Pet sitting agreement

The agreement between a pet sitter or dog walker and a pet owner. Fill in the dates, services and fees, send one link, and the owner adds the pet’s details, vet and emergency contact and signs.

The contract a pet sitter and a pet owner sign before the sitter takes care of the owner’s animal. It records the pet’s feeding, medication and behaviour, the dates and services, the fees, the owner’s authorization for veterinary care up to a spending cap, an emergency contact, how the sitter gets into the home, and what happens if plans change.

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What it covers

When to use it

What it does not do

Signing, witnesses and delivery

The agreement

Pet Sitting Agreement

This Pet Sitting Agreement (the "Agreement") is made between [Pet sitter (your name or business)] ("Sitter") and [Pet owner full name] ("Owner"), telephone [Pet owner phone while away], of [Home address where the pet is kept] (the "Home"), for the care of Owner’s pet [Pet name], described as: [Species, breed, age, sex, colour] (the "Pet"). Sitter and Owner are each a "Party" and together the "Parties".

1. Services and Dates

Sitter shall provide the following service: [Service], with [Visits or walks per day] visits or walks per day, from [Start date] through [End date] (the "Care Period"). Each visit includes feeding and fresh water, medication as instructed, exercise or play appropriate to the Pet, litter or waste clean-up, and a brief update to Owner by text message or app with a photograph where practical. Overnight stays include the Sitter remaining at the Home overnight for at least ten (10) hours.

Owner’s care instructions are: [Feeding, medication, exercise and behaviour]. Sitter shall follow these instructions and Owner’s written updates. Sitter shall not administer medication other than as instructed, shall not let the Pet off leash outside a secured area unless Owner has authorised it in writing, and shall not allow the Pet to interact with unfamiliar animals except as Owner permits.

2. Fees and Payment

Owner shall pay Sitter [Rate per day] per day, for a total of [Total fee for the dates] for the Care Period (the "Fee"). A deposit of [Deposit due on booking] is due on booking and is credited against the Fee; the balance is due on or before the first day of the Care Period. Additional visits, days or services Owner requests are charged at the daily rate pro rata, and Owner shall reimburse Sitter for pre-approved supplies, food and veterinary charges within seven (7) days of receiving receipts. Public holidays within the Care Period may carry a surcharge stated by Sitter at booking.

3. Owner’s Representations

Owner represents that: (a) Owner owns the Pet or has authority to arrange its care; (b) the Pet is current on the vaccinations required by law and recommended by its veterinarian, including rabies, and Owner shall provide a copy of the record; (c) the Pet is licensed where required and wears identification; (d) Owner has disclosed all medical conditions, medications, dietary needs, and any history of biting, aggression, escaping, destructive behaviour or anxiety; and (e) the Pet has not, to Owner’s knowledge, been exposed to a contagious illness in the thirty (30) days before the Care Period. Sitter may decline or end the care of a Pet whose condition or behaviour was not disclosed and that presents a danger to Sitter, other animals or people.

4. Veterinary Authorization and Spending Cap

If the Pet appears ill or injured, Sitter is authorised to take the Pet to Owner’s veterinarian, [Veterinarian: clinic name and phone], or if that clinic is closed or the situation is urgent, to the nearest available veterinary or emergency clinic, and to authorise examination and treatment. Owner authorises the veterinarian to treat the Pet at Sitter’s request and agrees to pay all veterinary charges directly or to reimburse Sitter within seven (7) days.

Sitter may authorise treatment costing up to [Vet spending the sitter may authorize without reaching you] without first reaching Owner. Above that amount Sitter shall make reasonable efforts to reach Owner and, if Owner cannot be reached, the emergency contact, before authorising further treatment, unless the veterinarian advises that delay would endanger the Pet’s life, in which case Sitter may authorise treatment the veterinarian considers necessary and Owner shall pay for it. Sitter shall not authorise euthanasia without Owner’s express consent unless the veterinarian certifies that the Pet is suffering and cannot be saved and Owner and the emergency contact cannot be reached after reasonable efforts.

5. Emergency Contact; Unreachable Owner

Owner’s emergency contact is: [Emergency contact: name, relationship and phone], who Owner authorises to make decisions about the Pet if Owner cannot be reached. If Owner does not return at the end of the Care Period and cannot be reached, Sitter shall continue to care for the Pet at the daily rate, shall contact the emergency contact to collect the Pet, and, if neither Owner nor the emergency contact has responded within seven (7) days after the Care Period ends, may place the Pet with a licensed boarding facility or shelter at Owner’s expense, after giving written notice to Owner’s email address.

6. Home Access and Security

Sitter shall access the Home as follows: [Home access]. Owner shall ensure the Home is safe for the Pet and Sitter, shall provide alarm codes and instructions, and shall tell Sitter of anyone else who will enter the Home during the Care Period. Any key or code Sitter holds shall be kept secure, not labelled with the address, used only for this Agreement, and returned or deleted within three (3) days after the Care Period ends.

