Frequently Asked Questions

Please visit our Service Area page for a complete list.

Please visit our Service Area page for a complete list.

Little Friends is now locally operated and empowered by Swifto Dog Walking & Pet Sitting! We’re excited to share that all of our trusted sitters are staying with us, ensuring the same level of care and familiarity for your pets. Our local management team remains the same, now with the added support and resources of Swifto to enhance our services. If you’d like to read more about this transition, click here.

Otherwise, you can sign up directly on Swifto’s website here or please contact us at info@littlefriendspetsitting.com or 704-340-8102! From there you will create a profile that will include your home details and instructions, access information, pet information, and more! From there you will schedule the services that you would like to receive.

We will receive a notification indicating a profile and scheduled services have been completed. We view your profile and confirm the schedule needed. From there, we will hand-select a sitter/walker for you based upon your needs, location, and the type of animals that you may have.

Once we select a sitter/walker, we will reach out to you to alert you and set up a complimentary meet and greet!

Little Friends is now locally operated and empowered by Swifto Dog Walking & Pet Sitting! If you’d like to read more about this transition, click here.

Step 1: Register online at Swifto.com and create your profile.

Step 2: Submit your service request online.

Step 3: Meet your pet sitter or dog walker in person during a complimentary meet and greet.

Step 4: Receive pet care report cards with GPS tracking, photos, and visit notes.

All of our payments are done automatically online through the Swifto platform via credit card. We accept all major credit cards including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover. As a new client you will be billed for the first time only after you’ve had your first meet and greet and confirmed you would like to proceed with the scheduled walks, and in that case will be charged for the first time a week after your first walk. After that, by default, you will be charged on the Friday before your scheduled walks every week, however, you can change your billing frequency to monthly on your dashboard and in that case, will be charged on the 1st of every month for the following month’s schedule.

If you add additional walks throughout the month/week, you’ll be charged an hour after the walk has been scheduled. If you add last-minute walks or walks where you only want a specific dog walker, you will only be charged once the walk has been confirmed.

We take home security very seriously!

We can accommodate your standard home security protocol, including alarm systems and/or security cards/Fobs. Home entry is aligned to your preferred method whether you opt to:

(1) hide a key outside of your home via a Hide-A-Key or other hiding spot/apparatus, etc.

(2) use a lockbox (if you’d like one, we will send one to your home for FREE!)

(3) use keyless entry via keypad or code

(4) access through a leasing office or concierge desk.

We do not recommend hiding your unsecured key outside of your home as your first choice but in rare circumstances, you are welcome to do this. It is YOUR responsibility that our sitters/walkers and walkers can enter into your home for your scheduled visits. You acknowledge you will provide us access to your home upon arriving for your scheduled service and that the option you select to use works. We are not responsible for ANY client keys. In the event the dog walker or pet sitter cannot access, we will both make numerous attempts to contact you and do everything possible to get inside before canceling the walk or visit.

You can cancel a walk at any time! Just be sure to let us know at least 24 hours in advance if you wish to be credited back for your cancellation. We maintain a strict 24 hour cancellation policy, which is required as a courtesy to our dog walkers and pet sitters who rely on the income of their pre-set walk/visit schedules to make a living, and who without sufficient notice, aren’t granted the opportunity of making alternate arrangements to pick up additional work to make up for the loss of income within the time slot that was originally reserved for your scheduled booking. 

If you have a regular, repeating walk/visit schedule, we highly recommend keeping your set schedule as constant and unchanging as possible, with minimal scheduling adjustments. As last minute cancellations and reschedules do cause our team members to lose valuable work hours, a consistent, set schedule encourages dog walker and pet sitter longevity and reduces turnover rate, resulting in a regular, consistent dog walker or pet sitter for you and your pet!

If you’re returning home early and have scheduled visits, please contact the office and your sitter/walker as soon as possible.

If you cancel your visits before the 24-hour notice, we will credit the remainder of your visits to your account and this credit will be applied to future invoices.

Call the OFFICE 704-397-4285! We want to hear from you and how we can help!

We will need access to your home. We are unable to hold onto keys, key fobs, or key cards at this time. We are more than happy to purchase a lockbox for you, at no cost to you, to place somewhere on the property for your walker/sitter to access. 

Yes, of course! You will receive confirmation via email once your booking has been scheduled. It will include all the details needed to confirm it looks accurate. The next confirmation you’ll receive is once we have paired your appointment with your sitter/walker. You will be provided with a link to their contact information and profile. Next, we will reach out to you to get a complimentary meet and greet scheduled. We do our best to keep you updated throughout the entire process!

If the appointment is not correct or if something else needs to be brought to our attention please let us know as soon as possible and we will make edits or make adjustments to your schedule if needed. We will also notify your sitter/walker.

Little Friends Pet Sitters/Walkers will use their best judgment while caring for your pet during the time of inclement weather. (primarily severe storms, hurricanes, etc.)

