Frequently Asked Questions

What areas does Hastings Pet Services service?
We currently provide our friendly, professional pooper scooper services to Quinte, Quinte West and Kingston.


Is it possible to hire you for a one-time cleaning only?
Yes. We make our pooper scooper services available for large and small one time cleanings for both residential and commercial properties.
 

I’m too busy to read through all this. Can I just call you with all my questions?
Yes, We would be happy to answer all your questions concerning our dog pooper scooper service. Call us at 800 459 8477. 356 Coleman St Belleville, Ontario K8P 3J4.

Why in the heck would I hire a pooper scooper to scoop my dogs poop?
Primarily because 1. You hate to do it, and 2. Because we love to do it. Honestly, nobody does doo quite like we do! Most people hire The HPS Pooper Scooper Crew because they simply don’t have the time to keep up with their dogs weekly “production.” The second most common reason we hear is that many people find the chore disgusting and would much prefer to secure an affordable and convenient solution to their dog poop problem. Other reasons you may want to hire us include: the dog owner has limited physical ability, your family tends to get into heated battles over whose turn it is to play “pooper scooper”, you own several dogs and have noted that their poop production is an overwhelming force that you simply can’t tame, your lawn and garden is looking more brown and round than clean and green. You get the idea-endless reasons. Needless to say, if your children spend an inordinate amount of time in an area where your dogs commonly place their “gifts,” then you can really use us.

How much do you charge for your dog pooper scooper service?
Please see  Scoop Prices

Where do you clean?
Wherever your dogs “go.” Seriously, we clean dog runs, concrete areas, wood decks, and residential & commercial landscaped areas. One area that we really suggest considering as extra important is any area that children may play in such as sand pits and the like. We can typically scoop dog poop in gardens were there is beauty bark, river rock and pea gravel to name just a few. Additionally, we make our poop pickup services available to large dog shows, commercial dog kennels, municipal dog parks and city dog runs, as well as pet friendly apartments. We do not hose down areas where dogs have “dropped off” their poop unless asked. This is something that needs to be discussed in the initial meeting or phone call. We may need to charge extra for this service. We may not.

How often does HPS service my lawn?
As often as you like. That said, the majority of our pooper scooper routes for dogs are consistently filled with property owners that request/receive service once a week. If you have more than 2 or 3 dogs, you may want to consider 2 times a week if we are available to offer that in your city. However, if you have but one small fury Fido, then you may want to consider every other week. Worth noting, the Center for Disease Control actually recommends dog waste be cleaned up every week. And as such, every week service, and to a much lesser degree every other week, are far and away our most popular choice for frequency of poop cleanings. Together, we can talk about it and help you decide. We currently scoop during day light hours Monday through Friday and at times are available for initial client and dog meetings & cleanings on the weekend.

How do I start my service?
Simply call Hastings Pet Service 800 459 8477. Since there isn’t a need to create any kind of binding contract whatsoever, we are completely prepared to respond to your poop pickup needs quickly. Call me. We’ll go over a couple quick questions about the size of your property, the number of dogs you have and arrange a personal meeting that is convenient for you. If you have provided a good description of how best I should gain entrance to your property, and you have arranged/preferred your dogs to be indoors on your dog poop pickup service day, then there is no need for the two of us to meet unless you prefer that. If there is an accumulation of waste, we will provide you with a quote for the initial cleanup if we didn’t establish the $ on the phone.

What days of the week do you offer your pooper scooper services?
We offer our services Monday through Friday. However, we are available to meet new clients on weekends and at times even in the evening after you come home. We have been known to do some dog poop removal on the weekends as well. However, that is the exception not the rule. We are doing our best to be flexible, but we may need to charge more $. Depends. If you prefer to leave your dogs in the yard while you are at work, it is best that we meet your canine pals with you just so they can see/smell for themselves that we’re apart of the family. We can either get out to your residence during the day on what will become your normal service day, or We can arrange to meet you on a weekend or evening week day if its more convenient for you.

I have further questions not addressed here?
Call Tracy at 613 966 2263.  If you need to call me on evenings or even the weekend, don’t hesitate. I try to carry my cell phone while “scooping” my daily routes and will make an effort to answer your call. You may email me if you have literature you think I would benefit from.

Is it required that I be at my property when you come and clean it?
No. If you choose to leave your dogs in the yard while we clean, we of course will schedule to meet you and your pups on the very first visit to ascertain whether your dogs enjoy being around us. If they enjoy our presence, then there need not be anyone home to take them in the house or elsewhere while we clean. Your presence is not required on our first visit…and all others of course…if you choose to always have your dogs indoors.

