no cost. This generally lasts approx. 15 minutes and you have the time to introduce us to your pets, show us where everything is and advise how we will enter your pets area when we care for them. At this time we will add any further notes to your original booking that we feel will assist us with caring for your pets individual needs. The exception to this is for emergency care, a key and a brief verbal handover is normally done at our residence.

Do we need to give you keys to our home?

This depends, however if your pets have access to the house or are house cats then yes we would need keys.

My cats are only inside cats. How do I know you won't let them out?

In the years of running AAPC, we have never had an incident of an inside cat escaping. We take special care when entering your property to avoid such a thing happening.

I have more than 2 pets, how do I work out the price?

In this instance our 3+ pets price normally covers fish, birds, rabbits and a cat and dog. However if you have a mini zoo with many mouths to feed and water you would need to contact us to discuss the amount of time you would want us to spend with your pets and we would quote accordingly.

Are you happy for me to give my neighbours your contact details?

Yes most definitely, we even encourage it so they will know who is visiting.

My dogs are happy in their yard but I worry someone could let them out?

We do suggest you lock gates etc.. for peace of mind while you are away. This adds extra security in your absence as well as protection for your dog.

In regards to us attending to do our job, if your dog is the sort of dog to rush off and explore the neighbourhood as soon as the gate is opened we would prefer to come through the house to alleviate the risk of them doing this to us. But rest assured, we come through lots of gates and we do cheat and bring yummy treats to distract any would be escapee. We have found that most of them stay put and focus on our hand!

My dog is petrified of fireworks?

In this instance unless you are 100% sure that your yard is escape proof we recommend a traditional kennel environment especially for New Years Eve. If you really want them to stay in their own environment but are concerned about NYE we will have to discuss what strategy we will use to ensure there safety. Often this has been to put them in the laundry for the night and let them out first thing the next morning.

I would like 2 visits a day?

Yes we can cater to 2 visits per day. If anything special is wanted on either of the visits eg A walk of a morning, please stipulate this on your booking form. * Additional charge applies for walks, refer to the services page for pricing

Can you do a discounted rate when the booking is for longer?

Short answer NO

We took away discounted visits in place of a price rise approx 5 years ago. With Covid, rising petrol prices, higher wages, super and penalties we can just not accommodate discounts. We do apologise

What about Public Holidays, will someone still come and feed my pets?

Yes of course! We work 365 days per year.

We do however not offer any add on services such as walks, baths or extra playtime on a public holiday.