Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How long have you been in business?
A: We "opened our doors" on December 5, 2005
Q: Your website states that you are "insured and bonded", but does not state that you are "licensed". Are you licensed, and if not, why?
A: We do not have a business license for Prince William County. The County's Website, with regard to business licenses, states: "There is no license fee or business license requirement for businesses which do not expect gross receipts [...] to exceed $100,000 for the license year." Since we purposely limit the number of clients we serve in order to better care for the pets in our charge (and are steadfastly a "Mom & Pop" only operation), we will never get anywhere near the $100,000.00 threshold. We are registered with the State of Virginia as a "limited liability corporation".
Q: Who will visit my pet?
A: Dog Walker Bill & Co., LLC is the retirement career, and labor of love, for the two of us (Bill & Dee). We do not hire employees, nor do we out-source work to independent contractors...ever! Your pet will always see a familiar face (and detect a familiar scent), because it will be one of us at every visit.
Q: Who will visit my pet if you are sick or on vacation?
A: The first, and (to us) most important, response to this question is that we have never once failed to make a scheduled pet care visit since we began Dog Walker Bill & Co. We are in good health and share a determination of spirit and dedication to task that, so far, has overshadowed any discomfort. Besides that, we limit the number of households we serve so that, in the event one of us is completely unable to make visits, the other can comfortably see to the needs of all of the dogs on our schedule each day. On the question of our being on vacation; since the inception of Dog Walker Bill & Co., LLC we have taken exactly two "vacations" consisting of no more than three days (one of which has always been a major Holiday). In each case we've given notice at the beginning of the calendar year, and offered to help find a caregiver for any dates we were not available. So, basically, (1.) we usually don't take "vacations" and (2.) if we do decide to get away we will provide months of advance notice, it will certainly be of very short duration and (most importantly) we will be as concerned about your dogs' care while we are away as we will be for our own pups.
Q: Why don't you hire employees or use independent contractors?
A: There are two main reasons why we don't hire employees; cost and consistency. Frankly, it is expensive to hire and maintain employees due to insurance and taxes. We are content to run a small, "Mom & Pop" operation, and avoid passing on extra costs to our clients. Also, we have very high standards for the quality of care we provide to our clients and their pets. Each of us intimately knows the commitment of the other, but it is difficult to be assured of that in all employees every day.
With regard to independent contractors (ICs), the IRS has very strict rules and regulations governing a businesses use of them. The most fundamental of them have to do with the concept of "control". If we out-source a client to an IC we cannot, by law, impose any of our very high standards of quality care. Secondly, ICs can, in turn, out-source (or "sub-contract") their work to other ICs. We want our clients (and their pets!) to know exactly who will be entering their homes each day.
Q: Do you train dogs?
A: We will, at our clients' request, attempt to reinforce behaviors that have already been trained. The fundamental purpose of our daily visits is to provide relief and recreation for the dogs. We typically do not have sufficient time to train new behaviors.