Sitter shall keep the Home locked, shall not invite guests into the Home without permission, shall use the Home’s facilities only as needed for the care of the Pet and, for overnight stays, for Sitter’s reasonable personal needs, and shall leave the Home in the condition found. Sitter shall bring in mail and water plants if Owner requests it in writing, without charge, but is not responsible for the Home’s security, utilities or contents beyond the exercise of reasonable care.

7. Cancellation, Early Return and Extension

Owner may cancel on at least [Cancellation notice for a full refund (days)] days’ written notice before the Care Period for a full refund of the deposit. On shorter notice the deposit is forfeited, and if Owner cancels within forty-eight (48) hours of the start date, one half of the Fee is due. If Owner returns early, the Fee for the full Care Period remains due because Sitter reserved those dates. If Owner asks to extend the Care Period, Sitter shall accommodate the extension where able at the daily rate. If Sitter must cancel because of illness or emergency, Sitter shall try to arrange a qualified substitute acceptable to Owner, and if none is arranged, shall refund all amounts paid for care not provided, which is Owner’s sole remedy.

8. Liability

Sitter shall exercise reasonable care for the Pet and the Home and is responsible for injury to the Pet or damage to the Home caused by Sitter’s negligence, up to the limits of Sitter’s insurance. Sitter is not liable for illness, injury, death, escape or loss of the Pet arising from a pre-existing condition, the Pet’s own behaviour, an undisclosed condition or history, a defect in the Home, fencing or equipment, or events beyond Sitter’s reasonable control. Sitter carries pet care liability insurance and shall provide a certificate on request.

Owner is responsible for, and shall indemnify Sitter against, any injury, damage or loss the Pet causes to Sitter, to other animals or people, or to property, and for damage the Pet causes at Sitter’s home when boarding, except to the extent caused by Sitter’s negligence.

9. Photographs and Records

Sitter may photograph the Pet and use the photographs to update Owner and, unless Owner objects in writing, on Sitter’s website and social media without identifying Owner or the Home’s location. Sitter shall keep Owner’s personal information, codes and the Home’s details confidential.

10. General

This Agreement is governed by the laws of the State of [Governing law (state)]. It is the entire agreement between the Parties about the care of the Pet during the Care Period and supersedes all prior discussions. It may be amended only in a writing signed by both Parties, which may be by text message or email. If any provision is held unenforceable, the rest remains in effect. Sitter is an independent contractor. Neither Party is liable to the other for indirect or consequential damages.

This Agreement may be signed electronically and in counterparts, and the electronic execution record, timestamps and document fingerprints kept by the signing platform are conclusive evidence of its execution.

Signatures

Pet sitter · Pet owner

Pet Sitting Agreement FAQ

Can a pet sitter take my pet to the vet?

Only if you authorize it, which this agreement does. The sitter may take the pet to your named vet or, in an emergency, the nearest clinic, and you agree to pay the bill. You set a spending cap; up to that amount the sitter may authorize treatment without reaching you, and above it the sitter must make reasonable efforts to contact you or your emergency contact before proceeding, unless a delay would endanger the animal.

What if I am delayed getting home?

The agreement obliges the sitter to keep caring for the pet until you return or a person you designate collects it, at the daily rate, and makes you responsible for the extra days. It also asks you to tell the sitter as soon as you know you will be late. If you return early, the agreed fee is still due, because the sitter turned down other work for those dates.

Is the sitter responsible if my pet gets sick or injured?

For injury or loss caused by the sitter’s negligence, yes, up to the sitter’s insurance limits. For illness, injury or death from a pre-existing condition, the pet’s own behaviour, or events the sitter could not reasonably prevent, no. Professional pet sitters carry care, custody and control insurance and the agreement asks for a certificate on request.

Can I leave the pet’s details for the owner to fill in?

Yes. Any blank you leave becomes a fill-in field for the owner when they open the link, and you see what they entered before you sign. Sitters usually fill in the dates, services and fees and leave the pet’s care instructions, vet, emergency contact and home access details for the owner, who knows them.

What if my dog bites the sitter or another animal?

You are responsible. Owners are liable for injuries their animals cause in almost every state, and the agreement has the owner disclose any history of aggression, warrants that the pet is vaccinated, and indemnifies the sitter for injury or damage the pet causes. A sitter who is not told about a bite history can end the arrangement immediately.

Should I give the sitter a key or a code?

Either works. The agreement records which, requires the sitter to keep keys secure and unlabelled, and to return or delete them when the job ends. A lockbox with a code you can change afterward is the simplest option for a one-off trip.

Related templates

This template is general information, not legal advice. Laws differ by state; review anything important with a lawyer.

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