Home Visits

Who are your home visitors ?
Wehave tree full-time employees who work with us all year round. The job of our "petcaretakers" can consist in regularly walking your dog, for example (once,twice or three times a day) or taking care of your cat:  feeding, changing the litter box, not tomention lots of attention and a few purrs.  Our pet caretakers can also handle your cute littlerodents, such asguinea pigs or mice, or your fish or birds.  They even have experience with some of the "NPs" - or"New Pets" in fashion, such as snakes.  For the busier summer months in July andAugust, eight or nine students join our team as additional pet caretakers.  The majority of the summer pet caretakers are also members of our Host Families !

  How much advance notice do you need to take care of my pet ?
Weneed two days advance notice prior to the first visit.  You can make an appointment to come by ouroffices to fill out a detailed questionnaire on your cat, sign the membershipagreement and provide us with a copy of your keys.  If you call on us again in the future, you can give us a call theday before you would like a visit and provide us with your house keys.  That means we can be operational the verynext day!  For a number of our customers,it is even more convenient to leave us a set of their keys on an on-going basis. When they call the day before for a home visit, they don't have to make arrangements to drop off their keys.

  But if I leave you mykeys, how can I be sure nothing will be stolen ?
Well,that's a question of trust !  We've beenaround for five years now and have carried out over 15,200 home visits and havenever once received a complaint for theft. This is naturally one of the reasons we take great care when it comes toselecting our home visitors.  In addition, French veterinarians, the SPA (French GovernmentAnimal Protection Agency), the Brigitte Bardot Foundation and the"Trente Millions d'amis" Foundation recommend our organization totheir own customers and members because they know just how serious we are when it comes to taking care of your pet.

  How long do your home visits last ?
Visitslast from between 20 to 30 minutes.  This gives our pet caretaker time to change your cat's litter box, playwith your cat, feed him and cuddle up with him on the couch.  Each time our pet caretaker pays avisit, heor she fills out a Visitor'sReport from the very first day which you will find as soonas you get home.  For each visit, ourpet caretakers note the time they arrive and the time they leave and addpersonal comments : "Balthus was sohappy to see me he jumped right on top of me!  He ate up all his food and then rolled over to get his belly scratched for ages !"

  Will the same caretaker make all the visits ?
Visitsare carried out by the same person five days out of seven.  Twice a week, they do need a break! But all the information we have about your pet is provided to the person replacing your regular pet caretaker.

  My cat is real sick and has to have a shot every day.  Can your pet caretakers do that ?
Laurentis a real specialist in pet care.  Intravenous or intramuscular shots, getting your pet to swallowpills,cleaning wounds or stitches after surgery, you name it!  Thanks to his kindness and know-how, your cat or dog "won't feel a thing".

  When visiting, could your pet caretakers water my plants ?
Aslong as your veranda doesn't look like a jungle, sure !  We would be happy to water your plants onthe days you indicate, and we can also pick up your mail so that it doesn't pileup in the mailbox.  Our pet caretakerscan also write down the messages you've received on your answering machine,reset the machine or erase former messages for you, according to your instructions.

  Is it possible to meet the person who will be visiting my pet ?
Ofcourse this is possible if you would like, but it is not absolutely necessary. The questionnaire youfill out when you sign the membership agreement really goes into all of thedetails and is better to have in writing so that none of your instructions are forgotten.

  What if my cat gets sick while I'm away ?
Wewill immediately inform you by phone if your pet is sick.  If we are unable to reachyou, we will takeyour pet straight to your regular veterinarian.  The Agreement you sign specifies that in case of illness or anaccident, you provide us with a power of attorney giving us the capacity totake your pet to your veterinarian for medical treatment.

If we have to stay away from home longer than planned, what do you do ?
Nothingto worry about there!  We will continuewith home visits up until the day you tell us you are getting back.  And if you stay away longer than expectedand the food or cat litter runs out, we'll go and buy whatever you need to ensure your pet gets constant care.

Can we call you to find out how our dog is getting along without us ?
Ofcourse you can.  Don't hesitate to pickup the phone and give us a call.  We'll give you the latest news from your pet.

 

Home Stays with a Host Family

How do you recruit your host families ?
Familiesinterested in becoming Animado host families initially contact us byphone.  We meet with them at our officesfor an initial selection stage.  If theyseem to have the drive and motivation necessary, we make an appointment to meetwith them at their home.  Normally, wetake along one of our four-legged inspectors to see how they react.  By visiting their home, we are able tosee how they deal with animals.  Moreover, our experience has made it easier for us to determine and"sniff out" whether potential host families really do love animals and have the sense of responsibility required.

What's the profile of an average host family ?
Wehave all types of profiles!  Coupleswith children, young couples without children, retirees (living on their own orwith their spouse) and single people as well.  But they all have one thing in common - their love for animals.  

Do your host families have pets themselves ?
Someof them have a cat or a dog.  Some ofthem don't have a pet any more or are thinking about getting another one.  In themeantime, they are delighted to have a part-time pet at home.

But how can you tell if my pet will get along with the host family's own pets ?
Whenwe meet with you, we take a close look at your pet's character and habits basedon the information you provide us with.  The more details you can give us, the better we can analyze andunderstand your pet's unique personality.  Then we can determine which environment will be best suited for yourpet, where he will feel comfortable, whether he can get along with other animals and which other animals !

What happens if our pet gets sick ?
Wewill immediately inform you by phone if your pet is sick.  If we are unable to reachyou, we will takeyour pet straight to your regular veterinarian.  The Agreement you sign specifies that in case of illness or anaccident, you provide us with a power of attorney giving us the capacity totake your pet to your veterinarian for medical treatment.  Naturally, if an emergency occurs or if thesituation is urgent and the host family lives too far away to get to your ownveterinarian on time, we will take your pet to the closest available veterinarian first.

Your prices include the pet food.  What will you feed my dog ?
Wecomply strictly with the instructions you give us when you fill out the questionnaire regarding your pet's usual food regimen.

If our dog stays with one of your hostfamilies the first time around, can he stay with them again when we go away the next time ?
Yes ! Based on scheduling, we do our best to haveyour pet stay with the same host family each time you go away.  For this reason, it is preferable to give usas much advance notice as possible, especially during school vacation periods whendemand is high, so that we can be sure your host family will be available when you need them.

If we don't have time to drive our pet over to the host family's house, could you take care of this for us ?
Yes,we would be happy to ensure transport to and from the host family's house at the times you specify (please see our Price List ).