Frequently Asked Questions

Animal Magnetism is fully licensed, bonded, and insured. We are proud to be veteran and female-owned, as well as locally owned and operated. We take professionalism very seriously, working tirelessly to ensure that your pets and home are cared for by an established, respected, and reputable team.

We currently provide dog walking, pack walking, pet sitting, and overnight pet services in West Los Angeles, including Santa Monica, Brentwood, Mar Vista, Marina del Rey, Venice, Westchester, Culver City, Playa Vista, and Playa del Rey. We are excited to be expanding into Ladera Heights, Baldwin Hills, and El Segundo.

The first step in engaging our services is to set up your client account through Time to Pet. Time to Pet is an industry-leading pet care software that securely allows for registration, payment, and communication. Click here to access our new client form or contact us by phone or email to receive an activation link.

As you navigate through our new client form, you’ll be asked for your contact information, pet care instructions, emergency contact name and phone number, and other details. 

These details allow us to provide the best pet and home care possible while you’re away.

Before scheduling pet care visits, you’ll be asked to complete your registration and schedule a meet and greet. During the meet and greet, we will review your home and pet care instructions, answer questions, and ensure we’re a good fit for your family.

Once the meet and greet is complete, you can log back into your Time to Pet profile to schedule services. Time to Pet can be accessed online or via a smartphone app. You may download the app here.

Download the Time to Pet smartphone app to receive a notification as soon as we arrive for your scheduled visit. You will receive a detailed report and photos at the end of the visit. For dog walks, you can also follow our GPS location throughout our route.

Individual services may be cancelled via Time to Pet and the Time to Pet app.

Our cancellation policy applies as follows: 

Dog Walking/Pack Walking/Pet Sitting Visits

• If you cancel or make changes to a previously billed service at least 24 hours in advance, you’ll receive a credit toward future services.
• If these changes are made after 5:00 pm the evening before your scheduled service, you’ll receive a 50% credit since our schedule is already set and that time has been held just for you.
• Same-day cancellations or changes are charged in full.

Overnights

Because we only have a limited number of overnight boarding spots available, overnight stays require a 25% non-refundable deposit to reserve your dates. The remaining balance is due at the start of your service.

For cats and small animals, we require at least one 15-minute visit per day while you’re away. Our shortest visit, 15 minutes allows just enough time for feeding, fresh water, and litter scooping.

If you’d like your cat or small critters to enjoy some playtime, cuddles, and attention beyond the essentials, we recommend a 30-minute visit. Homes with multiple cats or small critters also benefit from longer or additional visits.

For dog sitting visits in your home, we require a minimum of 3 visits per 24-hour period to ensure your dog(s) receive the care they need while you’re away.

We send weekly invoices every Sunday, and cards on file are charged on Mondays. This gives you time to review your invoice and cancel or adjust services before your card is charged. Payments are collected before scheduled services, as your booking holds a reserved spot on our calendar.

If you’ve already paid for a service and canceled it before 5:00 pm the day before the scheduled visit, that amount will be applied as a credit to your next invoice.

We accept Zelle, ACH (electronic check), debit cards, and credit cards .

Additional pet fees apply to the following services:

• Individual dog walking: $15 per additional pet
• Pack walks: $10 per additional pet
• Overnight pet care in your home: $20/additional dog and $10/additional cat
• In-home dog boarding in a pet sitter’s home: $25 per additional dog

We do not charge additional pet fees for in-home pet sitting visits. Our pet sitting service fees are based on time, not the number of pets in our care.

Your initial meet and greet is complimentary and includes a chance for us to meet you and your pets, review your care routine, answer questions, and make sure everyone feels comfortable before services begin. If you would like to schedule an additional meet and greet after the initial consultation, including to meet a specific dog walker or pet sitter, a $20 meet and greet fee will apply.

We are happy to accommodate last-minute and same-day bookings when possible. A $10 service fee applies to requests made after 5 PM the day before the service date. Same-day bookings are subject to a $15 service fee.

As professional pet sitters and dog walkers, we offer services 365 days per year. A $15 per visit holiday service fee is assessed on the following holidays: New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, Easter Sunday, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Please note that pack walks are not offered on major holidays. All other services are available on the above-listed holidays.

We assign 2-3 pet care specialists to each household to ensure seamless coverage. All of our pet sitters and dog walkers are equally vetted and trained to ensure the same standards of care. This team-based approach allows us to accommodate days off, illnesses, emergencies, and schedule changes without affecting your pet’s routine. 

If you would like to meet your pet care providers, please let us know. We are happy to arrange that. And, we welcome staffing requests if you have a favorite care provider.

Our team can administer oral, topical, and subQ medications at no additional charge. 

Please provide all medication names and dosages in your pet’s profile in Time to Pet to ensure your pet’s safety. Include any tips and tricks that make medicating your pet easier, including the use of pill wraps, peanut butter, cheese, etc., so that we can make the process as stress-free and comfortable as possible.

We pride ourselves on hiring the best, most reliable pet lovers and training them to provide exceptional care. All applicants must pass a thorough background check, maintain a clean driving record, and be certified in Pet First Aid and CPR. We look for candidates who have prior experience in the pet care industry or extensive hands-on experience caring for their own pets.

New hire training is thorough, lasting two weeks. During the first week, new hires shadow an experienced dog walker to learn our routines, safety protocols, and care standards. In the second week, trainees begin to handle walks independently, while our Owner, Tarina, or a senior team member, oversees their visits.

