TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR HOME BOARDING, DAY CARE AND DOG WALKING

Animal Boarding Establishment Act 1963
License To Keep An Animal Boarding Establishment
License Number 18/01448/AWACT

Meet & Greet/ Familiarisation Period

Before booking with Cotswold Animal Services, the dogs owner must bring their dog in person for a familiarisation meet and and greet and suitability assessment. The purpose of this is to assess the dogs temperament with other dogs and to assess the suitability of my home environment for your dog. This also provides the owner the opportunity to assess for yourself the suitability of Cotswold Animal Services home environment and raise any concerns you may have or ask any questions.
Your dog/s must be of a trustworthy nature around children and other dogs in order to board with Cotswold Animal Services. It is your responsibility to inform me if this is not the case or you are unsure, and I do not board, walk or care for dogs with aggressive/reactive tendencies or any history of aggression. If a dog in my care displays aggressive tendencies or is deemed to be putting any person or dog around it at risk I will require the dog to be collected by you or your emergency contact in a timely fashion. Where this is not possible, I reserve the right to hand over the care of the dog over to a secure kennel for which you will be responsible for payment and no refund for the dogs stay with me will be given in this scenario.
Regretfully I am unable to board dogs who are known to bark or howl disruptively, due to being residential boarding, consideration has to be given to my neighbours as a priority. I also have a duty of care to the other dogs in my home, to ensure they have a peaceful and stress-free day. Failure to disclose this behaviour will result in the emergency contact being utilised for cancellation of booking.

Paperwork Completion & Up To Date Vaccination History

All dogs in my care be it for daycare, walking or overnight boarding must hold up to date vaccinations (DHPPI & LEPTO) to include kennel cough 4 weeks prior to their booking with Cotswold Animal Services. I require an official copy of your dog's vaccination records to be kept on file with your dogs other paperwork. Before your dog can be cared for by me I must have: Please Note - I can not care for your dog without ALL of these.

Your Legal Requirements & Responsibilities / Recommendations

Dogs must be microchipped and I recommend you insure them for medical treatment. A secure collar and tag must be worn whilst in my care. All dogs staying with me will wear a tag or collar which states my information supplied by me on arrival. It is your responsibility to regularly check your paperwork and keep my records up to date for every new booking with me. That includes your name, address and contact, your emergency contact information, any changes to behaviour, illness and vaccination history.

Bitches In Season

Cotswold Animal Services can not take bitches in season. If a bitch comes into season whilst in my care you understand that it will have to be collected for its own safety. In the first instance I would call you to inform you of the situation, should you not be contactable I would contact your emergency person named on your paperwork and they will collect your dog in a timely fashion. In this instance there will be no refund for home boarding/ day care cut short.

Raw Diets

Cotswold Animal Services regrettably cannot accommodate raw feeding whilst dogs are in our care.

Illness and Contagious Infection

If your dog is showing signs of being unwell, please DO NOT bring your dog to day care/for boarding or send them on walks. Just like nursery or playgroup, we do not want illness rampaging unnecessarily through the other dogs, you must isolate your dog for the appropriate period of time and speak with the vet for advice on treatment. It is your responsibility to notify me of the situation, contact your vet for advice and not let your dog return until symptoms have passed and a period of clearance has passed on the end of it. Please also refer to my ***cancellations policy for refund policy’s in this scenario for ad-hock bookings/repeat bookings and boarding.

Loose Stools and Vomiting

If your dog has diarrhoea/vomiting/blood in stools please contact your vet for advice and following any treatment required allow 48 hours after last symptom before sending your dog back into my care.
For further information please click here.

Eye infections/Gunky eyes

Please contact your vet for advice and following any treatment required allow 48 hours after completing the course of treatment AND (not instead of) 48 hours symptom free before sending your dog back into my care.
Click here for further information

Kennel Cough

All dogs in my care must be routinely vaccinated for KC and have this administered with 4 weeks grace prior to any booking here. That does not meant that your dog can’t catch the virus. If you notice any coughing/unusual croak like sounds from your dog please contact your vet for advice and treatment and do not send your dog in. Please also notify me should your dog have been in my care up to 7 days prior to symptoms. Here at CAS we have a 3 week rule, KC has a 14 day incubation period so we ask for 7 days CLEAR of last symptom before your dog can return to the rounds.
For general information on Kennel Cough please click here
For any other signs of sickness or illness you must contact your vet for advice/the all clear before sending your dog to my care.

