Familiar Tails is personally operated by one consistent caregiver, so your pets aren’t passed between a rotating team of unfamiliar faces. That gives them the opportunity to build familiarity and trust with someone who learns their routines, personalities, preferences, and the little details that make them feel secure.

Care is personalized around your pets’ normal routines and provided in the comfort of their own home. Meals happen where they always happen. Walks follow familiar routes. Favorite hiding spots, nap spots, toys, and daily rituals stay part of their day.

Every visit also includes a thoughtful update and photos, so you can stay connected and know how your pets are doing while you’re away.

One Consistent Caregiver • Personalized In-Home Care • Photo Updates Every Visit

Familiar Tails offers personalized in-home pet care in New Braunfels, TX and surrounding service areas. Services may include cat sitting, dog sitting, drop-in visits, dog walking, feeding, fresh water, litter box or potty care, playtime, companionship, and visit updates. Care is tailored to each pet’s routine and comfort level, and all new clients begin with a complimentary Home & Pet Consultation before the first booking.

New clients begin by creating a client profile and scheduling a complimentary Home & Pet Consultation. During the consultation, we’ll meet your pets, review their normal routines and care needs, discuss home access, and make sure Familiar Tails is a good fit for your household. Once onboarding is complete, visits can be requested through the client portal. After each completed visit, you’ll receive an update and photos so you can stay connected while you’re away.

Familiar Tails primarily serves New Braunfels, TX, along with select nearby areas including McQueeney, Marion, Cibolo, Schertz, and Garden Ridge. Extended travel may be available by request depending on location, scheduling, and route availability.

Yes. All new clients receive a complimentary Home & Pet Consultation before their first pet-care service. The consultation lasts up to 30 minutes and gives us time to meet your pets, review routines and care instructions, discuss home access and security, and confirm that the care arrangement is safe and appropriate for everyone involved.

Once your client account and consultation are complete, you can request visits through the Familiar Tails client portal. Requests are subject to availability and are not confirmed until accepted. Please keep your pet, household, access, feeding, medication, and care information current so I always have the most accurate instructions available.

ItemDepending on your pet’s needs, a visit may include meals, fresh water, potty breaks or walks, litter or habitat care, medication, playtime, affection, enrichment, and basic home checks. Before leaving, the home is secured and you’ll receive a visit update with photos.

Familiar Tails offers two standard visit lengths: a 30-minute Familiar Visit and a 60-minute Extended Familiar Visit. The 60-minute option is especially helpful for longer walks, multi-pet households, involved routines, extra companionship, or more complex care needs.

Visit frequency is based on each pet’s normal routine and individual care needs and will be discussed during the Home & Pet Consultation. Vacation-care dogs generally require at least two visits per full day unless another responsible caregiver is providing documented care. Cats and some other pets may be comfortable with one visit per day when appropriate. Familiar Tails will not accept a schedule that does not provide adequate care for the pet.

Yes. Familiar Tails is open to caring for many types of household pets when their needs can be safely handled during an in-home visit and the owner provides clear care instructions. Unusual, specialized, or more complex care needs should be discussed during the consultation before services are accepted.

Standard visit pricing includes care for up to two pets. Each additional pet is $5 per visit. The number of pets alone does not automatically require a 60-minute visit; visit length is based on the actual time and complexity of the household’s care routine.

Basic routine oral and topical medications can usually be given during a standard visit when instructions are clear and the pet can be handled safely. Injections or other advanced or invasive medication needs require prior approval and a 60-minute Extended Familiar Visit at minimum. All medication needs should be discussed during the Home & Pet Consultation so we can confirm the safest care plan.

Yes. You’ll receive a photo and written update after every completed visit so you can see how your pets are doing and stay connected while you’re away.

Visits are scheduled within two-hour service windows to allow for safe and efficient routing between households. You are welcome to request a preferred specific time in your visit notes, and reasonable efforts will be made to accommodate it, but an exact arrival time is not guaranteed unless specifically agreed in advance. Time-sensitive medication or care needs will be arranged separately when appropriate.

