Frequently Asked Questions
Do you offer overnight care?
It is a special perk for Top Dog SF Clients:
Boarding (in your house or in the walker’s home when available) for $60/night.
This includes a morning walk and an evening walk — mid-day walks are additional and will be billed separately.
We require advance notice, and special Holiday pricing applies.
What are beach/park hikes?
We take your dog to Fort Funston and other legal off-leash parks in SF. Your dog will be out socializing hiking, and playing, with their buddies for an average of 2 to 2.5 hours a day (with a 75-minute walk) making for one tired pooch!
What is dog camp?
What if my dog has never been off-leash before?
We have options and we love to train! We have trainers who can help you and your dog by offering private training sessions focused on recall. Our trainers can help transition your dog, and you, to be in our off leash walks successfully. We have training recall workshops for clients a few times a year that you and your pup can sign up for. Email us for more info!
When are your walk times?
DOG CAMP – Pick up between 8 AM to 11:30 AM and Drop off between 12 noon and 4 PM
*** The actual off leash/ walk time is ~75 minutes, and the average out of the house time with pick up, drop off and drive time is about 2.5 to 3 hours for beach/ park outings. A bit longer to and from Dog Camp at around 4.5 hours.***
Do you offer pickup/drop off?
We offer pick up and drop off service to and from your home or office! We make it easy for you! How convenient is that!?
What's the deal with the Yearly Walk Subscription?
We suggest (and so do our clients) that you use our Yearly Walk Subscription to save you money and secure other perks for you and your pup. We require a minimum of 4x a week which saves our clients money throughout the year to secure a spot for your dog in our small sized groups, along with reinforcing and maintaining training. We ask for 14 days notice before the end of the month if you would like to change or modify your Yearly Walk Subscription.
What happens if I know I will be out of town for several weeks?
Is there a way to put my account on hold?
We don’t have the ability to put the service/ account on hold and guarantee your dog’s spot since we are a small local company. We ask for 14 days notice to cancel or suspend service and we can then touch base when you want to start your dog up again!
Are you bonded and insured?
Will the same person always walk or visit my pet?
Generally, yes. We will assign a primary walker for your dog. If your dog goes on regularly scheduled walks with us 5x a week we have one walker assigned for your dog. We also have a back-up walker trained to substitute for us if the primary walker is sick or on vacation. We communicate with you any walker changes and give you a heads up!
Who has access to the keys I give to Top Dog SF?
The primary walker for your dog is the one who will be holding the keys to your apartment/house and keys are safely stored/ secured. We do not label the key with any identifying information for you or your apartment. We also have the back up key set securely with executive staff.
What is the policy on who's financially responsible for a dog that gets injured during walks?
We have an excellent safety record and have numerous policies and procedures designed to avoid accidents with our pups on our walks. We are insured as well and we do our best to ensure that all of our client dogs are well-socialized with people and other dogs. With that being understood, dogs can be unpredictable at times and accidents occasionally happen especially in off leash walks and doggie socialization. As specified in California law and in our service contract, any injury caused by your dog during an outing is the owner of the dog’s responsibility unless gross negligence or uncontrollable circumstances.
How will I be billed for walks?
We work on a pre-billed payment for each month of dog walks. We also have a 14 day notice before the end of the month to change or cancel service. On your first day of walks with us, you will pay for your two week trial period (10 walks for $400). After the completion of your first two week trial we will set you up in our dog walking software system.
Do the dogs get dirty on walks?
I want to work for you as a dog walker. What do i do?
2019 HOLIDAY CLOSURE DATES
MLK DAY
Monday, January 21
MEMORIAL DAY
Monday, May 27
INDEPENDENCE DAY
Thursday, July 4 & Friday, July 5
Walks resume Monday July 8
LABOR DAY
Monday, September 2
THANKSGIVING BREAK
Thursday, November 28 & Friday, November 29
Walks resume Monday December 2
CHRISTMAS and NEW YEAR BREAK
Tuesday, December 24 through Wednesday, January 1
Walks will resume on Thursday January 2, 2020
Top Dog SF is closed for group walks on these days.
We do offer overnight care throughout the year and have limited holiday availability.
Please do let us know as early as possible at scheduling@topdogsf.com if you would like your dog’s favorite walker
to look after your fur baby so we can do our best to accommodate your preference!