Isolation Policy For Sick or Injured Dogs or those displaying dangerous or unhealthy behaviour

If your dog becomes ill or shows any symptoms/behaviour that cause concern or puts anyone (human or canine)at risk; whilst in my care you understand that your dog will need to be isolated from the other dogs for their own safety. In the first instance I would call you to inform you of the situation; should you not be contactable and where necessary I would contact your emergency person named on your paperwork and they will collect your dog in a timely fashion. If I believe the dog to be at imminent risk I reserve the right to contact my vet for advice or treatment. If I believe the dog to be showing potentially contagious symptoms I will require it to be collected at the first possibility, and it will be isolated in the short term. In this instance there will be no refund for home boarding/ day care cut short.

Extreme Weather & Limitations to Routine

In extreme circumstances there may need to be limitations put on my walk lengths or regular routines and patterns of care for your dog/s. These limitations will be in line with local weather warnings and Local Animal Welfare Organizations and enforcers. (Stroud District Council Dog Warden.) These limitations or restrictions are in place for your dogs safety.

In extreme heat or prolonged periods of extreme heat

In extreme heat your dogs walks may be limited to a shorter period of time than the usual hour. These walks will be woodland only (to offer shade) and will be to a stream or pond so the dogs can stay cool and keep hydrated. I will always carry fresh water for the dogs and will offer them a drink before or after their walk too. These walks may be at an earlier time than your usual slot or slightly later to avoid the hottest part of the day. In these circumstances I will contact you to advise you of my decision and if necessary give you the opportunity to cancel your walk at short notice without enforcing a cancellation fee. Dogs in for boarding or day care will be given the opportunity to stay cool at home indoors with short periods outside with alternative enrichment where walks have been limited. We have paddling pools for the summer and troughs and will set up areas of shade. We also freeze vegetables such as carrots for the dogs to enjoy. It is recommended that your dog is provided with a cooling jacket for such circumstances.

Heavy snow, floods or black ice

Wherever possible and if safe to do so I will always endeavor to still get to you for your routine walks and bookings. In the event that roads are closed making it impossible or extremely timely/dangerous to get to you or extreme weather warnings are in place with the recommendation not to drive a decision may be made by me that cancelation is the only option. In this scenario it may be at short notice. In this instance I will contact you to advise you of my decision and where necessary give you the opportunity to cancel your walk without enforcing a cancellation fee. Dogs in for boarding or day care will be given the opportunity to warm at home indoors with short periods outside with alternative enrichment where walks have been limited. We will introduce brain games and toys, chews and extra snuggles... thats if the dogs don't want to come sledging!!! It is recommended that your dog is provided with a drying fleece for such circumstances.

Payment & Cancellation Policy

Boarding & Amimal Care

For bookings over 48 hours I require a 40% deposit. This secures the dates you would like and is non-refundable. If you wish to cancel your animal's care you are liable for the whole cost as outlined at booking. You can cancel and not be liable for full fee if one months notice is given in writing.

Repeat bookings

For regular slot group walk or daycare bookings I require payment for the whole week one week in advance. This will be invoiced via email and payment by 5pm the previous Sunday is required for your bookings the following week to stand. A minimum of 1 weeks notice is required for cancelation. You will be liable for full payment without this.

Ad - Hoc Walking & Daycare

I will invoice you for your weeks walks or day care on the Sunday every week via email. Payment is required on receipt of invoice. I do not run into arrears with clients. 48 hours notice is required in writing for cancellation of ad-hoc walks or day care bookings. You will be liable for full payment without this. Please note I do not accept cheques. Payment via bank transfer, standing order or cash are acceptable. Full details can be found on my invoices.

