Freeland K9 is a trade name of myself, Louise Wilkinson whose registered address is at 28 The Murrays, Edinburgh, EH17 8UE.

Financial - Costs, Invoicing & Payment

Costs are at the current rates, mileage charge may apply. Weekends, evenings and public holidays are at the quoted rates X2. 

Rates are normally subject to review at the start of my financial year or calendar year (1st April of any given year).

Freeland K9 reserves the right to review rates and charges from time to time, outwith the above period.

Freeland K9 reserves the right to charge a session retainer fee, at our discretion.

Invoices are issued weekly, by email, unless requested otherwise.

Payment method may be by cash, bank transfer, credit cards / PayPal accepted. Prompt payment is very much appreciated. Late payments could lead to payment in advance of service basis or temporary suspension of service.

Payment terms for any service is in advance. Or 

Payment terms for ongoing dog walking service strictly upon receipt of invoice or within 14 days from date of invoice.

(Full refund will be issued within 14 days of cancellation, where cancellation is not within 7 days of agreed booking).

Payment terms for ad hoc dog walking service / home visits payable in advance.

Deposit payment and refund policy applies, where deposit is non-refundable for cancellations within 7 days of agreed booking.

Hours of work, Holidays, Sickness

Hours of work for dog walking / pet care services are usually Monday – Friday 09:30 – 16:30 inclusive.

Weekends, evenings and all public holidays are at the quoted rates. All works are subject to the Freeland K9 schedule.

Notification of holiday will be given in advance, and alternative arrangements made where possible.

Rearrangement of services booked during periods of sickness will be prioritised, however full refund will be given otherwise.

Documentation – All Certification is Available for Inspection

Full commercial insurance is held – comprising Public Liability, Animal Illness and Injury, Key Cover etc. (Full proof of insurance document can be viewed on our website www.freelandk9.co.uk).

Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) verified.

Professional Dog Walkers Association verified and compliant.

First Aid Certificate holder.

Health & Safety and Law

Freeland K9 aims to ensure as far as practicable the care, welfare, wellbeing, safety and security of your pet and premises throughout our care session.

All dogs must have their own collar, lead, and identity tag for legal compliance and be microchipped. All dogs must wear a properly fitting harness for all dog walking services unless alternative arrangements are agreed in advance pertaining to reasonable exception.

All dogs are walked subject to behavioural assessment and trial period to determine suitability and Freeland K9 reserve the right to terminate services immediately if it is deemed unsafe to continue. 

Dogs will be kept on leads always. (Off lead walking is by request following a reasonable period from engagement; providing your dog is well behaved, has good recall and the circumstances are deemed to be safe for your dog, myself, us and other members of the public who may also be within the vicinity; and subject to all relevant law and regulation national and local).

You are responsible for ensuring that your dog is properly recall trained. Should you give permission for your dog to be walked off the lead and your dog then fail to return on command, this is entirely at your risk and we cannot accept responsibility or liability for any loss or injury sustained. If you are in any doubt that your dog may not return on command, you should not give permission for your dog to be walked off the lead.

All dogs to be fully inoculated / vaccinated with current worm / flea treatment, including kennel cough and proof provided upon registration and following boosters thereafter. Any dog deemed not to be adequately treated will not be walked. Evidence of up-to-date inoculations is required. Titre tests are not accepted as evidence of inoculation.

No group walks for female dogs in season, pregnant dogs, or ill dogs will be permitted. 

Reactive dogs may be muzzled for safety of all parties, following responsible muzzle training (we recommend that all dogs are muzzle trained as soon as possible as part of their general education to prevent additional stress in the event of an emergency where your dog may need to be muzzled).

Adverse weather conditions may lead to a limited service and mutual communication is required (this may include but is  not limited to; In very wet conditions, walks may be curtailed to ensure enough pet drying time; snow may lead to delays or cancellation of service; hot weather may lead to change of service or cancellation. Freeland K9 will notify you at the earliest convenient time and rearrangements will be made where possible.

In emergency situations permission to take your pet to a Vet is required. Your pet will be taken to the nearest available vet to ensure the fastest possible treatment where recovery is time dependent. In non-life threatening situations Freeland K9 will prioritise, but is not liable, for your pet to be taken to your registered vet. 

