Pet Sitting Contract Template: What to Include
Use this practical checklist to define pet care services, schedules, emergency authority, home access, cancellations, payment, and client updates.
Pet sitting and dog walking involve more than feeding and exercise. The provider may enter a client’s home, follow instructions for several animals, handle keys or access codes, give medication reminders, and respond when the owner cannot be reached. A written agreement gives both sides one record of what was approved.
The agreement should match the services actually offered and the rules that apply where the business operates. It is an operational starting point rather than a substitute for legal, veterinary, insurance, or regulatory advice.
What a pet sitting contract should cover
1. Services and schedule
List the included tasks, such as feeding, walks, litter care, medication support, overnight stays, or home checks. Record the visit frequency, expected time windows, and instructions for each pet.
2. Emergency authorization
Record the preferred veterinary clinic, backup clinic, emergency contacts, transportation instructions, and any spending authority the owner chooses to provide. The wording should reflect the sitter’s actual role and local requirements.
3. Access and property
Explain how keys, codes, or lockboxes will be provided, stored, used, and returned. Include alarm instructions, restricted areas, other people expected at the property, and the process for an access problem.
4. Cancellation policy
State the notice period, any late-cancellation fee, and how shortened trips, delayed returns, weather, or other schedule changes are handled.
5. Payment terms
Record the rate, included services, add-on fees, payment due date, accepted payment methods, and the process for approved extra visits or supplies.
6. Responsibility and service limits
Define the sitter’s responsibilities, owner-supplied information, pet behavior disclosures, excluded tasks, and the process for reporting incidents or property concerns. Any liability language should be reviewed for the business’s location and insurance.
7. Photos and client updates
Confirm whether updates or photos will be provided, how often they will be sent, which communication channel will be used, and whether images may be used beyond private client updates.
Use the agreement as part of onboarding
Review the agreement alongside the pet profile, care instructions, behavior disclosure, emergency authorization, and access handoff. Names, dates, visit details, and instructions should remain consistent across every record.
Template Pro-Suite’s Pet Sitter Starter Kit includes the Pet Care Service Agreement, Emergency Vet Authorization, Key Handling Agreement, behavior disclosure, daily reporting, care instructions, and visit checklist. Explore the Pet Sitter Starter Kit.
Editorial note: This article provides general operational information, not legal, veterinary, insurance, tax, privacy, or regulatory advice. Requirements vary by location, service, property, animal, and business circumstances.