Pet Care Add-ons and Holiday Home Help in Finchley
Sometimes your pet needs more than feeding or a walk.
You may also need plants watered, post collected or a few practical jobs completed while you are away.
I offer a small range of pet-care and home-help add-ons alongside dog walking, cat sitting, small-animal visits and house sitting.
These services are designed to keep things simple.
You tell me what needs doing, and I confirm whether it can be included within the normal visit or whether additional time will be needed.
View all pet-care prices
What is included with a normal pet visit?
I do not charge separately for every small task.
The following can normally be included when they only take a few minutes and do not reduce the time needed to care for your pet:
- Bringing in post
- Moving a small delivery inside
- Putting out or bringing in one household bin
- Opening or closing curtains
- Switching agreed lights on or off
- A visual check for obvious leaks or household problems
- Refreshing your pet’s water
- Sending an update and photograph
- Watering a few indoor plants
Your pet’s care always comes first.
If the additional jobs are likely to take longer, you can add extra time to the visit.
Additional time
You can add extra time to a pet visit or house-sitting booking.
- Additional 15 minutes: £6
- Additional 30 minutes: £12
Extra time may be useful for:
- Watering a larger number of plants
- Watering outdoor pots and containers
- Preparing several enrichment toys
- Caring for several different pets
- Cleaning multiple litter trays
- More involved feeding routines
- Return-home preparation
- Extra companionship for a nervous or older pet
I will agree any additional charge with you before the booking begins.
Garden and plant watering
I can water indoor plants, outdoor pots, hanging baskets and containers while you are away.
Small amounts of plant watering can usually be included within a pet visit.
Additional time will be needed where there are:
- Numerous pots or containers
- Large garden areas
- Several watering points
- Greenhouse plants
- Complicated instructions
- A hose that needs setting up and putting away
Garden watering added to a pet visit
Additional 15 minutes: £6
Additional 30 minutes: £12
Standalone home or garden check
Up to 30 minutes: £18
Up to 60 minutes: £30
Larger gardens and complicated watering routines are priced individually.
You must provide a working hose or suitable watering cans and clear written instructions.
I cannot use ladders, move heavy garden equipment, carry out gardening work or treat unhealthy plants.
I will follow your instructions carefully, but plant watering is provided at the owner’s risk. I cannot guarantee the condition or survival of individual plants.
Holiday home checks
You do not necessarily need to have a pet to request a holiday home check.
Subject to availability and location, a visit can include:
- Bringing in post
- Moving visible deliveries
- Opening or closing curtains
- Switching agreed lights on or off
- Putting bins out or bringing them back
- Checking that doors and accessible windows appear secure
- Looking for obvious leaks or water damage
- Checking that a fridge or freezer appears to have power
- Watering indoor or outdoor plants
- Sending you a photograph and update
Standalone home check, up to 30 minutes: £18
Standalone home check, up to 60 minutes: £30
This is a visual home check. It is not a security, property-management, gardening or emergency repair service.
Hot-weather dog comfort visits
There are days when it is too hot for a normal dog walk.
When walking would not be safe, I may be able to provide a hot-weather comfort visit instead.
This can include:
- A brief toilet opportunity in the garden or nearest safe area
- Fresh drinking water
- Calm indoor enrichment
- A treat search or scent game
- Preparing an owner-supplied Kong or LickiMat
- Quiet companionship
- Feeding or agreed medication
- Closing agreed curtains to reduce direct sunlight
- Checking your dog’s general comfort
- A photograph and update
Hot-weather comfort visit, up to 30 minutes: £18
Hot-weather comfort visit, up to 60 minutes: £25
Where the comfort visit replaces a regular booked walk, the normal walk price applies.
A comfort visit is not intended to provide strenuous indoor exercise. The focus is calm care, hydration, toileting and mental stimulation.
Read my extreme weather policy
Indoor enrichment preparation
Simple enrichment can normally be included within your pet’s booked visit.
This might include:
- Filling an owner-supplied Kong
- Preparing a LickiMat
- Setting up a snuffle mat
- Making a short treat trail
- Hiding treats for a supervised scent search
- Rotating suitable toys
You must provide the food, treats and enrichment equipment.
Please tell me about allergies, intolerances and dietary restrictions before the visit.
Where preparation or cleaning requires additional time, the normal additional-time charge applies.
Return-home preparation
A return-home add-on can make things easier at the end of your holiday.
Depending on the time booked, this may include:
- Refreshing water bowls
- Cleaning the pet-feeding area
- Emptying litter waste
- Bringing in post
- Bringing bins back
- Opening agreed curtains
- Putting away an arranged pet-food delivery
- Leaving an agreed light on
- Completing a final home check
Up to 15 additional minutes: £6
Up to 30 additional minutes: £12
This is light preparation rather than a domestic cleaning service.
Additional pets and complicated routines
I do not automatically charge for every additional pet.
If all pets can be cared for properly within the normal visit, the standard visit price may still apply.
Additional time may be needed where there are:
- Several feeding areas
- Multiple litter trays or enclosures
- Pets who need to be kept separately
- Complicated medication
- Different diets
- Lengthy cleaning routines
- Several species with different needs
I will discuss this with you before confirming the booking.
What I cannot offer
To keep the service safe and properly insured, I do not provide:
- General gardening
- Lawn mowing
- Hedge cutting or pruning
- Plant treatment
- Work involving ladders
- Heavy lifting
- Domestic cleaning
- Building maintenance
- Security patrols
- Emergency plumbing or electrical work
- Pet transport
- Shopping trips
- Collection of large parcels
- Use of unfamiliar garden machinery
If I notice an obvious problem, I will contact you or your nominated emergency contact.
Where are add-ons available?
Add-ons are primarily available alongside existing bookings in Finchley, North Finchley, East Finchley, Muswell Hill and nearby parts of North London.
Standalone home and garden checks depend on my existing route and availability.
Add-ons in Whetstone or Highgate are normally available as part of an existing house-sitting or pet-care booking.
How to request an add-on
Please tell me:
- Which main service you are booking
- What additional help you need
- Approximately how many plants, pots or pet-care tasks are involved
- How long you think the additional jobs may take
- Whether the service is needed once or throughout your booking
Photographs can be helpful where there are numerous plants or a larger garden.
I will confirm what is included, the time allowed and the total price before your booking begins.
A practical helping hand while you are away
My priority is always your pet’s safety and welfare.
Small home-care jobs can often be completed during the same visit, while larger jobs can be covered by adding a little more time.
This gives you one trusted person looking after your pet, your plants and the everyday details of your home.
Important information
All add-ons must be agreed before the booking begins.
Services depend on availability, location, access, written instructions and insurance restrictions. Plant care and home checks are provided on a reasonable-care basis. They do not include professional gardening, security, property management or maintenance services.