​FAQ's

Yes. To provide the highest level of focused, low-stress care, we specialize exclusively in dogs under 50 pounds that fall into one or more of the following categories:  

 

• Senior Dogs

• Dogs experiencing high levels of Fear, Anxiety & Stress (FAS)

• Dogs experiencing Vision or Hearing Loss

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Many of our canine clients fit into more than one category.  During your Initial Consultation & Assessment, we'll learn about your dog's personality, medical history, sensory abilities, and emotional needs to determine how we can best support them.

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By intentionally limiting our practice to these specialize needs, we are able to provide the individualized attention, consistency, and relationship-based approach that they benefit from most.  

At Grala Pet Care Group, every aspect of our practice has been intentionally designed around providing specialized, relationship-based care for senior dogs, or those experiencing high levels of Fear, Anxiety & Stress (FAS), or sensory decline.

 

Many of our canine clients require gentle lifting, mobility assistance, stroller transportation, close physical support, or calm one-on-one handling.  Limiting our practice to dogs under 50 pounds allows our Certified Canine Enrichment Specialists to provide that level of individualized care safely, comfortably, while ensuring every dog receives the calm, individualized attention they deserve.

 

Rather than serving every dog, we've chosen to become exceptionally skilled in caring for the dogs we serve best.  This focused approach allows us to provide the slower pace, specialized handling, and consistent experience that many of our canine clients need to thrive.  

While every dog ages differently, we generally follow the life-stage guidelines that are recommended by many veterinary professionals.  Typically, this includes:

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• Small Dogs (under 20 lbs):
  10-12+ years
   

• Medium Dogs (20-50 lbs):
  8-10+ years

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However, age alone doesn't tell the whole story. If your dog is chronologically younger but is experiencing age-related changes — such as arthritis, cognitive decline, decreased mobility, or reduced stamina — they may still be an excellent candidate for our services.

During your Initial Consultation & Assessment, we'll discuss whether our practice is the right fit for their individual needs. Our focus is on the type of care your dog requires - slow-paced, gentle and high touch - not simply their birthdate. ​

Grala Pet Care Group is a specialized canine enrichment practice built around consistency, relationship-based support, and emotional wellbeing — not a traditional pet sitting company.

Rather than providing quick drop-in visits or generalized pet care, we've intentionally built a boutique practice that maintains a limited client roster. This allows us to provide a level of individualized attention and continuity that simply isn't possible within a traditional pet sitting model.

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Our specialized enrichment services are delivered through dedicated one-hour sessions. This unhurried approach allows the Specialist to move at your dog's pace, adapt activities in real time, and create meaningful experiences without the time constraints often associated with traditional pet sitting visits.

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Every aspect of our practice — from our appointment structure to our enrichment-based approach — has been intentionally designed around the unique needs of senior dogs, those experiencing high levels of Fear, Anxiety & Stress (FAS), and companions living with vision or hearing loss.

 

Following an Initial Consultation & Assessment, every dog receives an individualized enrichment plan based on their unique needs. As part of that plan, we'll recommend a recurring appointment schedule designed to provide the consistency, familiarity, and relationship-building needed to help them thrive. While many of our canine clients benefit from more than one appointment each week, every enrichment plan is thoughtfully tailored to the individual dog.

 

Because meaningful relationships develop over time, our specialized enrichment services are designed as ongoing, recurring appointments rather than occasional visits. This allows your dog to become comfortable with a familiar routine while strengthening the trust and familiarity that meaningful relationships are built upon.

 

Our appointment-based model also allows your dog to work with the same Certified Canine Enrichment Specialist whenever possible. As your Specialist becomes familiar with your dog's unique personality, preferences, and communication style, they're able to recognize subtle changes that others might miss and thoughtfully adapt your dog's enrichment plan as their needs evolve.

 

The result is a calmer, more familiar experience where your dog feels safe, understood, and supported—allowing them to thrive physically, emotionally, and cognitively throughout every stage of their life.

At Grala Pet Care Group, a Certified Canine Enrichment Specialist is far more than a dog walker or traditional pet sitter. Our Specialists are dedicated professionals who focus on enriching your dog's emotional, cognitive, and physical wellbeing through individualized, relationship-based care.

 

Every Specialist is trained to recognize subtle changes in behavior, confidence, mobility, and emotional wellbeing, allowing them to continually adapt enrichment activities as your dog's needs evolve. Whether supporting a senior dog, a companion experiencing high levels of Fear, Anxiety & Stress (FAS), or one living with vision or hearing loss, every interaction is designed to build trust while providing a calm, predictable, and positive experience.