Can my dogs be left in the yard when you service our property?
Depends. This is one of the most important aspects of our business. If I have met with you and your dogs and your fury pets have taken a liking to me, then yes they can be in the yard each time we come and scoop their poop. If you know that your pets have had trouble with people in the past, I mean anyone for that matter, then it may be better for us if your pups were restrained or confined in the house when we arrive. Keep in mind, that your dogs may be on their best behavior when you, I and your dogs meet together. But when I arrive to clean your property and I walk onto your dogs “territory,” they may no longer see me as a friend they want to play with. You know your dogs better than anyone. If you have some doubts about the behavior of your dog when we show up, you can either have a secret watchful eye on them from the house and access their behavior towards us if you can schedule that, or if someone is home we can knock on the door and your family member can escort the dogs into the house until we are finished. Ensuring our safety makes us feel more welcome and comfortable. Yes I’m laboring this point, and although I have been bitten by dogs while cycling and running, it is not the most enjoyable thing. And no, I did not sue anyone either. Although I don’t want to lose your business over this, it is important that we feel safe around your dogs. If you have the slightest doubt about your dogs friendliness toward strangers, I would suggest we allow them a short hiatus from the backyard. Also, if you know that we are servicing your yard today and you always have your dogs in the house because they are vicious man eaters (dog humor), please look for us in your yard before you allow your dogs out in the yard to relieve themselves.

What do you do with all the dog poop you scoop?
Waste is disposed of in accordance with MOE requirements.  It is important to us to be as environmentally friendly as possible while performing our pooper scooper duties.

Can I choose the service day?
It depends. Hey, I’m an honest guy. We work Monday through Friday. Each day of the week is actually allocated to a certain area. On Mondays we may be scooping Belleville (hypothetical). However, if you are in Trenton and really desire Monday service and we can try to work it into the route, then yes we’ll schedule your property in on that day. We take Customer Service very serious, however we do pray that you understand at times it’s necessary to partition our routes specific to certain service days.

Will my service day ever change?
We have gone to great lengths believe it or not to partition our routes up in a way that nearly ensures that a client can depend on us showing up on a predetermined day. You know just how massive Orange County is. So you know that this has taken a bit of hair pulling and head scratching. We challenge ourselves to keep you and your day of service right where you’re at. But we like to keep an “open door” policy and an “open mind” on this issue. At times, you may absolutely need us to move your pets service day to another for reasons beyond your control. And for that matter, due to unforeseen extraneous variables or explosive company growth (hey, it could happen ..smile), we may ask that we move your service day. We’ll do our best to work around all the challenges, yet maintain our focus on your satisfaction with our service.

What are your discounts?
We offer a referral compensation program that is mutually beneficial to our company, and more importantly to you the client, which we are convinced is far superior to any discounts that we could offer. Honest. We offer significant cash compensation quickly for your referrals.

How does your referral program work?
You can view our referral compensation here. If you are not currently an ongoing client of ours, we will offer you a $15 cheque for any and all clients that you send us that sign up for either 1. weekly Regular pooper scooper service, or 2. every other week Regular service. If you are currently one of our ongoing weekly or every other week clients, we offer one FREE cleaning for each  referral which lead to residential/commercial accounts setup for weekly or every other week  Regular pooper scooper service. We have been known to pay out higher compensation for accounts that immediately lead to further new accounts being secured. Call us, let’s talk. Since we receive all monthly service fees from our clients upfront before service is started, we can cut you a cheque very quickly. The importance of receiving referrals ranks second only to delivering the highest quality customer care we are capable of. Our referral compensation is very aggressive. **Regular service is described as service scheduled as regular intervals based on a six month minimum written commitment from the client. PLEASE DO NOT refer another household member at the exact same address you live at yourself. All referrals are required to be for prospective clients which are friends, acquaintances, etc that live at a completely different address than your own.

Is it possible to hire you for a one-time cleaning only?
Yes. We make our pooper scooper services available for large and small one time cleanings for both residential properties and commercial. Please see Scoop Prices

Is there an extra charge for the first visit?
Yes, there *may* be. It is really contingent on how much dog poop the property has. If you have 4 dogs and wall to wall dog feces that has accumulated for several weeks, that would be a definite yes. If the yard has not been cleaned well in the last 2 weeks, then there may be an extra charge. There will be no extra charge if your property had been scooped in the last week. It’s best to consult the Scoop Prices.

