Run your pet sitting business
from one place
Pet sitting is a business of small details: the key under the second flowerpot, the cat that only eats from the blue bowl, the dog that needs his pill wrapped in cheese at 6 pm. Most sitters start with a notebook, a shared calendar and a stack of text messages. That works until the third client goes on holiday the same week as the first two.
Doxford is pet sitting software that keeps those details in one place and turns them into a schedule you can follow from your phone. Clients book visits on your own booking page, every visit lands in your calendar, you check in and out from the staff app, and the client gets a note and photos when you leave.
Client and pet records you can open at the door
Each client has their address, contacts and pets. Each pet has its feeding routine, medication, vaccines, temperament notes and uploaded documents. You and your sitters see the same record, so nobody has to scroll back through a month of messages to find the alarm code.
Online booking that respects your diary
You get a booking page with your services and prices, and a widget you can put on your own website. Clients request visits or overnight stays; dates you have blocked out and times you are already booked can't be requested. You approve the request and it appears in the calendar by day, week or month, for you or for each sitter.
Check-ins with GPS, notes and photos
The Doxford staff app for iPhone and Android shows the day's visits and the pet's notes. GPS tracking starts when the visit starts. At check-out you tick what you did, leave a note and add photos, and the pet parent is notified. That visit report is what turns a one-off booking into a regular client.Invoices, online payments and recurring visits
Invoice a visit or a whole holiday in one click, take card payments through Stripe or PayPal, or record a bank transfer. Regular clients can be set up as recurring orders, so the weekly cat visit schedules and bills itself. Overdue invoices get automatic reminders, and the financial report shows what each service earns.Contracts, vaccines and reminders
Send your service agreement for the client to sign online, keep vaccination records with their due dates, and let Doxford send appointment reminders by email (or by text, paid per message).Free pet sitting software, and where the free part ends
Yes, up to a point, and here is exactly where that point is. Doxford is free while you have up to 5 clients. There is no time limit on that and no credit card at sign-up. You get the same app as paying customers: the client and pet records, the calendar, your online booking page, invoices and online payments, check-ins and the staff app.
When your client list grows past 5, Doxford asks you to subscribe before you create anything new. The plan is $39.90 a month, or $24.90 a month billed yearly, plus $10.00 a month for each extra active staff member. Your existing clients, pets and history stay where they are either way.
Two honest footnotes: text message reminders are paid per message on every plan, and booking pages on the free plan show a small "Powered by Doxford" link.
Who it fits
Doxford suits a solo pet sitter who wants to look professional from the first client, and a small pet sitting company with a few sitters who need to see their own visits and nobody else's. It runs in the browser on a Mac or a PC (more on Mac), and sitters use the phone app on the road. If you also walk dogs, the same account handles walks: see dog walking software. If you look after cats in your own premises rather than in clients' homes, cattery software describes that setup.
Common questions
Do I need to install anything?
No. You sign up and work in the browser. Sitters install the free staff app from the App Store or Google Play.
Can my clients book and pay online?
Yes. They request visits on your booking page and pay invoices online by card through Stripe or PayPal, if you connect them.
Can you move my client list from another app or a spreadsheet?
Yes, data import is free. Contact us with your file.
Doxford for other pet businesses
Coty Cortez K9Elite Dog Training
This is easily the most quickly developing software I have seen for the pet profession industry. It literally gets updated daily with new features. I personally have worked with the developer and he takes every idea I have into consideration when it comes to implementation. He cares about his clients and their needs which is my favorite thing about Doxford. I can't tell you how many thousands of dollars I have spent on companies with difficult software that was to lazy to make it better. This is a must for new and experienced pet professionals alike.