In this section you will notice that we have grouped our policies, requirements and general information into individual sections to make it easier to find what you are looking for. If you have questions relating to your pet(s) that you do not see here, please feel free to contact us.
Monday to Friday: 6:30am to 6:00pm
Saturday: 10am by appointment
Sunday: closed
1.1 Early drop off’s or late pick-up’s may be arranged in special circumstances.
1.2 We do need to know the exact time that you are coming so that arrangements can be made to minimize the disruption for the animals.
Before we book any services, we like to get to know you (and your pets) and let you get to know us. For cats we can do this over the phone (unless you want to come out), for daycare and grooming we can give them a trial day/appointment, but it is mandatory that we meet all dogs over 6 months before they are booked in for boarding.
2.1 Our Meet & Greet times are strictly BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. People coming and going causes disruption, and disruption causes stress. Imagine how excited your dog is when you come home from work. Now imagine you have 15 dogs at home, and you come home every hour all day. That’s a lot of excited dogs. We want dogs to relax while staying with us and not be distracted by people coming and going when not expected.
2.2 You do not need to bring your cat to a Meet & Greet.
2.3 We usually organize Meet & Greets on week days at 5:45pm when most daycare dogs have gone home. We prefer this to not be during school holidays when we are fully booked.
2.4 Please bring your dog with you for Meet & Greets so that we can assess their suitability and temperament. During this period, we will first make sure that they are good with us, good with the other dogs and do not stress to the point that we would be concerned about their health and safety. If we find that they stress excessively or are overly nervous, we may ask that they come for a trial day of day care before boarding. If we find that they stress to the point that they are not happy and could pose a risk to their own health or safety, we will contact you and ask you to come pick them up.
If your dog(s) is in any way nervous and not well socialized on coming for their first day, we will start your dog(s) off slowly. We will introduce your dog(s) to one of our own first who is very well socialized and gets along with all dogs. If your dog(s) shows signs of being very nervous, we will keep him/her with a smaller group until we feel they are ready to be integrated into a larger group of dogs. We will never just take your dog(s) and just let them in with 10 dogs and hope they do well.
2.5 Trial Daycare is charged at the normal daycare rate (see Prices).
2.6 We remove collars for play time. We have a place you can keep your dogs collar, or you can take it with you.
2.7 If your dog(s) show any signs of aggression towards any member of staff or any other dog, we will ask you to come and pick your dog up and they will be dismissed until proper training has been given and proof that the issue has been resolved. This will be in the form of a certificate or letter from a professional trainer.
2.8 It will be at the discretion of Fur-Mum Pet Care whether any dog that has been previously dismissed will be allowed back.
2.9 All dog(s) coming for their initial Meet & Greet must have provided proof of up-to-date vaccination records (see Vaccinations for a list of what is required).
We offer full-service (including transport) Daycare Monday to Friday. It is a great way for you to socialize your dog(s) and burn off that energy. During Daycare, dogs learn social skills and dog language. At Fur Mum Pet Care we specialize in smaller dogs, nervous dogs and low energy dogs. There are many different dog play styles, and large boisterous dogs are best left to play with other large boisterous dogs. Luckily for them, every other day care in Townsville takes those dogs. We provide a safe place for the rest of the dogs to find their groove.
3.1 All dogs must come for a Meet & Greet or have a Trial Daycare Day before they are granted an ongoing position in the pack.
3.2 We may provide your dog with treats. Please advise us if you do not want this, or any known allergies.
3.3 Pet Taxi Dogs will be collected in the morning between 7-9am and returned in the afternoon between 4-6pm.
3.4 Morning Drop-off time is betwen 6:30-9:30am, and Afternoon Pick-up time is from 3:30-6pm. Please let us know what time to expect you.
3.5 Dogs have access to water 24hrs a day. Your dog may drink a lot when they get home from day care. This is not because we didn’t give them water, but because the excitement has passed and they are finally paying attention to their body’s needs.
3.6 We are strongly against over booking and have a set limit that we will accept. Reservations are on a first come first serve basis.
3.7 We do not supply food for daycare. If your dog needs a snack during the day, please send it along and we will feed them.
