Poppy & the Pooches Free meet & greet
Good to know

Booking, deposits & cancellation policy

Everything in plain English, so we both know exactly where we stand. Nothing here is designed to catch anyone out — it simply protects the time that has been set aside for your dog.

Effective from 20 August 2026. Applies to all bookings made or confirmed on or after that date.

The short version

  • 1
    Overnight & home stays: a 50% deposit is paid at the time of booking to secure your dates. The balance is due before the stay begins.
  • 2
    Walks & pop-ins: cancel or change with 24 hours’ notice or more and there is nothing to pay. Inside 24 hours, a 50% cancellation fee applies.
  • 3
    Weddings & events: a 50% deposit secures the date, with the balance due 14 days before.
  • 4
    Meet & greets are always free — no deposit, no commitment, cancel any time.

1. Making a booking

Every new dog starts with a free meet & greet — a relaxed, no-obligation visit to say hello, meet your dog and talk through their routine. There is no charge for this and no commitment either way.

A booking is confirmed once dates and times have been agreed in writing (WhatsApp or email is fine) and, where one is required, the deposit has been received. Until then, dates are not held.

2. Deposits

Deposits exist for one reason: when a date is held for your dog, it is turned down for someone else. They are always deducted from the total — they are not an extra charge.

ServiceDepositWhen it’s paid
Overnight stays & home stays50%At the time of booking, to secure your dates
Weddings & special occasions50%At the time of booking, to secure the date
Holiday-period cover
(school holidays, Christmas, New Year, bank holidays)
50%At the time of booking
Regular walks, one-off walks & pop-insNone
Free meet & greetNone

3. Paying

4. Cancelling or changing walks & pop-ins

Notice givenWhat’s payable
More than 24 hours before the booked timeNothing — change or cancel freely
Less than 24 hours before the booked time50% of the booked service
Poppy arrives and the walk can’t go ahead
(no access, dog not there, nobody home)
100% of the booked service

Last-minute cancellations usually can’t be filled by another dog, which is why a fee applies inside 24 hours. Genuine emergencies are always looked at case by case — just get in touch.

5. Cancelling overnight & home stays

Notice givenWhat’s payable
More than 14 days before the stayNothing — the deposit is refunded in full, or moved to new dates
14 days or less before the stayThe 50% deposit is retained
48 hours or less before the stayThe full amount is payable
Shortening a stay once it has startedThe full booked amount is payable

6. Cancelling weddings & events

7. If Poppy has to cancel

If Poppy ever has to cancel — illness, an emergency, anything at all — you get everything you have paid back in full, including any deposit, and you’ll be told as early as humanly possible. Wherever there’s time, an alternative slot or a trusted recommendation will be offered instead.

8. Weather, illness & things nobody can control

Your dog’s safety comes first, always. In extreme heat, ice, storms or flooding, a walk may be shortened, moved to a safer route, or swapped for an indoor visit with play, a toilet break and a fuss — you’ll always be told what was done and why, and there is no extra charge.

If your dog is unwell, injured, in season, or under vet instruction not to walk, tell Poppy as soon as you know and the booking will be moved with no cancellation fee, even inside 24 hours. Please don’t send a dog on a group walk with anything contagious — kennel cough, sickness or an upset tummy.

9. Keys & access

Keys, key-safe codes and alarm details are kept securely, never labelled with your address, and returned whenever you ask. If Poppy can’t get in at the booked time, she will call and wait up to 15 minutes; if there’s still no access, the visit is charged in full (see section 4).

10. How to cancel or change a booking

Message any time — the time your message is sent is the notice time, so late-night messages still count.

WhatsApp or text: 07533 667431
Call: 07533 667431
Email: [email protected]

One last thing. Poppy is a small, one-person business and life happens to everybody. If something goes wrong and you need to talk it through, please just ask — a fair conversation will always beat a rule on a page.

Questions about any of this?

Ask before you book — happy to talk it through.

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