 

Whenever possible, your dog will work with the same Certified Canine Enrichment Specialist throughout their time with our practice. This consistency allows genuine relationships to develop, helps your Specialist recognize even subtle changes over time, and provides the familiarity that many of our canine clients need to feel safe and confident.

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Every member of our team is also Fear Free Certified, Pet First Aid & CPR Certified, fully insured and bonded, and shares our commitment to compassionate, relationship-based enrichment and individualized care.

Absolutely. Many of our clients have more than one dog or share their home with a cat. 

 

Our specialized enrichment services are intentionally designed as one-on-one experiences, allowing us to devote our full attention to the dog receiving specialized care. Whether supporting a senior dog, one experiencing high levels of Fear, Anxiety & Stress (FAS), or a companion living with vision or hearing loss, this individualized approach allows us to provide the calm, focused, relationship-based support that defines our practice.

 

For families with additional household dogs or cats, we also offer Essential Care during your scheduled appointment. Essential Care includes refreshing water, feeding, and providing a supervised potty break for up to two additional dogs and/or cats while keeping the focus on your dog receiving specialized enrichment.

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Essential Care is available for an additional $15 per pet, per appointment.

 

If another dog in your household would also benefit from our specialized enrichment services, we're happy to schedule consecutive appointments (when available), allowing each dog to receive the same individualized attention and dedicated enrichment experience.

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Please note: Because we specialize exclusively in canine enrichment, Essential Care is available only for additional household dogs and cats. We do not provide care for birds, rabbits, reptiles, fish, pocket pets, livestock, or other animal species.

The Initial Consultation & Assessment is a complimentary, one-hour, in-home meeting that allows us to get to know both you and your dog before beginning services.

 

This meeting is required for all new clients receiving Grala Pet Care Group services (excluding Canine Caregiver Coaching) and is scheduled at least 10 days before your dog's first session. This gives us time to thoughtfully develop your dog's individualized enrichment plan and recommend a recurring appointment schedule designed around their unique needs.

 

During our time together, we'll learn about your dog's daily routine, medical history, medications, mobility, personality, emotional wellbeing, sensory abilities, enrichment preferences, and any situations that may create stress or anxiety. Every detail helps us better understand how your dog experiences the world so we can tailor future sessions for them.

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Most importantly, this meeting gives your Certified Canine Enrichment Specialist the opportunity to begin building a relationship with your dog by observing their body language, confidence, communication style, and comfort level.  This may include introducing gentle enrichment activities, scent work, quiet interaction, or a relaxed neighborhood stroll, allowing your dog to become familiar with their Specialist at their own pace, while you remain nearby to provide reassurance.

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By the end of the consultation, we've begun establishing the trust, familiarity, and understanding that form the foundation of every successful relationship within our practice.​ 

 

Before leaving, we'll collect your two house keys as part of our Key-on-File Policy and confirm that your Time To Pet documents — including your Terms of Service and Emergency Veterinary Treatment & Financial Authorization — have been completed. These items must be finalized before your dog's first scheduled session.​

Following your Initial Consultation & Assessment, we'll recommend an individualized enrichment plan based on your dog's unique needs. As part of that plan, we'll establish a consistent recurring appointment schedule designed to provide the routine and continuity that many of our canine clients benefit from most.

Because Grala Pet Care Group is a boutique, appointment-based practice with a limited client roster, appointments are scheduled directly through our office by phone. We do not offer online scheduling, appointment requests, or self-service calendar changes through our client portal. This allows us to carefully coordinate schedules while maintaining consistency for every dog in our practice.

If your recurring schedule ever needs to be adjusted, simply give us a call and we'll work with you to find another available appointment time whenever possible.

 

We use Time To Pet, our secure client management system, to manage client communication, invoices, payments, service documents, and appointment information.
 

• View your upcoming appointments
• Receive appointment reminders
• Review invoices and payment history
• Update your payment information
• Access important documents and service information

We bill one week in advance to reserve your recurring Monday-Friday daytime appointment schedule. Each Wednesday at 9:00 AM, Time To Pet emails an invoice preview for the upcoming week's services. Exactly 24 hours later, on Thursday at 9:00 AM, your payment method on file is automatically charged through our secure AutoPay system.

Accepted payment methods: Credit Card, Debit Card, and ACH Bank Transfer.

Please note: Your recurring appointment schedule is confirmed once your Initial Consultation & Assessment has been completed and your first weekly payment has successfully processed. Canine Caregiver Coaching sessions do not require an Initial Consultation & Assessment and are prepaid at the time of booking.

Yes. Grala Pet Care Group is a fully licensed, insured, and bonded LLC. We're happy to provide proof of insurance upon request.