Standard visit windows are 7–9 AM, 9–11 AM, 11 AM–1 PM, 1–3 PM, 3–5 PM, 5–7 PM, and 7–9 PM. These windows help Familiar Tails maintain reliable care while allowing for traffic, routing, and the needs of pets at earlier visits.

That’s okay. One benefit of in-home care is that pets can remain in the environment where they already feel most secure. During the consultation, we’ll discuss your pet’s personality, triggers, preferences, and the best way to approach them. Care is never about forcing interaction; the goal is to build familiarity while respecting the pet’s comfort level and boundaries.

No. Familiar Tails is currently a drop-in, in-home pet-care service and does not offer boarding or overnight house sitting. Your pets remain in their own home while Familiar Tails comes to them for scheduled visits.

Home access is discussed during the consultation and should be arranged before services begin. Clients may use their own approved lockbox at no charge, or Familiar Tails can provide a lockbox for a one-time fee when needed. Keys are not labeled with identifying address information, and a backup access plan is encouraged whenever practical.

Clients provide veterinary and emergency-contact information as part of onboarding. If a pet appears to need urgent care, Familiar Tails will make reasonable efforts to contact you and follow the emergency authorization and veterinary instructions on file. The pet’s safety and well-being will guide any immediate decisions that need to be made.

Pet and caregiver safety come first. Severe weather, unsafe road conditions, flooding, or other emergencies may require visit times or routines to be adjusted. Familiar Tails will communicate with you as soon as practical and make reasonable efforts to continue care safely whenever conditions allow.

Please notify Familiar Tails as soon as possible. If you return early, each remaining scheduled visit is evaluated individually based on when cancellation notice is received. Requests to add, remove, shorten, or extend visits are subject to availability.

Cancellations are applied to each scheduled visit individually based on the amount of notice provided. Cancellations made 48 hours or more before the visit receive a full refund or no charge. Cancellations made 24–48 hours before the visit are charged 50%. Cancellations made less than 24 hours before the visit are charged in full.

Short-notice requests are welcome when scheduling permits, but availability is not guaranteed. New clients must still complete the Home & Pet Consultation and required onboarding before their first service, even when care is needed quickly.

Payment is due in full before services begin. Once your booking has been accepted and finalized, payment can be completed securely through the Familiar Tails client portal.

Yes. A $10 holiday surcharge per visit applies on New Year’s Day, Easter Sunday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve.

Clients are responsible for keeping pet profiles, feeding instructions, medication details, behavior information, home-access information, and other care instructions current in the client portal. Important changes should be documented in the applicable profile rather than communicated only verbally.

And if your pet’s routine or needs change after the consultation, that is totally fine. Please update the appropriate profile information and notify Familiar Tails before the next service so the most current instructions are available during the visit.

Yes. Familiar Tails welcomes multi-pet households. Visit length will be based on the actual care routine rather than simply the number of animals. Households with longer feeding routines, multiple walks, medication needs, or more involved care may benefit from a 60-minute Extended Familiar Visit.

Light household tasks related to keeping your home settled while you’re away may be available when requested and agreed in advance. Depending on the visit and available time, this may include bringing in packages, taking out pet-related trash, adjusting bins, or watering indoor plants. Pet care always remains the priority.

Yes. Certain hands-on or specialized care activities may be available only by special request and must be discussed in advance. When a service requires close handling, Familiar Tails may require the pet to demonstrate safe tolerance during the Home & Pet Consultation before agreeing to perform it. Familiar Tails may stop or decline any activity if the pet shows significant stress, fear, resistance, or aggression.

Yes. Client animals remain leashed whenever outside the client’s securely enclosed property unless a different arrangement has been specifically agreed to in advance and can be carried out safely.

Yes. Familiar Tails carries professional pet-sitter liability insurance for its in-home pet-care services. That coverage is one part of the broader safety and trust practices used when caring for your pets and entering your home.

Click Request Care and complete the short inquiry form with your basic contact information, service interest, and a little about your pets and care needs.

Once your request is reviewed, you will receive follow up via email. If Familiar Tails looks like a good fit, you’ll receive an invitation to the Familiar Tails client portal, where you can complete your household and pet profiles and request your complimentary Home & Pet Consultation.

After the consultation and approval of the care arrangement, you’ll be able to request future visits directly through the client portal.