All dog walking is carried out in compliance with all appropriate law, including but not limited to Animal Welfare Regulations, Dangerous Dogs Act, local authority bye laws, PDWA Best Practice and PDWA Ethical Working Practice.

In accordance with the law, dog mess is always cleared up using biodegradable bags and disposed of appropriately.

Freeland K9’s Commitment to You

Where dog walking agreement applies, the rate is inclusive of collection / safe return to dog exercise area, exercise period as agreed, treats, clear up of mess, full insurance and daily activity report. Walks are usually within your local area or at a designated local dog walking location.

Dog walking can be one at a time or with a small group for maximum care, attention and safety, at the discretion of Freeland K9, unless specified by you, subject to availability and behaviour assessment.

Where home visit agreement applies, the rate is inclusive of services agreed.

Upon engagement Freeland K9 will communicate by WhatsApp to report on progress wherever possible and safe to do so. Freeland K9 reserves the right to forgo updates at our discretion.

Freeland K9 will endeavour not to interrupt your busy day unless there is an emergency. If you are telephoned, please be aware that I would need to speak to you urgently and will leave a voicemail where you are unreachable.

Freeland K9 will endeavour to accommodate short notice / emergency bookings as best as possible, subject to feasibility and schedule.

Your training / cue words will be used following disclosure during initial consultation. It is your responsibility to update us of any change or additional cues you wish us to use at any point following registration.

Freeland K9 is responsible for any NI, income tax and pension contributions incurred because of receipt of payment from you.

Security of key and premises is assured always, any key provided will be securely stored in a lockbox. 

Keys will not be labelled to identify you or your address.

Keys will be returned at the end of the contract or any time upon request in a safe, timely and professional manner.  

Freeland K9 will not loan, duplicate, or use the keys issued to me in any unauthorised manner. 

Staff / volunteer helpers engaged by Freeland K9 have your full permission to gain access to carry out duties as agreed.

Freeland K9 accepts responsibility for the cost of replacement keys/cards, rekeying locks and any associated damage or losses should we lose the keys or should the keys be lost, stolen or misused while in our possession.

Freeland K9 and / or employees / volunteer staff will only access areas within your home as agreed with you to carry out our duties as agreed.

Cancellation of service by us will be subject to full refund where or rescheduling a session is not possible. We will provide you with as much notice as is reasonably possible in the event of cancellation or rescheduling. 

We will not be liable for any failure or delay in carrying out our service where that failure or delay results from any cause that is beyond our reasonable control. Such causes include, but are not limited to: power failure, internet service provider failure, strikes, lock-outs or other industrial action by third parties, riots and other civil unrest, fire, explosion, flood, storms, earthquakes, subsidence, acts of terrorism (threatened or actual), acts of war (declared, undeclared, threatened, actual or preparations for war), epidemic or other natural disaster, or any other event that is beyond our reasonable control.

If any event described under 6.17 occurs that is likely to adversely affect our service, we will inform you as soon as is reasonably possible. Our services may be suspended at our discretion and any time limits that we are bound by will be extended accordingly. We reserve the right to charge a session retainer fee at our discretion.

We will inform you when the event outside of our control is over and provide details of any new dates, times or availability of services as necessary.

Your Responsibilities

Bookings must be made in advance and agreed by  Freeland K9. Bookings cannot be confirmed until we receive a signed copy of the terms and conditions of engagement, completed client registration, medication, vet and access forms / permissions from you.

Full and easy access to dogs is required. For expediency, you shall allow access to  Freeland K9 via a mutually compatible method. Failure to provide full and easy access for  Freeland K9 to carry out agreed duties will incur charge of the agreed rate and the possibility of no walk / visit that day.

You must accurately and truthfully provide all relevant details about your dog and any specific requirements relating to your dog as required on the Client Registration form; this includes but not limited to behavioural issues, likes, dislikes. 

