Pet Agreement Keys
Animal Care Center of NH and Professional Pet Sitting Etc Service Agreement
Keys, Codes, Alarms, Video Surveillance
Plan A & B
Plan A & B is needed to Access Your Home for Pet Care
WE NO LONGER ACCEPT OR CARRY KEYS
Please read this entirely, so you know and understand your choices and can make the choice that is best for you.
We need a Plan A and a Plan B to finish your Pet Sitting file and be able to access your home for your pet care visits whenever you need us.
Why do we require a Plan A & B?
Decades of being in business. If it can happen it will. If your plan A fails for whatever reason, our sitters only have a few minutes to go to your plan B because they have full schedules of pets to care for. If Plan B fails as well, then sitter will call our office and leave to care for the next pet on their schedule.
Our office will try to contact you. If you are unavailable, we will leave a message and call your emergency people. If both emergency people are unavailable we will leave messages with them.
For safety of pets, always make sure your Plan A & B is in good working order before leaving each time.
We recommend checking that keys are in lockboxes, etc just before you leave, even if you used it the other day.
Your Plan A & B –
– Is advised to be available 365 days per year, 7 days a week, 24 hours per day, just in case of any emergency where you may need pet care.
– Must Never be a Person
– MUST work independently of each other. For example if you give us a garage code and inside door needs a key, we will still need a second Plan
Our Sitters will NOT carry any keys, fobs, or anything on them to gain access.
What are your choices (pick TWO) –
– Lockboxes (NOT ones that go on door knob)
– Garage codes
– Door codes
– Hide a key
For those with a key in our office, we will make that a PLAN C on your profile.
If our sitters need to make an unplanned trip to obtain Plan C at our office because Plan A & B were not accessible, Time will be added to your reservation on for extra travel for pick and drop off
Lockboxes
DO NOT choose lockboxes that go around your doorknob (unless you plan on leaving it on your door knob 24/7 and 365 days a year in case of emergency.
Permanent lockboxes are the BEST choice. They are indestructible, you can change the code whenever you choose, you can mount them on door frames, sides of a house, a wood deck, in a shed, etc. They blend in and are not out in the open.
Choose lockboxes that do NOT need any power source. So, NO batteries.
Most are a push pin system. This system VERY rarely break but have done so, with the push pin code simply stop working.
See where to buy lockboxes below.
If you are a Private Person
If you are a very private person and do not want keys available outside of yourself all the time, lockboxes are a great choice. You can change the code whenever you want to help you feel safe but in an emergency, you can give out the new codes to whoever you wish.
Lockbox Placement
We suggest, placing a permanent lockbox onto the door frame between your main door and storm door. Place about 5-6 feet high on the main door HINGE side. Why the hinge side? Because when people come to your door, they will open the storm door and look towards the door knob side of the main door. Most, if not all people will never see the lockbox on the hinge side.
We have seen people put a second lockbox on the side of a garage or shed, under a deck.
Wherever you place your lockbox, we just ask that it be easy to get to, always free of ice, snow, etc.
Garage Codes, Door codes
These can be a great choice, however, they do require power. They do break down easily. The new doorknob codes seem to break down more frequently than garage codes. We would choose a garage code first.
For the garage code, Make sure that the door inside to home is unlocked or if a key is needed, then this key and garage opener would be one plan because they need each other.
Hide a key
We are not too fond of hiding a key and do not really recommend this but most clients do like this choice.
Our sitters must leave this key each visit and there is a chance someone may see where the key is left.
Clients have placed keys under a grill, or in a fake rock, under a plant, under a mat, behind a door wreath, in a bird feeder, etc
Wherever you choose to place your key, we just ask that it be easy to get to, always free of ice, snow, AND available 24/7, 365 days a year in case of emergency.
NOT Recommended –
Door knob Lockboxes
Lockboxes that attach around your doorknob are not a good choice. These are easy to spot by a thief and indicate that house may be empty. They are bulky and sometimes they are put on upside down, making it difficult to put the code in. Plus you may not want to have this on your door 365 days per year.
EXCEPTION – see below for Apartment Buildings
Leaving Doors Unlocked
We never suggest leaving any home unlocked for any reason. This is for your safety, your pet’s safety, your home’s safety, as well as for our sitter’s safety.
However, we do have clients who do this year round.
Garage Door Openers or Fobs
These are very bulky and our sitters can not carry them. They also seem to malfunction more than garage pads (need code). If you choose to have us use a garage door opener, please hide it outside in a safe area. We will leave it each visit.
Make sure that the door inside to home your home is unlocked or if a key is needed, then this key and garage opener would be one plan because they need each other.
Apartment Buildings, Fobs or Fobs of ANY kind –
Garage Door Openers or Fobs
These are very bulky and our sitters can not carry them. They also seem to malfunction more than garage pads (need code). If you choose to have us use a garage door opener, please hide it outside in a safe area. We will leave it each visit.