Should I have my gate unlocked on my scheduled service day?
YES. Since we do not climb or jump fences (neighbours get rightfully suspicious), we require that you make arrangements with us so that we can have access to your yard that day. You may also leave us a key that is hidden or some other solution. We are open to your suggestions, but we definitely need to be assured of consistent open access to your property. If you like, we can keep a gate key or combo lock on file.

What if my dog won’t let you in or I forget to unlock the gate to my yard?
We allow this to happen 2 times without a service charge. In other words, it’s free the first 2 times your dog disagrees with us being in his presence or we find access not possible due to a locked gate. After the first 2 free incidents, we charge 100% service fees for that day, even though we are unable to scoop the poop. 3 Reasons why this is fair: 1. we have previously offered two free trips to your home, 2. we have spent time and gas to drive to your property, and 3. during the next visit we will have twice as much dog poop to scoop taking twice as long. We will make an effort to contact you via phone or by knocking on the house door to see if you are home to help us out. If your dogs are frightened by us and would without a doubt prefer to be somewhere else while we scoop the dogs poop, we will need to make future arrangements with you so that he can be taken out of the yard while we “steal his stuff.”

Do you offer dog walking and play time for my dogs? (Note walking service Suspended).
You bet. After gaining enough interest in this service from our current dog pooper scooper clientele, we have decided to offer it. The great news is that we no longer require you to be using our pet pooper scooper services. We now offer dog walking, play time and light neighborhood jogging through your neighborhood with your favorite canine pal. And again, you need not use our pet waste removal service. This is how it works. We’ll come to your home, gain access to your backyard and engage in some real fun play time with your favorite hound just the way he likes it. We can meet together before hand and discuss what your four legged friend considers “fun.” For $20 for up to 2 dogs, we’ll spend the next 40 minutes playing fetch, running around in circles in the backyard, or maybe take in the day’s sights and smells as we walk through the neighborhood. What ever the pups want. We’ll even consider some light jogging too.

How do you prevent the spread of microbes between yards?
Excellent question. We take this as serious as you do. The shovels, rakes and dust pans that we wield for dog poop detail in each clients yard is consistently cleaned off after each property we leave. We use various disinfectants for this purpose including Parvo killing anti-microbial as well as a bleach solution. Trash bags containing the poop we “harvest” from your property are sprayed as well as our own shoes and tools before we enter our own truck. All this is done to combat any chance of transferring chemicals, toxins or microbes between each property.

How will I know it is Hastings Pet Services entering my property?
Our trucks have the HPS logo on them and we should be wearing clothes that have our logo on them as well. We‘ll be carrying large red dust pans and rakes too. If your neighbors are ever concerned, we encourage them to just ask us who we are and why we are there.

As a customer of Hastings Pet Service, is MY satisfaction guaranteed?
Absolutely. We promise to make every effort to leave your home free of dog poop by the time we exit your property. That’s how we make our money and you as our clients deserve nothing less. Since our company’s good name & reputation is contingent upon the quality of service we render, it is our sincere desire that you phone us at 613 966 2263 if you ever feel that you have received a level of service that is substandard to what we have discussed. Forget our reputation. Unequivocally, you and your pets satisfaction is all that’s important. Period. We’ll “high tail” it back out to your property within 48 hours. If we simply can’t do that, then you may have that weeks service call for free.

Do you provide service on holidays?
We reserve the right to take any holiday day off, but make an effort to keep it below 8 days each year. We may also choose to work holidays in a given year as to not fall behind on our route schedule. Any of the above holidays we take off will be quickly caught up to date and serviced on that weeks Saturday. If we take Thanksgiving Day off for example, we’ll visit your property 2 days later to remove your pets waste.

Is there a service contract needed?
No. Just start or stop service any time you like by making a phone call. If you are feeling a little shy about discussing why you have chosen to cease our pet service, you can email us if that makes the situation any easier for you. Although I would love to know why we are losing your dogs “business”, you can expect a lot more “thank you for your ongoing patronage” and “we’ll miss you and your funny pups” than “why are you leaving us.” Lastly, if you choose to stop service any time before you have had your last weekly service which you have pre-paid for, you have my promise that we will prorate and refund ALL necessary money.

Can I skip a service visit?
Yes. Just call 613 966 2263 and let us know how many service days you would like to skip. There will be no charge for those skipped days. We will prorate your next month’s bill or you may send fewer monies for that month if you already know that far in advance you would be leaving on vacation. However, if you are going on vacation, but are leaving your dogs, we of course would need to continue scooping because they will continue pooping. If this is not possible, no problem. We will charge a bit higher on the service day that we come back after you have been away. Reason? If you skip 3 of your normally scheduled service weeks (days) in a row for example, you can imagine that your dogs “business” will be really piled up when we return. We will be there closer to 3 times as long. No worries, we will work it all out with you.

