Denver Pet Sitters, Pet Care, & Dog Walking FAQs

YBFF was formed in 1999

Office Phone: 303-692-1140;  Email: [email protected]

• Office hours are 8:00am to 5:00pm Monday through Friday
• Work/Job hours start from 6:00am and end by 8:00pm, every day of the week and every day of the year
• Messages are replied to by the following day unless it is an urgent or last-minute request made within normal work hours

Yes, YBFF carries full liability and bonding insurance which covers all employees.

If work or travel will keep you away from your pets, you’ve likely considered various pet-care options, from asking for help from a family member or friend to securing a professional pet sitter. More and more pet owners are using the services of professional pet sitters to take advantage of the benefits in-home pet care provides. Professional pet sitters are just what the description implies – professional. Some of the benefits are:

• Pets are happier and experience less stress at home in their safe, secure environment
• Pets will follow their regular diet, exercise routine and play times
• Pets will receive an abundance of love and personal attention
• Pets will receive medical treatments and medications including insulin injections if required
• Travel trauma for both owner and pet are eliminated
• Pet’s exposure to illness is minimized as well as injuries that sometimes occur when dogs are boarded
• Untrained and/or unwilling friends, family or neighbors will not be burdened to do something they may not be comfortable with
• Owners will feel their home is more secure and know potential home problems will be handled
• The YBFF team of professional pet sitters are all highly trained and experienced in working with all types of animals; know how to spot and avoid potentially dangerous situations and can react quickly and effectively when necessary; knows how to tell if a pet needs veterinary attention; has immediate back-up in case of emergencies.
• Your pets will be happily waiting for you at home when you return from your trip

Yes, all employees are thoroughly trained prior to being in the field on jobs alone and are constantly monitored and reviewed thereafter. Below is a brief outline of the training process:

• The first two days are orientation, learning about YBFF, procedures, policies, employee handbook, etc. in the office.

• The next two weeks are spent in the field with the field manager. The employee will shadow, ask many questions and learn all about the services we provide, how we do everything small and large, expectations of performance, etc.

• They will learn hands on, all of the current daily dog walk clients. They will shadow and learn pet sitting jobs, the procedures and all the good insight we have on grooming them to become a great YBFF team member.

• The third week, if the field manager feels they are ready, they will be doing jobs themselves, with the field manager monitoring and evaluating them, correcting any mistakes if there are any and making suggestions. The trainer will then meet with the office manager to review how she thinks the employee is doing and whether she feels he is ready to go out on his own.

• If that all goes okay, a brief written test is given to the employee and he is asked to evaluate how he thinks the training went and how he thinks he is doing and if he feels ready to head out. If so he is given all his necessary supplies and is ready to go. They are required at this time to sign up for the pet first aid/CPR class and a deadline to have that completed.

The owner is trained in CPR and first aid, and we will certify employees beginning in 2023.  Some of our employees are Certified Vet Techs.

Yes, all employees go through a rigorous interview process and must pass a thorough background check prior to being hired. They are also required to have a current drivers license, auto insurance, have a good driving record and a reliable vehicle.

All YBFF pet sitters are actual employees not independent contractors.

We service most of the South Metro Denver area. The current boundaries are North-Alameda, South-Lincoln, East-C470, West-Broadway. The coverage includes most areas within the following zip codes: 80013, 80014, 80015, 80016, 80111, 80112, 80113, 80120, 80121, 80122, 80124, 80126, 80130, 80209, 80210, 80222, 80224, 80231. We are able to provide pet care outside our boundaries (if not too far out) at an additional per mile/day charge.

Our policy is as long as the weather does not pose a threat/harm to the pet sitter, dog walker or pet, we will stay on schedule as much as possible to ensure proper care during scheduled visitations. We do not allow any walking during lightening, hail, extreme heat, or tornadic weather. This will sometimes delay scheduled arrival times. When such weather conditions occur please understand that your dog’s walk may greatly be shortened to only allow for a quick potty break. However, the walker/sitter can stay with your (pet) for the duration of the scheduled visit inside the safety of your home if time allows. We will make sure to communicate any changes to you immediately and deduct any needed amount from your billing.

