FAQ’s
During the many years MMH has been in business we've never experienced a pandemic like COVID-19. However, from reacting quickly and providing staff with essential supplies to be able to keep working we have been able to continue servicing clients. We keep open communication with our staff and clients to ensure everyone's needs are being met. Staff has been provided with gloves and masks to use and instructed to inform management of any illness to prevent the spread. MMH does private 1-on-1 dog walking, this ensures that we are not interacting with others and putting our staff or clients at risk for exposure and it gives our staff the opportunity to work in fresh air and keep us healthy. If you have a medical condition and prefer we wear a mask during your consultations or when in your home please provide a mask and hand sanitizer near the front door and we will be happy to use them.
HOW MMH HANDLES A PANDEMIC
What we are about
Since 2004, Melissa's Mutt Hutt has and continues to offer licensed and bonded pet services, catering to over 60,000 pets all over Los Angeles. Our team of Mutt Hutters is made up of 15 + staff who specialize in private dog walking, in-home pet sitting, private dog boarding (no cages or kennels) and pet taxi services (for hotel rooms, vet visits etc). ALL of our staff have passed extensive background screenings including social security, reference checks, criminal and drug checks. We are also bonded for $4 million dollars in liability insurance to insure you, your property and your pet’s safety. We have never had one claim on our insurance with over t60,000 pets cared for. Mutt Hutters are all college-educated, wear uniforms and clock into a live GPS app to follow through on all your pet play dates/walks/boards, sits etc.
Consultations and Meet & Greets
Before any services may begin with Melissa’s Mutt Hutt and Cat Shack a consultation is needed. This gives the MMH administration staff the opportunity to meet you and your dog or cat so we can assess which Mutt Hutt staff member would be the best fit. A Mutt Hutter Meet & Greet can also be arranged for you to meet the staff member that will be caring for your pets. This can take place during the consultation or may be arranged at a later date if it conflicts with the staff schedule. We ask that you give us a minimum of 72 hours prior to your requested services for us to complete the Consultation and/or Mutt Hutter Meet & Greet. You can request a consultation or meet and greet by email at admin@melissasmutthutt.com or by texting scheduling at (213) 770-2363.
Prepaid booklets
Prepaid non refundable dog walking booklets are available in 50, 100 and 250 walk increments for huge cost savings. Booklet customers must use our services a minimum of 3 days a week. We accept Zelle, Venmo, Cash App and personal checks only for these discounted booklets. If you wish to use a credit card, a 3.3% charge will be applied.
OUR APP
We have partnered with the #1 Pet Care scheduling company in the world (Time To Pet) and the benefits are incredible. Its super easy to use and you will now be able to book ALL our services online with the app view our staffs profiles (so you can know who will be taking care of your fur babies and to make special request for certain staff, live GPS track what route your dog walked on, and view check-in and check-out times. You will now always know exactly when your appointment was completed with the ease of checking your email or app and photos of your pets will be added daily. If you prefer to opt out of these daily updates, please just let us know.
The app can be downloaded right from the Apple App Store or from the Google Play Store. You can also just search for “Time To Pet” OR call us to walk you through the set up.
CAT VISITS
Melissa’s Mutt Hutt and Cat Shack offers 1-hour cat visits that you can schedule. We do not allow your cat(s) outside while they are in our care for safety reasons. We do not board cats for the reason that cats do not like to be removed from the regular environment. For overnight services please view our pet sit options. You are able to schedule multiple visits a day for your cat(s). Most clients schedule 1-2 visits per day during morning and evening hours. If you are gone for multiple days you must have at least 1 visit scheduled per day, you cannot skip days unless it is your travel day. This lets our staff ensure that the cat(s) are well cared for.
*A $10 fee per cat applies on holiday bookings
DOG ACCESSORIES
We will use any training implements you would like your dog(s) to be trained with, with the exception of a Bark Collar. We can also give you recommendations for training accessories to improve your dog’s discipline when walking.
GROOMING
Melissa’s Mutt Hutt does not provide Grooming, however, we do have partnerships with several extraordinary full service grooming salons, Paws at London Towne and Paws A While with Master Grooming and can provide round trip transportation for your pets as well as set up appointments. A potty break is included. We encourage all pets are treated with a regular flea medication as we do not take responsibility for flea transmission.
Holiday Bookings
MMH has a $10 daily surcharge for Dog Walks on the Holidays listed below, and 100% goes to our staff on: New Year’s Eve, New Years Day, Martin Luther King Jr Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day: Juneteenth, Labor Day, Indigenous Peoples’ Day/Columbus Day, Veterans’ Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We don't do dog walks on July 4th for safety reasons, unless on a pet sit or board, in which case we can schedule a visit that entails a quick potty and lots of indoor play.
For Boards and Pet Sits only, MMH Charges an additional $10 per day during our heaviest Holidays week/weekends on the dates below, with all extra rates going 100% to staff. Those dates include:
New Year's Week: December 28th, 29th, 30th, 31st, January 1st and 2nd
Easter Week: April 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th
Memorial Day Weekend: May 26th, 27th, 28th and 29th
Independence Weekend: July 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th,
Labor Day Weekend: September 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th
Veterans Day Weekend: November 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th
Thanksgiving Week: November 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th and 25th
Christmas Week: December 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th and 27th
How long will my pet be alone DURING A PET SIT OR BOARD?
During pet sits and boards we understand that you would be worried about your dog(s) being left alone. For pet sits our staff is either at your home from 8:00pm-8:00am or 6:00pm-9:00am. This leaves the pet alone for 9-12 hours. We recommend adding on a midday 30 or 60 minute walks at an additional cost so your pet is not alone for that long period of time. You can add as many or as little walks as you would like. During a 24-hour Board your dog(s) will not be left alone for longer than 2-4 hours, transportation and free walks are included.
Lock Box/KEY LOCK
A keyless entry, coded front door or lock boxes are mandatory for all MMH clients. Having a lock box on your property lowers the risk of loss of your home key and risk of break ins. We sell lock boxes at cost ( $32.50) and are able to have them shipped to your home so you can choose the location of the lock box ( and password). Do NOT use your address, birthdays, or last 4 digits of your social. We recommend a very random number. Place your lock box on somewhere metal so it can not be removed from the property. A hidden location is a great idea as well. As long as staff can access it. If there is no lock box for pet sits and boards a key pick up & drop off fee is applied for $20.00/each. Melissa’s Mutt Hutt and Cat Shack is not responsible for any lost keys when a lock box or keypad is unavailable.
PUPPY FEE
Melissa’s Mutt Hutt charges a puppy fee for dogs that are less than 1.5 year old. This fee is applied because puppies need a lot more time and energy. Puppies are walked a minimum of 4 times a day and are let out every few hours for potty breaks during boards and pet sits. We recommend a pet sit over a board for a puppy to not disrupt their regular routine.
Your Information and Data Security
We use the information you provide about yourself only to provide our dog walking and pet sitting service to you. We use email addresses for the purpose of transferring information to and from the client and walkers/pet sitters as well as newsletters from MMH and it’s marketing partners. Finally, we never use or share the personally identifiable information provided to us online in ways unrelated.
To prevent unauthorized access, maintain data accuracy, and ensure the correct use of information, we have put in place appropriate physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.to the ones described above without also providing you an opportunity to opt-out.
If you were or currently are a client of MMH you can access all your personally identifiable information that we collect online and maintain by logging into Time To Pet. Please contact us at melissa@melissasmutthutt.com if you need your login information. We use this procedure to better safeguard your information. To protect your privacy and security, we will also take reasonable steps to verify your identity before granting access or making corrections.