Cotswold Animal Services GDPR Statement

Any personal information held by Cotswold Animal Services will be held securely in a locked cupboard or on encrypted software in accordance with GDPR regulations. All staff that come into contact with your personal data are trained on how this data must be handled. You may request to see what information Cotswold Animal Services holds in relation to you and your dog/s at any time. Cotswold Animal Services does not use email marketing tools and does not share your data with third parties. Cotswold Animal Services may contact you by email, phone or text message in order to discuss your dogs care, future bookings or amendments, and offers/ dates that may be of interest / relevant to you. By contacting Cotswold Animal Services regarding products, services or further information you are actively agreeing to recieve communications in accordance with the context that is appropriate due to the nature of our work. You may opt out of receiving further communications at any time by emailing Cotswold Animal Services with "OPT OUT" as your message. Cotswold Animal Services is legally bound to hold all records of dogs in their care for a minimum of three years to comply with DEFRA's regulations. These records as outlined above are held securely in line with GDPR.

CORONA VIRUS - IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR CUSTOMERS BOARDING WITH COTSWOLD ANIMAL SERVICES

With the recent challenges that the coronavirus has brought to international travel I wanted to notify my Customers about a few considerations prior to your dog boarding with me here in my home.

CANCELLATION NOTICE

As I am in a busy period for dog boarding, your deposit protects your dates from use by other customers and is as always non refundable. If you do need to cancel it is a loss of income for Cotswold Animal Services. That said I don’t wish for any one to be out of pocket so I do want to highlight the deadlines for giving me notice to cancel, so that you can make informed and timely decisions. I will not be able to carry deposit payments forward if you do decide to cancel. I will however in these circumstances introduce a 1 CALENDER MONTH cancelation policy for the remainder of your balance due, meaning if you need to cancel due to the risk of travel you will only lose your 40% deposit but WILL NOT be invoiced in full for the remainder of the bill. It is worth noting that if the decision to cancel your trip is taken out of your hands your travel insurance should be able to assist with cancellation fees for our services. If you require an invoice to support a claim, I would be happy to provide this for you. Due to this, if you have a regular slot for animal care and wish to cancel; in order to hold your spot for future bookings, I will require 2 weeks full payment notice and then a 50% retainer thereafter, or I will have to offer the space to someone else in order to protect my business.

EMERGENCY CONTACT DETAILS

Just in case you do find yourself in a position where your return is delayed you should ensure that the emergency contact details I hold are up to date and that your contact is aware and prepared to have your dog in the event of an emergency or delay to your return to the UK. I will endeavour to keep your dog if you are delayed but due to my licensing restrictions, I may not have adequate capacity to do so and as last resort, if your emergency contact were unable or unwilling to step in, I may need to consider the use of local kennels or another licences home boarder as per my terms and conditions. I would work with you to try to avoid this but making a plan before your departure is by far the easiest way to reduce the stress and worry should this become an issue. If you are delayed and wish for me to continue looking after your dog (if I have availability) this is charged at the usual rates. You may also wish for your emergency contact to step in at that point and I will need your permission to release your dog to anyone other then yourself.

PLANNING FOR DELAYS

I recommend that you provide additional food as a precaution and explicitly outline what food your dog eats (brand etc) in case I run out.

PICK UP

Assuming all goes well and you’ve been able to enjoy a nice break – on the day you arrive to collect your dog, I will be taking a few precautions as you will likely have been mingling with many travellers in the airport and on planes.
If you have returned from a category 1 country or area in past 14 days, regardless of symptoms, please send a pre arranged nominated person who has remained in the UK and had NO contact with you since your return to collect your dog
THIS INCLUDES : Wuhan city and Hubei province, China, Iran, Daegu or Cheongdo, South Korea. Any Italian town under containment measures. (Only if you’ve returned on or after 19 February 2020)
If you have returned from a category 2 country or area in last 14 days This includes: Cambodia China (other than Wuhan city or Hubei province) Hong Kong. Italy: North Italy (Only if you’ve returned on or after 19 February 2020). Japan, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, South Korea (other than Daegu or Cheongdo), Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
For all other travelers to countries not on the above list... Short of wearing a face mask(!) I will do a quick handover at the door with no long goodbyes. It will of course be lovely to see you but perhaps we can catch up over WhatsApp instead 🙂
Hopefully your trip will not be affected but it’s best to plan for the worst and hope for the best.
If you have any questions or concerns please do get in touch with me.

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