Terms & Cancellation

Last updated: date to add at launch

Oak & Paw is a small family business in Potters Bar. These terms are written in plain English. If anything is unclear, please ask us before you book.

1. Cancelling or changing a booking

How to cancel. Message or call us on phone number to add. Notice counts from the time we receive your message until the start date and time of your booking.

Why you pay in full first. We plan food, time and care around each booking, and paying first keeps things simple for a small family business. That is why we make the refund rules clear before you pay.

Dog boarding, cat stays and house sitting

Christmas, New Year and the summer school holidays. From 24 December to 1 January, and during the school summer holidays, "7 days" becomes "14 days" in the table.

Day care, dog walks and drop-in visits

Leaving early. If you collect your pet before the booked end, the nights you do not use are treated as cancelled in the table above, counted from the day you tell us. If we end a stay early because your pet is ill, or because we cannot care safely, you get back the unused nights in full.

Changing dates. We do not charge a fee. Tell us as early as you can and we will move the booking if we are able to. If the new dates cost more (for example, they include a peak date), you pay the difference first. If they cost less, we refund it. Shortening a stay counts as cancelling the nights you drop. Moving a booking with less than 7 days to go is treated as a late cancellation if we cannot offer the new dates.

If another booking fills your dates. The amounts we keep are our fair estimate of what a late cancellation costs us. If we can use your dates for another booking, we will refund you more.

If we cancel. If we cancel for any reason, you get a full refund of everything you paid for care we have not given. We may cancel if, for example:

• someone in our family is ill and we cannot safely give the care;
• we cannot safely keep your dog with another dog on the same dates;
• we cannot safely care for the number of animals booked in on those dates;
• we cannot care for your pet's needs or medication;
• your dog is a type we cannot accept (see section 5);
• something outside our control stops the care (see section 15).

We will tell you as soon as we know.

How refunds are paid. We refund to the bank account you paid from. We do not charge a fee for refunds, and we always refund within 14 days of agreeing the refund.

Emergency care and pick-up and drop-off. See sections 9 and 10.

These rules are in addition to your legal rights. They never take away rights you have by law.

2. Your legal right to cancel (14 days)

If you booked online, by email, by phone or by message, you have the right to cancel within 14 days of the day your booking is confirmed, which is the day your payment reaches us and we send "booking confirmed". You do not need to give a reason. You get a full refund.

If you want care to start within those 14 days. On the booking form you ask us to start care on your chosen dates, even if that is within 14 days of booking. If you then cancel during the 14 days after care has started, you pay us for the care already given, in proportion to the full price of the booking. You get back the rest.

If we have fully completed a service (for example, one day of day care) within the 14 days, and you asked us to start it, you lose the right to cancel that service.

How to cancel under this right. Tell us clearly that you want to cancel. You can use the form below or any clear message to phone number to add. You can send it before the 14 days end.

Model cancellation form (you do not have to use it)

To: Oak & Paw (the owner's full name and an address for notices are given to you when you book).
I give notice that I cancel my contract for the following service: [service and dates].
Booked on: [date]. Name: [your name]. Address: [your address]. Date: [date].

If your rights under this section and the tables in section 1 differ, you get whichever is better for you.

3. Booking and paying

How booking works. On our booking page you choose the service and dates and see the total. You then pay the full total using our payment link, with your pet's name as the reference, and let us know on WhatsApp. For emergency care, pick-up and drop-off, and cat stays without a set price, we agree the price with you by message first. Your booking is confirmed when your full payment reaches us. We check every booking after payment, and we use your answers to plan the care. In the rare case that we cannot care for your pet safely (see section 5), we cancel and refund you in full.

The price. The booking form shows your total before you send it, and we email it to you before you pay. It includes everything we know you will pay, including any peak date charge. Prices on our Prices page are per pet.

Peak dates. Christmas week (24 December to 1 January), UK bank holidays and the school summer holidays are peak dates. On those dates we add £20 per pet per night. The form shows the peak amount in your total before you send your request. Peak dates at Christmas and in the summer also have a longer cancellation notice period (section 1).

Paying. Please pay the full total using the payment link on our booking page, or details we give you directly on WhatsApp or by phone. Use your pet's name as the reference.

• Payments go to the owner's own account, which we use for Oak & Paw, so you may see the owner's name rather than "Oak & Paw". That is normal.
• We will never change our payment details by message. If someone tells you our details have changed, ring us on our usual number before you pay.

When your booking starts. Your booking is confirmed only when the full amount reaches us and we send you a "booking confirmed" email. We do not hold dates before then. If you pay late, the dates may no longer be free. If we cannot take your booking after you have paid, we refund you in full, as in section 1.

Part payments and mix-ups. If you pay less than the total, or use the wrong reference, tell us. The booking is not confirmed until the full amount has arrived. If you pay without our email, or for dates we cannot offer, we refund you in full.

Late arrival. A night is charged in full even if you arrive late.