Our staff and your pet’s safety are our primary concerns. The inclement weather plan will be as follows:

1) Every effort will be made to drive to your home

2) The service schedule may be changed, interrupted, or altered due to circumstances

3) If it is not possible to drive safely to your home, your emergency contact will be notified

4) You will be notified that the above-mentioned contingency plan has been activated.

Prior to your services, please ensure that your client account has the correct access instructions listed for your sitter to reference during their visit. Appropriate access instructions include the location of a hidden key, the code for a lockbox, electric door lock or garage, and if your key will be left with a leasing office or concierge, where the sitter should go to pick up the key.

If the home access option you’ve provided is not working (the door code is incorrect, the key was not put under the mat, the lockbox is not opening, etc.), your sitter and the office team will attempt to get in touch with you to discuss an alternative home access option.

If you do not respond to the communication attempts made by your sitter and our management staff, your sitter will remain at your home for as long as they can before having to leave in order to get to their other visits on time.

Little Friends Pet Sitting will not pay to park in order to perform a sit. Our clients must provide parking for our sitter/walker to perform a sit. We can change the rate of your sit in order to reflect what the sitter/walker may need to pay to park via meter or garage.

Little Friends Pet Sitting will administer certain medications and will attempt to administer medications as directed but cannot be held responsible for complications that arise as a result.

Excessively shy cats with medical problems can be a serious risk. If you have such an animal, this must be thoroughly discussed.

Under no circumstances will Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC service any pet that has any form of contagious illness. This is for the safety of our other customers.

Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC requires that all pets have the necessary vaccinations and immunizations before service begins. If a Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC pet care provider is bitten or exposed to any disease or aliment received from a clients pet, which has not been properly or currently vaccinated, the client will be responsible for all costs and damages that may incur.

Little Friends Pet Sitting staff and pet sitters/walkers are all insured and bonded through the Business Insurers of the Carolinas.

We have an extensive interview and background check process. All of our sitters/walkers must LOVE animals and have experience in owning them, pet sitting for others, volunteer work with animal rescue groups or have a vocation in pet care such as a vet technician.

After a face to face interview, we obtain feedback from their references and/or previous employers as well as obtain a background check to ensure no criminal activity is in their past.

Our sitters/walkers are professional, trustworthy, reliable and again, LOVE pets!

We’re happy to accommodate pet care requests during hotel stays. If needed, please leave the key at the front desk or ensure the hotel staff is made aware of the booking and will allow your dog walker or pet sitter to enter your room.

We do not have packages but instead have a loyalty point system where you earn points for every walk or visit completed which can be redeemed in the future for free bookings!

Please register online at Swifto.com and select the “recurring” walks or visits option! If you have any questions on getting set up or need assistance, please contact the office by phone or text at 704-340-8102 or via email at info@littlefriendspetsitting.com

All pets must be up to date on vaccines.

Please make sure your pet’s profile reflects the most current vaccine information each year.

If clients allow any other person access to their home during the Little Friend Pet Sitting, LLC contract, Little Friends Pet Sitting LLC cannot be held liable for any damages to property or pets as a result of this.

Please notify Little Friends Pet Sitting Pet sitters/walkers that guests will be in your home.

Please also notify the person in your home that Little Friends Pet Sitting sitters/walkers are coming so that our entrance does not surprise your visitor.

Fenced in yards are wonderful play spaces for pets, however, no fence system is totally secure for your pet’s safety.

Little Friends Pet Sitting, LLC does not accept responsibility or liability for any customer’s pets that escape, are injured or become lost, fatal or otherwise, when pets are left out or given access to a fenced in area. This includes electronic, wood, metal, or any other fence type

Dogs require a minimum of at least two visits a day.

Please discuss your pet’s needs with our office staff and they can consult with you on the number of visits your pet may need.

Cats (and other animals) require at least one visit per day. While your cat may be self-sufficient, a daily visit ensures the cat is safe. Many things can happen while to bring potential harm to your cat/pet: heat/air stops working, pet gets trapped and can’t get to food/water, break ins, etc. By having a sitter visit your cat daily, not only are they able to remediate a potential risk to your pet, but they can also provide the daily interaction your pet needs from human contact.

We do! You can either purchase them as a prepaid card for yourself to be used later or as a gift for someone you know. We can customize the amount you’d like to gift someone, but a few suggestions are $25, $50, or $100. If you’d like to purchase one, you can do so here. 

Little Friends is now locally operated and empowered by Swifto Dog Walking & Pet Sitting! All bookings go through Swifto as of July 15th, 2024.

Alternately, you may download the Swifto application for FREE to your smartphone or tablet.

Download from Apple App Store.

Download from Google Play Store.

No problem. However, please know that if it is too cold or it is too hot, we will contact you and let you know that changes may need to be made due to it being too cold or hot outside.

Our biggest concern is that your animal is safe and comfortable and will take all measures to make sure this happens.