FAQ

Are you accepting new clients?

Yes! For the first time in years Kats and K9s is looking for a handful of private walking clients. These walks are perfect for pups who like to take their time, need space from other dogs, or have any other special needs. For all other inquiries, please feel free to reach out to be added to our waitlist, however - you never know, maybe you happen to slot perfectly into our already busy schedules!

What’s your intake process?

The first step is reaching out to us via our “contact us” page of this website. Submit a form and we’ll get back to you within a week to book your meet and greet/consultation. This meeting is roughly a half hour long and gives us time to meet face to face (with masks on) and go over any questions either of us may have. Prior to the meet and greet you’ll receive an email which includes a thorough intake questionnaire and a copy of our waiver of liability and policies and procedures. Please fill out the questionnaire and send it back to us, and give the documents a thorough read through and sign before the meet and greet. It greatly reduces the time we need to spend!

All about boarding

Boarding is offered at a very limited (2-3 dogs maximum) basis with everyone’s comfort in mind. Boarding is cage free (unless your pet is more comfortable sleeping in a crate!) in Kat’s home. All dogs are offered a minimum of 1hr long walk a day and several pee breaks.

Kat has three cats of their own, which is always their first priority. If your dog doesn’t have experience with cats that’s absolutely fine, but we will need adequate time to schedule your dog in for a day (4-8hrs) of daycare before you’re time away to ensure there are no hiccups in their introduction to Kat’s furry family. We have several steps of management in place, such as baby gates, exercise pens and calming pheromone diffusers to keep everyone calm and comfy during introductions.

All About Walks

Our dog walks are always enrichment focused. While we do need to get from point A to point B, we do our best to allow our dogs to sniff and enjoy the journey wherever possible. We keep our groups engaged, happy and excited about our destination, which is usually a dog park! Whenever able and necessary, we incorporate training of basic leash skills and manners using strictly force free methods. While we do think walks should have a certain amount of structure, we do our best to leave our own agendas at home and fulfill our dogs needs ahead of our own. If our dogs are feeling more of a calm sniffy walk we may break out the long lines and head to an on leash park to do just that. If they’re feeling more rambunctious we’ll head to the dog park to run off some energy instead!

Once your booking is secured (most of our dogs are on recurring weekly schedules) we ask a 2 hour window of time allotted for pick ups. This means if you book for 12 (noon) we might pick up your pup as early as 11am and as late as 1pm. For younger dogs we do our best to stick as close to the ideal pickup window as possible, but those who have a bit more flexibility in their bathroom schedule may get picked up earlier or later. Our group walks are 45min - 1hr long and are rain or shine!

What Sets you apart?

Oh my! So much!

We believe that taking small groups benefits everyone. It allows our snack leaders to really take their time and enjoy the walk just as much as the dogs do, as well as give each dog the individual attention that they deserve! We practice strict hot and cold weather procedures as well as standard safety protocols. We group your dogs based on their friends, who they walk well with and their similar play styles. Our walkers are all licensed, insured, bonded and pet first aid certified.

Our cat caretakers are truly devoted to providing enrichment of all kinds to keep your furry friend happy and healthy while you’re away. We bring toys, treats and love with us to every single visit and even include daily brushing in our routine.

We build a strong and close bond with each of our pets, learning their individual wants and needs. We take the responsibility of being your pet’s aunties and uncles very seriously and do our best to stay one step ahead of fulfilling every request. When it comes to our team you and your pets are truly family.

Why Force Free and Positive Reinforcement

I could talk about why I use positive reinforcement and force free methods for ages, but this video by SciShow goes into great detail about the science behind why it works, so I’ll let it do the talking!

a deep dive into The history of dog domestication

Here is the video that the above video mentioned at the end - just in case you’d like to nerd out about dogs just like I do!