A: Many veterinarians and pet experts believe that keeping pets in their familiar surroundings helps to alleviate the stress imposed when their owners have to leave home. Pets are then also able to maintain their diet and exercise routine, and enjoy the personal attention provided by a pet sitter. This also eliminates the trauma of being transported and minimizes their exposure to illnesses of other animals.

A: Of course! We have many clients who contract Sapphire & Co. to visit their homes while they travel to do all of those things. This gives them peace of mind that their home is safe while they are out of town. So, no, you do not have to have a pet to use Sapphire & Co.

A: No. We believe in in-home care, which is why we have chosen not to have a boarding facility. However, we do have pet care providers who can remain at the client’s home. This is our overnight/house sitting service, which is VERY popular. It’s what I use for my own girls, Sapphire & Salem, when I travel.

A: Our sitters can visit their clients’ homes up to 4 times per day.

– The “Morning” time slot is between 7 & 9 AM.
– The “Mid Day” time slot is between 11 & 3 PM.
– The “Evening” time slot is between 4 & 6 PM.
– The “Late Night” time slot is between 7 & 9 PM.

No longer than 12 hours ever goes in between visits. For example, if your dog were visited at 8pm, the sitter would arrive to your home no later than 8am the following morning.

We offer 20-minute, 30-minute, 45-minute and 60-minute visits. The client chooses the duration of the visits and can mix and match to design the best plan for his or her pet.

Note: The 20 -minute visit option is not offered to clients using the Travel & Occasional Service for their dogs. We don’t believe that 15-minutes is enough time to visit with a dog that is by him or herself for an extended period of time. As much human interaction as possible is best to keep the hounds happy and calm until their parents return home.

A: Absolutely! All clients are provided with unique login information to their secured Sapphire & Co. account. From this gateway they are able to schedule service, check their personal service calendar, update their billing information and also update their password. It’s a handy little tool! All scheduling requests are confirmed during our regular business hours, which are 9AM-5PM Monday through Friday.

A: No! For the safety of our client’s pets all visits MUST be scheduled through the Sapphire & Co. office. We use a high-tech scheduling program, which ensures that “no pet is left behind.” If a client schedules through their sitter and the sitter forgets to inform the office, that takes us out of the loop and therefore unable to follow-up with the sitter to make sure that the pet has been seen. Sapphire & Co. will not be held liable for visits scheduled without the office’s knowledge.

A: We accept payment by Visa, Master Card or Discover Card.

A: No, we don’t accept checks. The clients can leave a cash gratuity for their sitter if they so wish, but payment for services must be made by credit card. Payment is due prior to the start of service.

A: We consider the following to be our major annual holidays: New Years Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Christmas Eve Day, and New Years Eve. There is up to a $25 surcharge plus the standard charge for the service being provided on these dates. 100% of these fees are paid to the sitters.

A: We’re more than happy to schedule pet care for last-minute needs, however we cannot guarantee that a sitter is going to be available on short notice, (though 99% of the time it really isn’t a problem). We also only schedule service during our regular business hours (9AM-4PM Monday through Friday). A 15% surcharge is added to the total for any services requested with less than 24hrs notice.

A: Since I understand what it’s like to have a busy and ever-changing schedule I have implemented an extremely flexible cancelation policy:
Mid Day Dog Walks (for those that use us on a weekly continuous basis): 24 hours notice
Pet Sitting and Kitty & Small Animal Care: 48 hours notice
Overnight Care: 7 days notice

A: Our sitter roster is chock-full of excellent pet care providers that would love to care for a client’s pet if their primary sitter is unavailable. Since we have all of the client’s pet care information in our secure database it’s really not necessary for the client to meet with the alternate sitter, however; if the client feels more comfortable with having a meeting with the alternate sitter, we are more than happy to schedule a “Pre-Departure Meeting.” The cost of this meeting is $15, which covers the sitter’s time and expense for driving over to the client’s home.

A: If the pet has aggressively bit someone in the past then no, we cannot provide service.That is too much of a liability issue. If the pet is skittish and maybe just growls around those he doesn’t know, then we will be happy to work with the client to see if a pet care plan can be designed that works. Our sitter will interview the client and the pet to determine if this is possible. If additional visits are necessary to socialize the pet with our pet care provider then the client needs to be present at all visits and pay the normal service fee until socialized. If at any time our pet sitter or pet owner feels that it is unsafe to perform a service, we will reserve the right to discontinue service without notice.

A: Sapphire & Co. believes in positive reinforcement ONLY for the pets in our care. We will never hit, spank, slap, yank the leash, yell, shock or grab your pet. If there is a disciplinary problem, i.e. toilet training issues, running away, etc., we inform our client of the incident(s) and together we work out a solution.

A: If we suspect that something is wrong with a pet, we will call you at the emergency phone numbers we have on file. If the client believes the veterinarian should see the pet, we will transport him to the veterinarian’s office for examination and treatment. In the event we cannot reach the client, we will decide if the veterinarian should see your pet. If necessary, we will take your pet for treatment. You will be billed for any extra time we spend for these services.

A: A dishonesty bond gives you peace of mind that you will be reimbursed if anything is stolen from your home. Anyone that has workers enter their home should be sure that they have a dishonesty bond.
We also carry a liability insurance policy that protects from financial loss in the event that we were liable for accidents that occur while caring for our clients’ pets. Any responsible, professional business should carry liability insurance.
We are happy to provide our clients with proof of insurance and our bond. We can easily email them a copy of our certificates.

A: We work with pet owners in Duval and parts of St. Johns County who are searching for top-quality pet care and true peace of mind while they travel or when they have to leave their pets for long hours due to work or other obligations.

A: I sound like a broken record, but the greatest result is peace of mind. Our clients can travel, work or leave their homes for whatever reason, guilt-free because they know that their pets and their homes are in the best possible hands. Their pets are going to receive top-notch care; they’re going to be relaxed, comfortable, well exercised, and doted upon. Their houses are going to be safeguarded and kept tidy and neat. They are going to come home to happy and healthy pets.

A: It’s amazing!!!! Seeing how Sapphire & Co. has grown since 2018 is astounding to me! The best part about it is that the more successful Sapphire & Co. becomes, the more opportunities I have to make the service even more extraordinary for my awesome clients. I love it! I love every minute of it! I have the greatest clients any business owner could ask for…pet lovers! You can’t beat it.