Doesn't my dogs waste make good fertilizer?
Absolutely not! Please do your research here. Don’t take my word for it. Dog and cat waste is incredibly hazardous. As a matter of fact, it is by definition labeled as “hazardous waste” by our most important environmental agencies. I would seriously suggest that you do not use this poisonous fecal matter in hopes of achieving fertilizer “like” results in your lawn or garden. Take extra measures to keep from vegetation.

Obstacles that may ensure less than perfect results?
Us pooper scoopers have a tuff time when challenged by extraneous variables in a yard or property which may or may not result in less than perfect results. It is difficult to guarantee complete removal of dog poop in a yard when a pooper scooper is handicapped by these various obstacles. The most common include but are not limited to: excessive leaves, tall grass & weeds, scattered debris, large puddles of water & muddy areas, as well as loose dog stools. Additionally, please remember that an aggressive, threatening dog is not only a physical hindrance to ensuring excellent service, but is also a psychological concern for pooper scoopers.

What about heavy rain days?
At times this can be an issue. But because we have such a large clientele base that we simply cannot fall behind, it is by choice that we get out and do our duties if the rain is on the light side. However, if the rain turns into bullets, the clouds frown down upon us with darkness, and the showers relentlessly turn us into soggy dogs, we prefer to move your scheduled day to that weeks Saturday. It is near impossible to guarantee any degree of quality poop removal when the skies have painted the lawns in shadows ensuring “canine landmine” targeting and removal less than a perfect science. If for some crazy reason God opens up the skies to bless us for a full week, your next month’s fees may be prorated for the visits you did not receive.

Terms & Conditions
No service contract needed for residential work.
Service contract required for apartments, condos.
We reserve the right to refuse service or adjust pricing based on size and condition of yards.
If you have any stray dogs that regularly use your lawn to drop off their poop, we want to know this as pricing may vary.
Other than dog waste, we do not scoop for any other type of animal feces unless agreed upon.
Above price matrix is for scooping & discarding in a legal and appropriate location.
Satisfaction Guaranteed! We revisit your property within 48 hours & either make it right, or that week’s service fee is free.

Payment & Billing
Check or money order due on 5th for on-going clients.
MC/Visa client payment via Online Paypal from our website soon (NOT YET AVAILABLE)
For initial cleanings and “One Time Only”, all fees are due at the time of cleaning.
On-going service clients are sent an invoice around the 20th for next months service fees.
Service fees are pre-paid by the client and due by the 5th of the service month.
Returned checks will incur a $35 fee to your account. We stop service until payment is current.

How am I billed and where is payment sent?
You prepay for your pet services. We typically send out a billing statement around the third week of the month for dog cleaning services. It represents the fees required to be paid for the upcoming month’s service. This may be sent through Email, the mail or we may choose to drop it in your mail box with your permission. Our pooper scooper fees are always due on the 5th of each month and will be applied towards service visits for that month. You will be prepaying for your service.

You may send check or money order to:

Hastings Pet Services

356 Coleman St, Belleville,

Ontario K8P 4J3

Eventually, we will make available secured credit card payments originating on our website through the use of PayPal as an option. This is an extremely secure, well known company currently handling millions of transactions online. Additionally, although your credit card payment initially originates from our website, we in no way have access to your credit card details. The first time we clean your yard, we require that you leave us that months prepayment as well as any initial cleaning charge if we agreed to one. Note: for cheques that are returned, there will be a $35 fee charged on top of the original amount of the cheque. That amount needs to be remitted to us in the form of a cashiers cheque, money order, or cash in person. We must temporarily suspend service to your property until the aforementioned fees are paid in full.

What if I’m late on my monthly payment? (Critical Info)
We take this very serious. Payment is ALWAYS due on the 5th of the month. Our monthly service fees are always paid in advance for the month we will be scooping your property. To receive a full months worth of service, all clients are required to mail their service fee amount as agreed upon to our office by the 5th of the month. If today is October 5th, we should have already received your payment for the month of October at our office. If we have not received your monthly fees by October 5th , then we may need to take your property off our route service sheet unfortunately. The best way to handle it is that you make arrangements to have your payment available for us to pickup at your property when we go there for your normal service. If you want to start the service back up a few weeks later, we may need to charge a bit more if the dog poop has not been picked up for the weeks we did not visit you. If for any reason you choose to stop your service somewhere in the middle of any given month, we will refund you all necessary fees for service dates within that month ASAP. You will not lose a dime.