Where your pets come first.

Why should I use Capital Cats and Canines?

At Capital Cats and Canines, we offer a more personalised and safer approach to the care of your pets. We understand that all pets have different personalities and aim to tailor our services to the requirements of each pet in our care.

We are a family run business and try to be as flexible as possible.

We are reliable, friendly and interactive with dogs when we’re on our walks.

Full exercise is given from time we reach our destination (travelling time is not included in their hour’s walk).

We attend regular behavioural courses on dogs; first aid courses.

Registered with Edinburgh City Council as Professional Dog Walker and adhere to rules and regulations in place.

What areas do you cover?

We cover specifically the North of Edinburgh and parts of the City Centre e.g. Blackhall, Broughton, Clermiston, Corstorphine, Craigleith, Davidson Mains, Fettes, Murrayfield, New Town, Newhaven, Stockbridge, parts of Leith.

Do you have business insurance and are you CRB checked?

Yes, we have full liability insurance with Protectivity Insurance and are Disclosure Scotland approved. These documents will be provided at the our initial consultation.

How do I get started?

Book a free consultation so we can meet you and your pet(s) at your home. Click here to arrange.

What happens at the free initial consultation meeting and what information should I have to hand?

This will be a chance for you and your pet to meet the pet sitter and discuss your requirements. It will allow us to gather information on your pet’s needs, routine, any behaviours we need to know about, where toys, food etc are located, security details and contact details of emergency contacts including your veterinary practice. We would ask for you to have one spare set of keys for us if you wish to proceed with any of our services. If keys aren't available at the time, an additional cost for us collecting keys from your home or office may apply. There is also the option of dropping your keys off at our office, after the consultation. We will also bring our insurance information, Disclosure Scotland certificate and other confidential material to ensure you have peace of mind.

This consultation lasts approximately 30 minutes. Any follow up meetings after the initial free consultation will be at a fee of £16.00, e.g. for new pet(s), new home address and routine changes.

Do I need to sign a contract?

Yes, we ask all our clients to sign a pet sitting contract and agree to our terms and conditions so that both parties understand what is expected from each other.

How much advanced notice do I need to give for making a reservation?

We aim to provide a high quality pet care service to all of our customers and try to be as flexible as possible. We would ask for our customers to book up to a week in advance for all non-holiday pet sitting services. For all holiday pet sitting services we would ask for at least a month’s notice due to resources being limited at such busy times. However, please do contact us if you require our services at short term notice and we will see if we have spaces available.

What is your cancellation policy?

We aim to provide a high quality professional service to all our clients and would require at least 48 hours notice for dog walking and non-holiday pet sitting services. During the holiday period we would require at least 7 days notice or you will be charged for this period of booking. We would also give the same amount of notice to you if we were unable to carry out dog walking or pet sitting duties.

Do you charge additional fees over the holiday period and weekends?

Bank holidays, Easter Friday, Easter Day, Easter Monday, are charged at time plus a half and services required on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Hogmanay and New Years Day are charged at double price. We do charge a little extra for weekends and out of hours such as before 8am and after 6pm.

Our dog prices include time taken to location; getting your pet ready, walk time, playing, socialising, towelling down and providing clean refreshments, pet updates; fuel. Dogs may be out between 2-3 hours depending on traffic with collections and drop offs. Our pet sitting services also include time taken to location; play time with pets, feeding, changing of litter tray/ hutch/; pet updates including pics; fuel.

We believe that our prices reflect the quality and professionalism of all our services.

N.B. Please note that additional costs may be applicable to park outside your home for each visit if free parking isn't available.

Do you charge VAT onto prices?

All of our above prices are inclusive of VAT, so there is no additional cost.

Do you administer medication to pets?

We can administer some types of medication to pets and this can be discussed at your free initial consultation. If we can administer the type of medication required, we will ask you to fill in a "Permission to Administer Medicine" form at the time of consultation.

How do I make a payment?

Cash or BACS transfer will be accepted. Unfortunately we don’t accept cheques. Once you become a client of Capital Cats and Canines you can make regular bookings and pay via your on-line account set up with Petsitter Plus.

What do you do in case of emergency?

We always consult with our clients at the free consultation on what they would like us to do whilst they are away on holiday or at work. This would include obtaining a secondary contact in your absence (e.g. partner, parent or friend) and your veterinary practice details. We would first contact you to discuss the situation and your recommended course of action. If you're unavailable and veterinary treatment is required immediately we would contact your veterinary practice designated in our pet sitting contract. In the event of a life threatening situation, we will take your pet to the closest veterinary practice in the area if your veterinary practice is further away.

What security measures do you have in place?

We take security very seriously and all clients’ house keys will only be used in accordance with the agreed or contracted tasks. Keys will not be copied and will be returned to clients on demand; a small fee may be asked if a drop off is required or alternatively you can collect them from free from our home.

All security details, keys and confidential information about the client will be locked in a secure locked cabinet within Capital Cats and Canines office. All confidential material will be shredded once the client agrees to terminate the contract with Capital Cats and Canines.

We also drive an unmarked vehicle which will not bring attention to your home.

Are you associated with any professional bodies?

Vivienne is a member of the Female Entrepreneurial Association (FEA); has a Platinum Membership with the Pet Professional Network (PPN) and recognised by the ISCP too. She is currently studying courses with Victoria Stilwell Academy; Canines Principles; Dog Training College along with completing first aid courses on a regular basis with Dog First Aid Ltd, Rhodes 2 Safety and Animal Aiders.

We are registered with the City of Edinburgh Council as Professional Dog Walkers.