Make sure that the door inside to home your home is unlocked or if a key is needed, then this key and garage opener would be one plan because they need each other.
Apartment Buildings, Fobs or Fobs of ANY kind –
Apartment buildings generally will only give you two sets of keys/fobs. Extra sets are $50-100 more.
The best and only choice will be lockboxes.
Most apartment buildings will allow the use of lockboxes near the door or your terrace.
This is where the door knob lockboxes will be your only choice to go around a handrail or similar.
Since we require a Plan A and a Plan B, you will need to do TWO lockboxes.
Each lockbox with a building fob and apartment key. This way you can have both sets of keys available to you when you return.
Emergencies may be hard with this because your Plans will not be available for pet care at all times.
See where to buy below.
Screen Doors or Locks that you do not use
If you have ANY locks that can accidentally be locked and we do not have a key to them, you should disengage the lock so it does not lock or put duct tape over it so it can not be locked. We have had a few occasions where clients only go through their garage with the garage opener and give us keys but forgot to unlock the screen door.
Or they only lock the dead bolt and not the door knob but the key to the deadbolt does not go to the door knob…..and we are so used to locking everything we lock the knob and can not get back in. Please put tape over the knob to lock, so it can not be locked or hide a key, just in case.
Keys work easily
Make sure keys work easily, with doors closed and locked (some keys will work with doors open and locked but not when doors are closed and locked, go figure ). Keys should be inserted, turned and lock unlocks with no playing.
If keys need to be played with and take more than a few seconds to work, please repair so they work easily and properly. The jiggling and manipulation that you are used to and may take you a minute, will take a sitter who is not used to it, 5 minutes or more, taking time away from pet care.
Why do we suggest that Plans be available 365 days a year
Simply because no one ever plans for an emergency.
If you ever had a family emergency, had to unexpectedly be rushed to the hospital or whatever, then you will not have time to put keys somewhere. If they are all set up, you are ready to go.
In a family emergency or a death in the family, your entire family would be affected and not be able to help with pet care.
Many times, we have had a client put in an emergency reservation, thinking they are all set but forgot to put keys out because they are focused on a loved one’s illness
Where and what to buy –
Here are a few examples. You may find ones that you like better.
Home Depot Lockbox –
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Kidde-Mounted-5-Key-Box-with-Pushbutton-Combination-Lock-Titanium-001015/202072787
Amazon Lockbox –
Door Knob Lockbox –
Home Depot –
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Kidde-Portable-3-Key-Box-with-Pushbutton-Combination-Lock-Clay-001404/100653157?MERCH=REC-_-PIPHorizontal2_rr-_-202072787-_-100653157-_-N
Hopefully, we gave you lots of ideas and choices.
Please choose the TWO you feel most comfortable with.
Whatever your choice, we need a Plan A AND a Plan B.
In the DECADES of being in business, Murphy’s Law has taught us that anything will and has happened in the most inopportune time.
Codes fail, keys do not work, batteries die, garage pads fail, power outage, and more.
We want to make sure we can get to your pets quickly because other pets are waiting for us!
CODES FOR GARAGES/DOORS
You may provide us with codes to garages and front doors, we still ask for a back up plan, either with a key or another way to access the inside of your home, in case of a power outage, malfunction or battery failure
ALARM/SECURITY SYSTEMS
If you have an alarm/security system, let us know complete step by step instruction, the alarm code, the password for the alarm company, and the alarm company information (name and number).
We are not responsible for setting off any and all alarm/security systems along with any violations and/or fines due to systems going off, due to the numerous variety, complexity of alarm/security systems, key pad too sensitive, key pad not sensitive, and the frequency of code changes.
What may be very easy for you to use every day, is not easy for us. Keypads can be overly sensitive and may register a number twice if we hit too hard, or the keypad is not sensitive and it does not register a number because we hit too soft, one may want to hit away or stay or enter or # or nothing after the code. Doors and windows not being aligned and the alarm will not set. We have had alarms short circuit, stop working, and almost cause a fire.
Because of these problems and differences, we will not be responsible for any alarm malfunction, being armed or not armed, if an alarm goes off for any reason or anything that may happen because of an alarm malfunction, being armed or not armed. We will not pay any fines for false alarms resulting in alarm going off. If you have an alarm FOB, where we hit only one button for on and off, that is preferred or not setting the alarm at all. We are pet care people, not alarm specialists. Keep in mind that every minute spent with your alarm (reading instructions, trying to turn it off or turn it on, checking doors and windows, etc), is every minute spent away from pet care.
Client releases PPSE from all legal/financial/medical liabilities resulting from alarm/security system not working properly, malfunctions, not turned on or for any crime/problem resulting in any alarm/security system failure.
Video Surveillance
For privacy and safety, please notify us of all video cameras in and out of your home.