Trainees are cleared to work independently once they have demonstrated a profound understanding of pets’ needs, knowledge of pet behavior and proper handling practices, and a definitive connection with the animals in their care.

Our hard-working pet care providers greatly appreciate your generosity! Gratuities can be submitted directly through our client portal or mobile app by opening your invoice and selecting the “Add Tip” button. 

When multiple staff members provide services, tips are distributed based on the percentage of services performed.

Our access to your home will depend on your entry method. 

• For homes with keypads or smart locks, we recommend setting up a unique access code for our team. An alternative access method, including a garage code or backup key in a lockbox, is recommended in case your keypad or smart lock fails.
• For keyed access doors, we ask that you please keep two sets of house keys in a lockbox in a location on your home’s exterior. Please provide us with the lockbox code and update your client profile if your code changes.
• If a lockbox is not allowed or cannot be placed on your home’s exterior, we ask that you please provide us with two sets of house keys: one for your primary pet sitter and the other for our Management Team. These keys will be coded and securely kept on file to access your home during pet care visits.

We request two sets of house keys because one set is held by your primary pet care provider and the other is stored by our owner to be used as a backup.

By leaving your keys in our care, either in a lockbox at your home or in our office, you can seamlessly schedule services without worrying about getting us keys before your departure.

If you prefer to have your keys returned after each pet care appointment,  a $15 key pick-up/drop-off fee will be assessed per trip.

Alternatively, we are happy to leave keys in your home at the end of the last visit if your home can be locked without the use of a key. In this case, however, we will no longer have access to your pets if your return is delayed, which is yet another reason we encourage you to leave keys in our care.

For buildings that require a key fob for access, we recommend placing the fob in a lockbox in an accessible area outside the building. However, we understand that lockboxes are not always allowed and that key fobs can be difficult to duplicate. In those cases, we will need access to at least one key fob that can be securely shared among our team members to ensure consistent and reliable access to your pets.

We are happy to help with basic household maintenance tasks, including: 

• Setting and checking alarms
• Bringing in mail, newspapers, and packages
• Watering indoor and outdoor plants
• Curbing trash cans
• Rotating blinds and lights
• Tidying up pet areas

Handling these household care tasks ensures your home appears occupied during your absence and allows you to return to a well-maintained home.

We are happy to arm and disarm your security alarm. Please enter your alarm code, security system provider, their contact information, and access passwords in your client profile. Our sitters will select ARM STAY to prevent false alarms caused by your pet’s movement inside the home. 

We always do our best to accommodate your pets, even in the case of inclement weather or similar emergencies. During inclement weather or local events, we will attempt to reach your pet as long as it is safe for us to do so. 

Once there, we may adjust walking time to keep pets safe and comfortable in extreme temperatures, heavy rains, and storms. We ask that you please communicate with us if you have special requests or cancellations during inclement weather.

We are happy to use pet rain jackets and towels to keep your pet comfortable and your home clean. Please update your client and pet profile to outline your inclement weather preferences.

During extreme heat or summer weather, we adjust our routines to minimize heat exposure as much as possible. We also prioritize shaded routes and cooler surfaces, take more frequent water and rest breaks, and closely monitor dogs for signs of overheating.

If deemed necessary, we may adjust walk times to avoid peak heat. If conditions remain unsafe (or if you prefer we skip walks over a certain temperature), we’re happy to modify the visit per your request.

Visits that are modified due to extreme heat consist of reduced outdoor time and increased enrichment, playtime, and companionship indoors.

Because safety is our priority, the vans we use when transporting pets are air-conditioned and equipped with water coolers to keep pets comfortable in transit. We also offer fresh water to help prevent dehydration.

We prefer that all of our clients be spayed or neutered. However, we will consider non-altered/intact pets temporarily until they can be fixed.

We gather pertinent contact details during the onboarding process, including your home, work, and mobile phone numbers, veterinarian contact information, as well as phone numbers and addresses of friends, relatives, or neighbors that can serve as emergency contacts while you’re away. We ask that you please keep your client and pet profiles updated and inform your loved ones if you assign them as an emergency contact. 

During Medical Emergencies

We will contact you and your emergency contact to inform you of the emergency. If it’s a life and death situation, we will immediately transport your pet to the closest emergency veterinary clinic. If it is not urgent, we will wait for your instructions and agreed-upon next steps.

During Household Emergencies

We will contact you and your emergency contact to inform you of the emergency. We will do our best to address the situation in your home and wait for your instructions on the next steps.

During Weather Emergencies/Natural Disasters

We will do our best to reach your pets as long as it’s safe to do so. If we cannot safely reach them, we will contact you and your emergency contact. For this purpose, we recommend having an emergency contact who lives within walking distance so that they may step in and care for your pets if conditions make it impossible to reach your pet(s).

Your satisfaction and your pet’s well-being mean everything to us. If something doesn’t feel right, please call our owner, Tarina, at 310-462-3236 with your concerns. Tarina will do whatever she can to make it right and will use your feedback to improve our hiring, training, and operational processes.

If you’re happy with our care and your experience, we encourage you to write a review on Google, Facebook, or Yelp to spread the word about our business. Reviews and referrals from satisfied clients have kept our company going strong for over 25 years. We’re grateful for your support!

We do not require contracts or long-term commitments. 

If you need to stop services due to a move, injury, illness, or other changes, just give us a call or send us a message, and we’ll be happy to help terminate your services.