3.8 Your dog may be exhausted upon returning home from daycare, especially the first few times as there is a lot of stimulation. As they become more relaxed in the atmosphere this should ease a bit. We do our best to make sure they get both exercise and rest everyday. Some dogs will come home a bit wired from daycare due to the stimulation. These dogs will usually crash the next day.
3.9 We have indoor, air-conditioned play areas, as well as outdoor space, and will play in the appropriate space for the weather.
All dogs at Fur Mum Pet Care are boarded in our home, which has been optimized to handle up to 15 canine guests. Dogs spend the day outside in the large, fenced yard, and nights in the bedroom with Fur Mum. They can sleep in the bed or in the many dog beds available.
4.1 It is mandatory that all dogs over the age of 6 months must complete one initial Meet & Greet/Daycare day before we will board them overnight. This is for the temperament assessment of your dog and to be sure that they will be good with us, and the other dogs and so we can see that they will not stress while they are here.
4.2 When dropping your dog off to board, please make sure your dog(s) are at Mather Street before 10am. They will be transported to Bluewater at 10am. This way we can make sure they get enough time to settle, exercise and eat before bedtime. For their first night boarding we recommend they come as early as possible.
4.3 At Fur Mum Bluewater, we have both indoor and outdoor play areas and dogs will enjoy each according to the weather.
4.4 Dogs have access to water 24hrs a day.
4.5 We do provide food. However, if you are providing your own pets food please always bring extra, because if your dog(s) are staying for any period of time we generally feed them a little more than normal as they burn more calories during their days of play. Also there may be times that you get delayed for whatever reason and switching your dog(s) to a food that they are not used to may upset their tummies.
4.6 Please do not bring bowls as we have lots of bowls and they may get mixed up with ours.
4.7 We do supply blankets and bedding to keep your dog(s) warm and cosy at night. Everything here smells the same so dogs do not feel the need to mark it. When there is a new smell in the room, they tend to feel the need to mark it, which means extra cleaning and laundry for us. If you are worried your dog may fret, you can provide a t-shirt or towel that smells like you in a plastic bag that we will offer them as needed to settle.
4.8 We may need to leave the dogs without in-person supervision from time to time. During this period, dogs will be kept in comfortable human rooms in family groups or in small (2-3) groups of trusted dogs and monitored with cameras. This period will never be more than 4 hours total per day, or 2 hours for dogs under 6 months.
4.9 During days of thunder, we play music and keep dogs indoors to minimize stress.
4.10 We are strongly against over booking and have a set limit that we will accept. Reservations are on a first come first serve basis.
All cats at Fur Mum Pet Care are boarded in our home, which has three available Cat Rooms. Cats get a bedroom which has been catified with plenty of towers and hidey holes.
5.1 Cats may share a room with family members only.
5.2 Cats are provided with litter that is scooped at least once per day and fully cleaned and disinfected every 3 days.
5.3 Cats are provided with bowls of still water and fountain options.
5.4 Cats do not have full-time companionship, but are checked on several times a day and get plenty of one-on-one dedicated play and cuddle time.
5.5 Cats are often especially picky eaters, so we recommend that you supply their preferred food.
We can provide food, however, pets switching to a food that they may not be used to may give them an upset stomach. If your pet has a sensitive tummy or any food sensitivity issues please supply your own food. Likewise if your pet is especially picky, please supply their favourites.
6.1 Please do not bring food in plastic grocery bags. Sealed Ziploc bags, plastic containers or anything that is sealed is fine.
6.2 All food must come with feeding instructions either in or on the container.
6.3 It is easy to think that because your dog(s) is away from you for a period of time that you should buy lots of different treats. This is fine, however if your dog(s) is not used to regularly eating this type of treat, it may cause an upset stomach.
6.4 We feed dogs Premium kibble with a spoonful of wet food to make it extra yummy.
6.5 We feed cats premium kibble with an additional option of wet food. Please consider that cats are often picky eaters and may prefer their own food.