You are responsible for ensuring that your dog is properly trained to come back to us on command. Should you give permission for your dog to be walked off the lead and your dog then fail to return on command, this is entirely at your risk and we cannot accept responsibility or liability for any loss or injury sustained. If you are in any doubt that your dog may not return on command, you should not give permission for your dog to be walked off the lead.

You must disclose any information about your dog if he/she is subject of any control order, breaches and/or prosecution, particularly under the latest revisions of the Animal Welfare Act, the Dangerous Dogs Act, Dangerous Dogs (Amendment) Act, the Dogs Act or any other applicable laws and advise immediately should your dog become subject to any orders, breaches or prosecutions after your booking has been accepted. Where your dog falls under these acts, full compliance must be maintained including, but not limited to, muzzling, sterilisation, and public liability insurance (proof of insurance must be provided for our records and updated annually).

Advise as soon as possible of any adverse health issues of your dog.

Upon agreement to any plan, you shall confirm your requirement / booking for the following week by the Friday evening of the preceding week and payment shall be due by the Sunday immediately following. Short notice / emergency bookings will be accommodated as best as possible, subject to feasibility and schedule and are payable on booking.

Cancellation of service by you: We hold your sessions for you and ask that if you must cancel or reschedule a session please provide us with at least 48-hours notice.  We do, of course, understand that unavoidable issues come up and will do our best to work with you in case of an emergency. 

Last minute cancellations, within 48h, will be charged a cancellation fee equal to 25% of agreed service rate. Cancellations within 24h of the agreed service booking will be charged at the full rate.

Ensure prompt payment of invoices, terms as per section 2 above.

Provide dog towels, special dietary treats and any oral medication if required. (Oral medication administered at owners risk and only under exceptional circumstances).

Keep Freeland K9 up to date with emergency and full daily contact details as applicable.

Any special requirements to be advised soonest.

You agree to reimburse Freeland K9 for any additional fees for providing emergency care, as well as any expenses incurred for unexpected visits, transportation, housing, food, or supplies.

Any Vet fees / associated transport costs incurred because of sickness or ill health with your pet whilst in the care of Freeland K9 are payable by you.

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Freeland K9 and / or employees / volunteer staff of any key / entry related occurrences and / or damage to property if other third parties also have access to your home.

General Data Protection Regulations

We respect the information that we hold about you and we take the security of that information very seriously. All information held about you remains strictly confidential. Our Privacy Policy provides more information on the data we hold about you, what we do with that data, who we share your data with and your rights under GDPR. The Privacy Policy is available to view at www.freelandk9.co.uk/privacy-policy. (Paper copy is available on request).

Freeland K9 reserves the right to alter / reschedule plans in accordance with the work schedule. Outside factors beyond reasonable control may affect service. This may include one to one walks or group walks as appropriate, rescheduling of visits, cancellation of service.

This contract can be terminated by either party at any time, subject to our cancellation policy detailed above.

Both parties, Freeland K9 and you, the client, will hold a copy of this agreement.

You confirm that you have answered all questions truthfully and have not withheld any relevant information. You understand that non-disclosure of information may affect future service provision and negate Freeland K9’s liability insurance.

Complaints

We believe in transparency and honesty. If you have a complaint or grievance about Freeland K9, me, or any of our volunteers / employees, and / or the service I provide please speak to me about it and I will do our best to clarify or find an amicable resolution. 

Any complaints should be emailed to louise@freelandK9.co.uk under the subject ‘Complaint’ and will be subject to response within 14 days. Please include as much detail as possible, and provide a clear expectation of what you would like the outcome of your complaint to be in your email. Freeland K9 will endeavour to resolve your complaint by meeting these requests wherever possible but reserved the right to offer an alternative resolution. We commit to offering a reasonable resolution within 30 days. If this is not possible, or you are not satisfied with the outcome, you may ask for your complaint to be escalated to the Professional Dog Walkers Association.

Should a complaint escalate, it can be referred to the PDWA who, if they believe it falls within their remit, terms and best practice may investigate and mediate. You can request contact details from us, or find them at their website: Professional Dog Walkers Association Contact Us.

Your agreement and acceptance to engagement of Freeland K9 dog walking / pet services and the above terms and conditions, is provided by understanding this agreement and registering for one or more of our services.