4. Who looks after your pet

Your contract is with the owner of Oak & Paw, a small family business based in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire. We give you the owner's full name and an address for notices when you book. The owner is responsible for your pet's care. Family members help in our home, and the owner remains responsible to you for the care they give. We will tell you before anyone outside the family looks after your pet.

Contact: phone number to add.

5. What we ask before your pet comes to us

We ask for these at booking so we can look after your pet well and safely.

Vaccinations. Your pet must be vaccinated.

• Dogs: parvovirus, distemper, infectious hepatitis and leptospirosis. Kennel cough vaccination is required if your dog will be with other dogs.
• Cats staying with us: cat flu and feline infectious enteritis.
• Primary courses and boosters must be completed at least 2 weeks before the start.
• Send us your vaccination card or a letter from your vet before the start. We cannot start without it.

Pet insurance. Every pet must have its own pet insurance. We ask for the insurer's name and policy number in the pet profile. Our own insurance is not pet health insurance. Section 11 explains who pays vet bills.

Your vet. We need the name, practice and phone number of your local vet, and your emergency contact. You give these in the pet profile after you pay. We must have them before the start.

Microchip and ID. Dogs and cats must be microchipped with up-to-date details. Dogs wear a collar with an ID tag when they are out.

Health on arrival. Your pet should be well. If your pet has had coughing, vomiting or diarrhoea in the last 48 hours, tell us before arrival. We may ask you to wait until they are clear. Fleas and worming must be up to date. If your pet arrives with fleas or worms, we may ask you to pay the reasonable, receipted cost of treating our household and other animals.

Medication. Tell us about any medicine before you book. Give us written instructions and the medicine in its original labelled packaging. Some medicines (for example, injections) need special skill. If we cannot give a medicine safely, we will say so before you pay, or cancel for you with a full refund.

Behaviour. Please tell us about anything that affects care: bites, snapping, guarding, reactivity, escaping, separation distress, fear of people or children. We use this to plan, for example, to keep dogs apart. It is not a test. We can usually manage what we know about. If you do not tell us, or the dog behaves in a way that puts others at risk, we may ask you to collect your pet and the cancellation rules in section 1 apply as if you cancelled.

When we may decline. We may decline a booking, or cancel after you have paid, if we cannot care for your pet safely. For example: two reactive dogs on the same nights, a dog in season, a breed we are unable to take, or a pet whose needs we cannot meet. If we decline, you get a full refund.

Dogs in season and entire males. Tell us if your dog is in season, or is likely to come into season, around your dates. We cannot board a dog in season with other households' dogs. We will suggest other dates, a different service, or a full refund. If your dog comes into season less than 7 days before the start and you tell us, we treat it as our cancellation and refund you in full. Please also tell us if your dog is an entire (unneutered) male.

Dogs we cannot accept. We cannot accept dogs of a type listed under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, including XL Bully types. Tell us your dog's breed or type on the form before you pay. If this applies, we refund you in full.

6. Arrival and collection

We agree arrival and collection times with you. There are no late collection fees. If you will be late, please give us a heads up.

Extra nights. If you ask us to keep your pet for longer than booked, we agree the extra nights with you and charge the normal rate for them. That is a new booking, not a penalty.

If no one collects. If you do not collect your pet and we cannot reach you, we try you and your emergency contact. If there is no contact for 7 days, we may ask a vet, the local dog warden or a welfare organisation for help, and we will carry on caring for your pet in the meantime. We will not rehome your pet. Care in this period is charged at the normal nightly rate.

7. Cats

• Stays at our home. Your cat has a calm space away from the dogs. Bring their usual food, litter, bed and a labelled, secure carrier. We keep cats indoors during stays. Tell us if your cat is used to going out.
• Home visits. We feed your cat, clear the litter tray, give medicine, play and check on them. Tell us where your cat likes to hide, whether they use a cat flap, and whether they go out.
• Indoor and outdoor cats. Tell us on the form. If we have followed your instructions and taken reasonable care, we are not responsible if a cat who goes outdoors chooses not to return.
• If we cannot find your cat at a visit, we search and tell you the same day.
• Dogs and cats at home. Tell us if your cat and your dog live together and how they get on.
• The vaccination, insurance, vet and health rules in section 5 apply to cats.

8. Home visits, key safe and house sitting

Key safe. We use a coded key safe only. We do not take a key left under the mat. Please use a good-quality key safe. We send and receive codes by private message only. We never put codes in our booking records. We delete the code when your booking ends. Please change the code after the booking.

If we cannot get in. If the code or instructions you gave us are wrong, we try to reach you. If a visit is missed because of wrong instructions, we may charge for it. If a key safe fails through our fault, we pay the reasonable cost of putting it right.

Alarms and locking up. We lock up and set the alarm as you tell us. If an alarm call-out happens because your instructions were wrong, you pay the reasonable cost. If it happens through our fault, we do.

Who is at home. Tell us about any other people, pets and tradespeople who will be there.

