Running a pet care business means juggling a lot: scheduling, client texts, feeding instructions, medication schedules, and of course, the animals themselves. Paperwork is easy to push to the bottom of the list — until you need it and don't have it.
Here are the five documents that matter most, what each one actually does for you, and where they fit into your client process.
1. A Service Agreement
This is your foundational contract — the document that spells out exactly what you're providing, what it costs, and what happens if plans change. A good service agreement covers:
- What services are included (walks, feeding, potty breaks, overnight stays)
- Rates, payment schedule, and late payment policy
- Cancellation and rescheduling terms
- What happens in bad weather, holidays, or emergencies
Without this, pricing disputes and "but I thought that was included" conversations become far more common — and much harder to resolve in your favor.
2. A Liability Waiver
A liability waiver is where you outline the inherent risks of pet care — things like scratches, minor injuries, property incidents, or a pet's pre-existing behavioral issues — and have the client acknowledge them in writing before service begins. It's not a way to escape responsibility for genuine negligence, but it does help set realistic expectations and reduce disputes over normal, foreseeable risks of animal care.
3. A Boarding & Overnight Agreement
If you offer overnight stays or boarding, this deserves its own document, separate from your standard dog-walking agreement. Overnight care introduces different considerations: house access, security, feeding and medication schedules while the owner is unreachable, and what happens if a pet becomes sick or injured overnight. A dedicated boarding agreement makes sure both sides are clear on these higher-stakes details.
4. A New-Client Intake Form
Before you ever set foot in a client's home, you need the basics: vet contact information, feeding and medication instructions, behavioral notes, emergency contacts, and access details. An intake form isn't just organizational — it's protective. If a pet has a known allergy or anxiety issue and it wasn't disclosed on an intake form, that's a very different conversation than if it was.
A good intake form also makes you look more professional from the very first interaction, which matters when you're competing against other local sitters and walkers for a client's trust.
5. An Emergency Authorization Clause
This can live inside your service agreement or as a standalone add-on, but it needs to exist somewhere: written permission for you to seek emergency veterinary care if a pet is injured or becomes ill and the owner can't be reached immediately. Without this, you're stuck making a judgment call with no documented authority to act — which is stressful for you and risky for the pet.
Bringing It All Together
Each of these documents solves a different problem, but they work best as a set. A client who fills out an intake form, signs a liability waiver, and agrees to a clear service agreement has a much better understanding of how your business operates — which means fewer surprises for both of you.
If you're starting from zero, the Pet Pro Protection Kit bundles all of these into one attorney-drafted package built specifically for dog walkers, sitters, boarders, and daycares — so you're not stitching together templates from five different places. Prefer to build your stack one piece at a time? Start with the Liability Waiver or New-Client Intake form and add pieces as your business grows.
This is general information, not legal advice, and reading it doesn't create an attorney-client relationship. Laws vary by state and situation, so have a local attorney review your documents before relying on them.