6.6 If your pet is not eating appropriately, we will be in touch to work on a solution. If we need to make a trip to purchase your pet’s brand of food because you did not supply it, there will be a fee. If we can’t get a hold of you, we will try all our best tricks to get your pet eating well before alternative arrangements or a vet visit is required.
6.7 Our approximate feeding times are as follows:
Breakfast: 6:30am – 7:00am
Lunch: 12:00 – 1:00pm
Supper: 5:30pm – 6:30pm
6.8 We do not feed any time after 7:00pm as tummies are full and the dogs are settled and relaxed after a good play day.
If your pet(s) are coming in, whether it is for Daycare or Boarding and they have any medical issues that must be discussed or shown, please give us adequate notice so that we can dedicate our time to you. If your pet has an issue that you must show us how to treat, please make sure that you allow extra time at drop off or make sure we know ahead of time exactly what is involved.
8.1 At Fur Mum Pet Care we are used to giving all types of medications to dogs and cats. We have a fridge for medications that may need to be refrigerated.
8.2 All medication needs to be in the original container, clearly marked, and accompanied by the following information:
Pets first and last name
Name of medication and strength
Dosage per day and whether it has been administered the morning of drop off.
At Fur Mum Pet Care we like to make life easy for you, so we offer a pet collection service.
We do a fair bit of driving and if we are already going out, we are happy to help you out by swinging by and saving you a trip for a very reasonable rate (see prices).
7.1 Transport is safely managed in our van that has been fitted with crates.
7.2 If we need to make a special trip, or rearrange our day to provide transport at a specific time we may charge a convenience fee, listed on the prices page as ‘weekend’ rates.
All visitors must have current vaccination records on file with us and must show proof of vaccinations before coming to Fur Mum Pet Care Property for the first time.
9.1 Requirements for Dogs:
A C5 vaccination protects against parvovirus, distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza and Bordetella and is the minimum requirement for admission.
A vaccination certificate signed by a veterinary practitioner must be sighted, copied and maintained for each animal admitted.
The date of admission must be more than 14 calendar days after completion, and less than 12 months after an initial course of vaccinations.
The date of admission must be more than 7 days and less than 12 months after completion of a booster vaccination against the diseases above, provided that booster was given before the expiration of the previous vaccination.
9.2 Requirements for Cats:
An F3 vaccination protects against feline Panleukopenia, feline herpesvirus, feline calicivirus and is the minimum requirement for admission.
A vaccination certificate signed by a veterinary practitioner must be sighted, copied and maintained for each animal admitted.
The date of admission must be more than 14 calendar days after completion of an initial course of vaccinations.
The date of admission must be more than 7 days and less than 12 months after completion of a booster vaccination against the diseases above, provided that booster was given before the expiration of the previous vaccination.
9.3 Titre testing will be accepted within a reasonable time frame, and pending a discussion with your vet.
9.4 Animals must adhere to the recommended vaccination requirements. Holistic, naturopathic or homeopathic vaccinations do NOT fulfill these vaccination requirements.
Please note that a vaccination does not ensure that your pet will not get sick. Just like children in a day care, animals occasionally share minor illnesses.
10.1 If you have a female dog and she goes into season, we will temporally dismiss her until her heat has passed. This is for the safety and comfort of yours and other dogs. If you have an entire female and require boarding, we will need to know the dates of her last season, and have an emergency contact where she can be boarded if she goes into season while you are away.
10.2 If your male dog is over the age of 9 months he must be neutered. We respect that some dogs should not be neutered until they have finished growing completely at up to 2 years. However, due to our cage-free policy we cannot accommodate those animals.
10.3 All cats over 6 months must be desexed.
At Fur Mum Pet Care we do our best to make sure our home is free from parasites. However, flea and worm eggs can live for months to years and fences don’t stop ticks. Therefore we ask for your help to prevent bringing any pests on to the property and to ensure that your pet is not a viable host should they come into contact with one of those long dormant eggs.
11.1 All animals must be treated for internal and external parasites before admittance.
11.2 Worming is recommended at least every 3 months for dogs over 6 months of age, and more frequently before that. Most intestinal worms can be treated by the over-the-counter pet store varieties of allwormer (Drontal, milbemax etc), however, if your pet chases/bites/eats local lizards they could be exposed to a parasite that is immune to the common wormers. Zipperworm, or Spirometra sp. needs to be treated with a specific wormer that you can only get from your vet.