 

Every Certified Canine Enrichment Specialist is Fear Free Certified®, Pet First Aid & CPR Certified, and committed to providing compassionate, relationship-based specialized enrichment services. We are also proud members of Pet Sitters International (PSI).

Yes. Medication administration can be incorporated into your dog's scheduled session whenever prescribed by your veterinarian and appropriate for home care.

 

Our Certified Canine Enrichment Specialists can administer most routine medications, including oral medications, topical medications, eye and ear medications, and insulin injections. Because many of our canine clients are seniors, experience high levels of Fear, Anxiety & Stress (FAS), or are living with vision or hearing loss, medications are administered using calm, gentle, Fear Free® handling techniques whenever possible.

 

Medication instructions are thoroughly reviewed during your Initial Consultation & Assessment and become part of your dog's individualized enrichment plan, ensuring every Specialist follows the same instructions with consistency and accuracy.

 

At this time, we do not administer intravenous medications or subcutaneous fluid therapy. If you're unsure whether your dog's medication needs are appropriate for our practice, we're happy to discuss them during your consultation or by phone before scheduling.

​​​Because Grala Pet Care Group intentionally maintains a limited client roster and reserves recurring appointment times exclusively for each dog, appointment cancellations limit our ability to offer those reserved appointment times to other families.  Our cancellation policy helps protect the consistency of our schedule while allowing us to continue providing individualized, relationship-based care.

 

​14 or More Days Notice:   Eligible for a full refund 

Less than 14 Days Notice:  Non-refundable and non-transferable

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​Unexpected Emergencies:

We understand that unexpected situations can arise. While cancellations remain subject to the above policy, we'll always do our best to work with our clients whenever scheduling permits.​​

​Grala Pet Care Group strictly operates on a Monday–Friday schedule to provide the consistency and predictable routines our canine clients benefit from most. While our practice is closed evenings and weekends, we do offer a limited number of appointments on select federally observed holiday weekdays throughout the year.

 

​​​​HOLIDAYS WE REMAIN OPEN:

Martin Luther King Jr. Day 
Presidents Day 
Juneteenth 
Columbus Day / Indigenous Peoples' Day

Veterans Day

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​​OUR ANNUAL PRACTICE BREAK:
Grala Pet Care Group closes during the final two weeks of each year to allow our team to rest, recharge, and spend time with their families before returning refreshed for the new year.

 

This annual practice break allows us to rest, recharge, spend time with our own families and pets, and return ready to provide the attentive, relationship-based care our canine clients deserve.

 

We encourage our recurring clients to plan ahead for this closure, and we're happy to help coordinate with your Emergency Pet Guardians well in advance.

Regular appointments resume on the first non-holiday weekday in January.

Our practice is built around individualized enrichment plans rather than one-time bookings.

 

Following an Initial Consultation & Assessment, every dog receives a personalized enrichment plan along with a recommended appointment schedule based on their unique needs and goals. For many dogs, this means ongoing recurring appointments that provide the consistency needed to build trust and support their emotional wellbeing.

 

However, we also recognize that some dogs benefit from specialized support during temporary life transitions, such as recovery following surgery, adjusting to a new home, changes in mobility or sensory function, or other significant life events. In these situations, we may recommend a shorter-term enrichment plan designed to help your dog regain confidence, comfort, and routine.

 

Whether your dog's needs are ongoing or temporary, every recommendation is thoughtfully tailored to the individual dog and begins with an Initial Consultation & Assessment. 

 

If you're unsure whether your dog's needs are best suited for ongoing or short-term support, we're happy to discuss your situation during your Initial Consultation & Assessment or by phone before scheduling.

Because Grala Pet Care Group operates on a carefully coordinated appointment schedule, all scheduling changes and cancellation requests must be made by phone.

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Unlike traditional pet sitting services, appointment times are not requested or modified through the Time To Pet portal. This allows us to personally review your request, discuss your dog's needs, and determine whether an alternative appointment time is available without disrupting your individualized enrichment plan or another client's recurring schedule.

 

All cancellation requests remain subject to our Cancellation Policy based on the amount of notice provided.

No. Grala Pet Care Group operates exclusively on a Monday–Friday schedule to provide the consistency, predictability, and focused attention our canine clients benefit from most.

 

Maintaining regular weekday appointments allows our Specialists to provide the calm, relationship-based enrichment our practice is built upon while also ensuring they have the time to rest and recharge between weeks. We believe caring for our team allows them to consistently provide the highest level of care to every dog they serve.

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If your dog requires medical care outside of our operating hours, we're happy to recommend trusted local veterinary professionals who provide weekend or after-hours services when available.