Pet Sitting Client Contract Template: 10 Clauses to Paste and Fill In

A pet sitting client contract is a one-page agreement the client signs before the first visit. It covers what you'll do, what it costs, what happens if they cancel, and who decides when a pet needs a vet. Below are ten clauses to paste and fill in, plus a cancellation fee formula you can repeat with your own prices.

This is a checklist and sample wording, not legal advice. Have a lawyer in your state read the final version before you send it to a client.

A short agreement beats none, even for one drop-in

You don't need six pages for a 30-minute drop-in. You need services, visit length, price, payment date, cancellation notice and a vet authorization. That's it.

Add more only when the job calls for it. If the visit includes medication, overnight care or a house key, name those tasks and spell out the emergency steps. Both Indy's template page and Time To Pet's contract guide list the same core: scope of work, payment terms, cancellation policy, liability and insurance, and confidentiality.

Make your company the party, not the individual sitter

When you hire, the agreement should name your business as the provider. If it names you personally and Maya covers the Tuesday visit, the terms no longer match who is doing the work. Write "[Company name] and its staff" once, and every sitter is covered by the same terms.

The one-page client agreement you can paste today

Example: say you run a three-sitter company that does drop-ins and a few overnights. Paste this, replace every bracket, and trim what you don't offer.

1. Parties and pets. This agreement is between [Company name] ("we") and [Client name] ("you") at [address]. Pets covered: [names, species, age]. Emergency contact if we can't reach you: [name, phone]. Special instructions and allergies: [list].

2. Services included. [Type of visit], [number] times per [day or week], [length] minutes each. Each visit includes [feeding, fresh water, a walk, playtime, a short report].

3. Services not included. [Medication, overnight stays, grooming, anything else]. Anything not listed in section 2 needs written agreement and is priced separately.

4. Dates. Services start [date] and run until [date], or until either of us ends them under section 9.

5. Price and payment. [Price] per [visit or night]. Invoices go out [weekly, biweekly, monthly] and are due [number] days later. Late payments incur [fee or percentage] after [number] days.

6. Vaccinations. You confirm that [dogs are current on rabies, DHPP and Bordetella; cats on rabies and FVRCP] and will send records on request.

7. Vet care and costs. If a health emergency happens and neither you nor your emergency contact can be reached, you authorize us to get the emergency veterinary care we judge necessary. You are responsible for veterinary and treatment costs unless we agree otherwise in writing. [Preferred vet and clinic phone].

8. Keys and codes. Keys, access codes and personal information are kept secure and confidential. Keys are returned at the end of the service period or on request.

9. Cancellation and ending the agreement. See the cancellation table below. Either of us can end ongoing service with [number] days written notice.

10. Liability and insurance. [Short statement of what your business does and doesn't take responsibility for, and your insurance details if you carry coverage. Have your lawyer write this one.]

Signed: [Client], [date]. [Company representative], [date].

The vet release in clause 7 should be signed before the agreement takes effect, not after. LegalZoom's template puts the emergency care authorization and the owner's responsibility for those costs in the same paragraph, which is a sensible way to do it.

Set the cancellation fee with one formula

Here's the whole calculation:

Fee owed = visits booked × price per visit × percentage for the notice window.

Published sitter policies don't agree on the numbers, which is exactly why you have to pick yours. Sunshine's Pet City lists different notice rules for mid-day walks and for pet sitting. The Critter Lady's policies show tiered fees with stricter terms around holidays. Schedules in use look like these:

Example: say a client books 5 overnight visits at $60 each, and you use Tier A. If they cancel 3 days out, they owe 5 × $60 × 100% = $300. If they cancel 5 days out, they owe 5 × $60 × 25% = $75. If they cancel 9 days out, they owe nothing.

Match the window to the job

• Walks and drop-ins: use a short window. 24 hours is common, because you can often refill a 30-minute slot.
• Overnights and multi-day stays: use 48 hours to a week. You turned down other work to hold those dates.
• Holidays and school breaks: go longer and charge more, and print the dates in the agreement so the client sees them when they sign.
• Large bookings: take a deposit, and say in writing whether it's refundable. Some sitters ask for a 50% non-refundable deposit at booking.

Five gaps that cost you money later

1. A vague service list. The client assumes you'll give the evening pill or stay overnight, and you either do it free or argue about it. Fix: clause 3 lists exclusions.
2. No late payment term. An unpaid invoice with nothing in writing is a favor you didn't agree to. Fix: clause 5.
3. No emergency process. A sick pet during a visit with no agreed decision maker means nobody knows who pays the vet. Fix: clause 7.
4. One cancellation window for everything. A 24-hour rule on a week-long stay leaves you with an empty week you can't refill. Fix: one window per service type.
5. Holiday terms announced by email later. If they aren't in the signed agreement, the stricter fee is hard to collect. Fix: list the dates in the agreement itself.

Keep signed copies where every sitter can reach them

Once you have staff, the question stops being "do I have a contract" and becomes "where is the signed one when a sitter needs the emergency contact at 7 p.m.?" Pick one place: a shared folder, your scheduling tool, a binder in the office. Don't leave it in your personal email. If you run the office from a phone, the 10-task test shows what has to work from there, and our rates guide helps you set the price you plug into clause 5.

Do this in the next ten minutes

Copy the ten clauses into a document. Fill in sections 2, 3 and 5 for your most common visit type. Pick one cancellation tier from the table and write it under clause 9. Then book a slot to have a lawyer in your state review it before your next new client signs.

Once the contract is signed, run the visits without the guesswork

A good agreement tells clients what to expect. Porchlight handles the rest of the job: scheduling, invoicing on weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly, monthly or per-trip cadences, payroll, and proof of each visit, with a field app that lets a sitter finish a full visit offline and sync later. It's one flat price, with unlimited staff on the Team plan, and a 30-day free trial with no card. Start free for 30 days.