We offer competitive rates and offer, what we consider to be, the best pet care company in the Denver area. Please contact us for a more information. Or, feel free to contact us with any questions or special requests. 303-692-1140 or [email protected]

We have a wide range of experience and training for many types of animals; from dogs and cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, rats, rabbits, birds, fish, turtles, frogs, snakes, lizards, and even goats and chickens.

Our goal is to keep the same two pet sitters (am shift and pm shift) on a job. We understand that your pets form bonds with pet sitters and we do try to keep them together. However, because of regular days off, vacations, scheduling efficiency, or an illness, it is not always possible to do this. Your level of service will not suffer in any way. Every team member receives clear written and verbal instruction and is thoroughly trained on the care of your pets. If a pet sitter should need to fill-in on a job and there is special training needed, the field manager will go with the pet sitter on the first visit to instruct and supervise.

Yes, you will be able to complete our happiness survey online through your online portal.

There is a $10 extra fee for any holiday. Because holidays are our busiest time, we do ask that you try to schedule dates over the holidays as much in advance as possible for we can become booked and will not schedule more work than we can service properly. We do charge fees for booking service and canceling service with less than 7 days prior notice over any holiday period.

Please refer to our outstanding Yelp and Google reviews.  If you would like to receive additional client references, please call 303-692-1140 and we will be happy to provide those.

YBFF offers in home pet care.

Each visit we make is tailored to your specific needs and we spend one-on-one time with your pets. We can come once a day to as many times as you feel is needed. The number of visits per day your pet(s) require will be determined according to the type of pet, age of pet, how they are confined, if there is availability to a doggie door and of course, what your preference is. Special needs such as medications or special treatments and the time schedule for these are also taken into consideration. Some homes require only one visit per day while others may require two or more. We do require if you have only 2 visits in a day and the dog does not not have access to go potty, we space these visits at 12 hour intervals. If you have 3 visits or more, or dogs have access to go potty, we will not allow the longest space of time to be more than 9-10 hours.

Visits include providing exercise, walks, play times, feedings, fresh water, cleaning bowls, litter scooping, administer/inject medications, and lots of love and attention. The cost varies depending on what service and how many visits per day you require. Also included in pet sitting services are: watering plants, picking up mail/paper/packages/flyers, taking out trash, switching lights/blinds, a daily walk through the entire house looking for any obvious problem in the home such as broken pipes, etc. Our visits last from 30 to 60 minutes.

Yes, all pet sitters are trained in pet first aid, administering medications and are trained in not only giving insulin injections but thorough training on what diabetes is, signs a pet may be ill and what to do if a diabetic pet does become ill. YBFF will not administer any type medication without a Medication Information Form completed and sent to us prior to service.

YBFF will seek medical treatment in case of illness and/or injury, including transportation of your pet to your vet or an emergency clinic, if necessary. We will attempt to contact you with the numbers you provided and attempt to contact your emergency contact as well.  You will have signed, in advance, a medical release form which also will list the amount to not exceed.

NO, NEVER. Even if we are asked to let your cat outside while we are there, or at any time, our strict policy is to never let them out for the safety of the cat. We have many coyotes in our area of service, and it is not safe for any cat to be outside.

No. Our policy for our clients is that we require, at minimum, one 30 minute visit once every day to ensure that your cat is safe, not sick, has a sanitary environment, cleaned litter boxes, fresh food, fresh water as well as getting quality attention and love.

Yes, absolutely. We can send “report cards” after every visit via text through our online system. 

No.

At this time, we are not offering overnight sits.

YES!  We walk dogs and pet-sit 365 days per year.  Whether you’re on vacation or just away for the day, our staff works every day of the week, and would love to care for your pets no matter the day!