About Pet & Plant

Yes. We are a fully bonded and insured and are fully licensed by the City of Chicago. We are a member of the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters since its conception in 1986. Deborah Mathews, the owner, is one of the founding members of that organization.

For your convenience we accept checks or credit cards payments. Cash will not be accepted, unless by special arrangements, All payments are to be received and processed at the time of your scheduled appointments.

Absolutely. We pride ourselves in guaranteeing that your dog(s) will receive the best quality individualized attention for a FULL 25 minutes session. All walks are one on one with the dog walker. We pride ourselves in keeping your pet in safe harbour.

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 your home should you need to leave town for an extended period of time. Please telephone us at (312)266-8689 for more information regarding this service.

We guarantee our dog care service to be 20 minutes long. How that time is spent will be determined in your meet and greet session. We also provide 30 and 40 minute walks if needed. For cats and small animal care our visit is 20 minutes, which also includes bringing in mail, picking up newspapers and any plant care that needs to be done while you are away.

We have been pet sitting since 1984, over 35 years. Pet and Plant Care is the oldest operating pet sitting service in the City of Chicago and Chicago's metropolitan area (Chicagoland) and we're pretty proud with that fact.

For mid-day dog walking we need a phone call by noon. If you need a second walk for that day we need a phone call by noon of that day, if you need a dog walk Saturday or Sunday, we need a phone call by noon on Friday. For cat and small animal care we need 24 hour notice. If less than 24 hours there is a $15 surcharge.

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 a $15 surcharge plus the standard charge for the service being provided on these dates. Additionally, we must receive a non-refundable payment for the Thanksgiving service visit by November 6th of that year, and a non-refundable payment for the Christmas and New Year holiday service visits by December 6th of that year. There is no refund for cancellation.

For mid-day dog walking our goal is to establish a consistent, long lasting and healthy relationship between our walker/pet care provider. Therefore, we ask that you order a minimum of 8 services in one month for mid-day dog walking. For our cats and small animal vacation care we require you to use our services everyday (we do not skip days) while you are away.

Our pet care providers go through an extensive screening process before becoming a Pet and Plant Care service provider. After successfully interviewing with our owner, the candidates must pass background checks. Upon passing the background check, our sitters then attend our orientation program. The program is designed to underscore home security, safety for your pet, and our quality standards. All dog walkers must own a dog, and cat and small animal, providers must own at least 1 cat.

The meet and greet is a visit that allows you to get to know our service. During this visit, the owner of Pet and Plant Care will perform the following tasks: introduce themselves to you and your pet, pick up keys, confirm pertinent information about you and your pet (e.g. vet information, emergency contact, special requests, etc.), and answer any additional questions you may have.

For aggressive pets, our owners will interview you and your pet, in person, to determine if there is a good fit between your pet and our services. There is no charge for this visit. If additional visits are needed to socialize your pet with our pet care provider, then you will need to be present at all visits and pay the normal service fee until socialized. If at any time our pet sitter or owners feel that it is unsafe to perform a service, we will reserve the right to discontinue service without notice.

Due to the stress on the animal, we strongly urge you to administer all medications to your pet. However, when that is not possible and your pet needs its medicine, then we will attempt to administer medicine orally, only. If, in the opinion of our pet sitter, more harm than good will result from medicine administration, the animal will not receive the medicine.

Two copies of all keys required to access your home (and pet!) should be given to Pet and Plant Care Service during the "meet and greet" session. If you are giving newly copied keys, we ask that you MAKE CERTAIN TO TEST ALL KEYS TO SEE THAT THEY WORK before giving them to the pet care provider.

As it is a city ordinance to have all dogs on leashes when in a public area and for the safety of your pet, Pet and Plant Care Service will always have your pet leashed. This strict rule includes parks that do not have fences and are not pet friendly. Only in yards or parks with secure fences, will our sitters allow your pet to be without a leash.

Pet and Plant Care Service believes in positive reinforcement for pets. We will never hit, spank, slap, yank the leash, yell or grab your pet. If there is a disciplinary problem, i.e. toilet training issues, running away, etc., you will be informed of the incident(s) and we will implement your suggested disciplinary actions.

PET AND PLANT IS NOW SERVICING OAK PARK, FOREST PARK AND RIVER FOREST! And the following areas: Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Gold Coast, Old Town, Wrigleyville, Bucktown, Wicker Park, Streeterville, and Andersonville. We are continuously expanding. So please contact us if you do not see your area listed.