House sitting. When we stay at your home:

• Please leave the heating, hot water and utilities working. We use them as a normal household.
• No one other than us stays in your home without your agreement.
• Tell us your house rules, where we should sleep, which rooms are off limits, and anything fragile or valuable you want put away.
• We tell you in advance who from our family will be staying.
• Please keep valuables and important papers locked away.

9. Pick-up and drop-off

If you ask us to collect your pet or bring them back, we agree the price with you in writing before you pay. It depends on distance. Please have your pet ready, with a lead, harness or carrier. We travel safely, with pets secured. If your pet cannot travel safely, we may not carry them, and we refund the transport fee. If you cancel before we set off, you get a full refund of the transport fee. If you cancel after we set off, you pay for the time and travel already spent.

10. Emergency care

Emergency care can be same-day care at our home, or a home visit using a coded key safe. Contact us any time. We reply when we can. We do not promise a response time.

We tell you the price in writing before you pay. If you do not agree, you owe nothing. We usually start care straight away, so we ask you to tick the box asking us to begin before the 14-day period ends (section 2). If you cancel after we have set off or begun to rearrange our day, you pay for the time and travel already spent.

If you cannot get hold of us, please call your vet.

11. If your pet is ill or hurt

Vet visits. If your pet is ill or hurt while with us, we phone you first, then your emergency contact. If we cannot reach either of you, you let us take your pet to your own vet, or to the nearest vet or emergency vet, and agree treatment needed to relieve pain or save life. You tell us on the pet profile how much we can approve without phoning you first. Above that, we contact you first unless it is urgent.

Who pays. You pay vet fees, out-of-hours charges and transport. This applies whether or not your insurer pays. If your insurer refuses a claim, or applies an excess, you pay the difference. Vets often ask for payment on the day. If we pay first, you repay us within 7 days by bank transfer. This does not apply to costs caused by our failure to take reasonable care.

Euthanasia. We only agree to this on a vet's written advice that it is needed to prevent suffering, and only when we have tried and failed to reach you and your emergency contact.

Contagious illness. If a vet says your pet may be contagious (for example, kennel cough), we ask you to collect your pet as soon as you can, usually the same day. If we end the stay for that reason, we refund the unused nights. If your pet arrived unwell and you had not told us, the rules in section 5 apply.

Older or poorly pets. If your pet is elderly or has an illness, please tell us. We will look after them with care and kindness. If they become very unwell or die while with us, we phone you as soon as we can, take them to a vet if that is right for them, and follow your wishes from the pet profile. We cannot promise to prevent an illness or a death that comes from age or a health condition. Nothing in these terms excuses a failure by us to take reasonable care.

Insurance. We're insured through Protectivity Pet Business Insurance, including Public Liability and Care, Custody & Control cover for dogs while they're with us.

12. If something goes wrong

Our care. We care for your pet with reasonable skill and care. If we do not, we put it right or pay for the loss we cause. We are not responsible for harm we could not reasonably have prevented, for example an illness or behaviour you did not tell us about, or events outside our control. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be limited by law, including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, and your legal rights.

Escape or loss. If a pet goes missing, we tell you straight away and start searching. We may share your pet's photo and description to help find them, but never your address.

Your belongings. Please label food, leads, harnesses, beds and medicine, and do not bring valuables. We take reasonable care of your belongings. Normal chewing and wear are not our responsibility. We are responsible for loss or damage we cause by not taking reasonable care.

Damage by your pet. If your pet causes damage to our home, belongings or other animals beyond normal wear and tear and play, we tell you what happened and ask for the reasonable cost of repair or replacement, using a receipt or quote. We try to agree it with you. If a dog injures another dog because of behaviour you did not tell us about, you pay the reasonable vet costs.

13. Photos and social media

We send you private updates (photos and videos) about your pet during their stay. That is part of our care.

We only post photos or videos on our website or social media if you tick the separate box on the booking form. Saying no makes no difference to the care your pet gets. You can change your mind at any time. We never show your address, your face or your children. We do not post details that show your home is empty.

14. Your information

We use your details to run your booking and look after your pet. Our Privacy Policy explains what we collect, why, who sees it, how long we keep it and your rights.

15. Events outside our control

Sometimes things happen that we cannot control, such as severe weather, a road closure, a vet closure, illness in the family, or a sudden emergency. We will do our best to still give the care. If we cannot, we tell you as soon as possible and refund you in full for care we have not given, or offer new dates. We will not charge you for care we did not give.

16. Complaints

If you are unhappy, please tell us on phone number to add. We reply within 5 working days and aim to sort it out within 14 days. We are not part of an alternative dispute resolution scheme. You can always contact Citizens Advice for consumer advice or take a claim to court.

17. Changes to these terms and the law

We may update these terms. The terms that apply to your booking are the ones on this page on the day your booking is confirmed. We send you a link to them when your booking is confirmed. Changes do not affect bookings already confirmed, unless the law requires it.

These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales. The courts of England and Wales can hear any dispute. If you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, you can also bring a claim in your local courts.