11.3 All animals admitted must have up-to-date preventative flea and tick treatment.
11.4 If we find fleas or ticks on your pet, we will provide a treatment bath at your cost.
11.5 For Dog Boarding at Bluewater, there is an increased risk of ticks as the property is surrounded by woodlands. Considering the risk of Paralysis ticks and the disease Erlichiosis carried by Brown Dog Ticks, we recommend Seresto collars are worn by all boarding dogs.
12.1 Overnight rates are based on a check-out time of 12pm. If your pet stays past the check-out time, they will be charged for daycare.
12.2 All Boarding and Daycare is by reservation only. Please make bookings as far in advance as possible. Holidays can book up months in advance. Please call early for available dates.
12.3 We require 48 hour notice for boarding cancellations. School holiday boarding requires 7 days notice for cancellation. Daycare cancellations must be notified by 6pm the night before or they will be charged a cancellation fee.
13.1 All payments are due by the day you pick your dog up unless it falls under these special circumstances:
Your Dog(s) is here for daycare regularly in which case you can pay at the end of the month.
Your pet(s) is boarding for a few weeks/months in which case you can pay when you pick your pet(s) up, or you can pay weekly so you don’t have a huge bill on pick-up.
13.2 We accept Cash, Bank Transfer or Credit Card Payments via Stripe. We are happy to provide you with a tax invoice on request, or you may be able to access one from the Customer Portal.
We are no longer offering mobile pet sitting.
We take every care to make sure your pet has a safe and healthy stay, but occasionally your pet may need veterinary care during their stay with us. We will do our best to contact you first, but in the case of an emergency, we will act first and contact you later.
16.1 In the event of an emergency we will take your pet to the nearest available veterinarian and contact you as soon as possible.
16.2 We are trained in pet First Aid/CPR and the treatment of many common ailments and will do our best not to make an unnecessary vet visit, however, if we feel a vet visit is warranted we ask that you respect our judgement.
16.3 In the event of non-emergent care, we will contact you first before arranging an appointment with your preferred veterinarian.
16.4 The bill for vet care will be passed along to you and may be accompanied by a fee for the time and transport required by us.
Your privacy is very important to us at Fur Mum Pet Care. Accordingly, we have developed this Policy in order for you to understand how we collect, use, communicate, disclose and make use of personal information. The following outlines our privacy policy.
Before or at the time of collecting personal information, we will identify the purposes for which information is being collected.
We will collect and use your personal information solely with the objective of fulfilling those purposes specified by us and for other compatible purposes, unless we obtain the consent of the individual concerned or as required by law.
We will only retain personal information as long as necessary for the fulfillment of those purposes.
We will collect personal information by lawful and fair means and, where appropriate, with the knowledge or consent of the individual concerned.
Personal data should be relevant to the purposes for which it is to be used, and, to the extent necessary for those purposes, should be accurate, complete, and up-to-date.
We will protect personal information by reasonable security safeguards against loss or theft, as well as unauthorised access, disclosure, copying, use or modification.
We will make readily available to customers information about our policies and practices relating to the management of personal information.
We are committed to conducting our business in accordance with these principles in order to ensure that the confidentiality of personal information is protected and maintained.
15. UPDATES, PHOTOS AND SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY
We take a ton of photos everyday and love sharing them with you and our social media friends. We are also happy to talk to you any time while you are away to let you know how your Fur-baby is doing.
15.1 We will automatically send you any adorable moments we capture, and we will definitely contact you if something isn’t right. Otherwise we will touch base with you every once in a while with an update on how your fur-baby is enjoying their stay. If you are curious at any time please feel free to contact us.
15.2 We ask for your permission to display these pictures and/or video on our website and social media sites. These sites could include, but are not limited to, Facebook, Instagram, You Tube, Twitter, Pinterest, TikTok and Google. We may include your pets first name, but will not include any information to identify you.