At DogBuddy we understand that Dog Care Services are very personal and tailored. Through the DogBuddy.com platform we enable sitters to offer Dog Boarding (24h) at their own home, Dog Day Care at their own home, Dog Walking and other services.
We work hard to help sitters standardise the way they carry out business while allowing flexibility. Currently, the services and drop-off/pickup times work as follows:
Dog Boarding (24h) (our most standardised service): Sitter rates are for 24h periods. Owners can send a message enquiry or make a direct booking. In both cases.
Dog Day Care: Sitter rates are for periods of 1 daytime unit (typically during working hours). Owners can send a message enquiry or make a direct booking but the site does not offer time slots as we are aware that they totally depend on the owner's particular routine. All times are agreed between owner and sitter through messaging and not specifically calculated through the site.
The Day Care service is designed for busy dog owners, who need to have their dogs looked after typically between morning and evening, with no overnight stay. Rates as advertised by each sitter are for a given day. If the sitter feels that the owner's specific needs demand a different price, the sitter can edit it or create a custom booking for the owner to then confirm & pay.
Dog Walking: Sitter rates are for hourly periods. Owners can only send a message enquiry for this service to which the sitter replies with a specific price. The owner can then confirm & pay. For Dog Walking it is not possible to make direct bookings or select time slots. All times are agreed between owner and sitter and not specifically calculated through the site. This is because Dog Walking is also super tailored and not easy to standardise.
Other service: Sitter rates are fully tailored on a case by case basis. We recognise that sitters need a way to channel the bespoke services that they provide to owners. This can be a combination of existing services, a checkup, sitting at the owner's home and more. Times and dates are agreed between the owner and sitter. Just like with Dog Walking, owners cannot make direct bookings so the owner typically sends a message enquiry to which the sitter replies with a price. The owner can then confirm & pay.
Sitters charging for collecting & dropping dogs from owners' homes:
At the moment the easiest way for sitters to charge for this extra service is to either:
a) If as a sitter you received and an enquiry where the owner requests such additions, simply edit the price, add the extra to the total price and then pre-approve the booking so that the owner can confirm & pay.
b) If as a sitter you have received a direct booking requesting such additions, message the owner to agree on the relevant extra. If you get a positive answer, then accept that direct booking. Once accepted, the booking becomes confirmed. You will then have the option to "add supplement" and request this extra (owner is notified and they can pay it).