FAQs
- What is the Pet Food Waggin’?
- Pails? What if I don’t own a pail for my pet food? We usually just put the bag in the pantry.
- Wait, you mean my pail was in someone else’s house? Is it clean?
- Oh NO! My dog chewed up the pail! Is there a fee for that? How much?
- I am not usually home during the day, can you deliver in the evening?
- Then how do I pay you?
- What if I am the one who forgot to leave my bucket outside? And payment?
- What if I run out early, or have a lot left at the four week mark?
- So what kinds of foods do you carry? Can I get my usual brand delivered?
- This sounds great, but my dog has allergies, and my cat is very fussy. What if they don’t like it?
- Okay, how do I get started?
What is the Pet Food Waggin’?
We are a home delivery service for your pet food (and a few related items, like treats and litter etc). We work along the same lines as the milkman used to, by getting to know our customers, their needs and about how much food they will eat in about 4 weeks. Then, we call their ‘bookkeepers’ (or two-legged servants if you prefer) to remind them which day we will be coming, so they can leave their pail and payment out for us on the appropriate day.
Pails? What if I don’t own a pail for my pet food? We usually just put the bag in the pantry.
That is okay, we provide reusable, food-grade pails for your use. We charge a nominal deposit fee, since they are switched out each month for a clean, full one.
Wait, you mean my pail was in someone else’s house? Is it clean?
Yes! We actually have a special dishwasher for washing buckets! On rare occasions when we have a week with more than a few forgetful folks, we might run short, but in those cases we will always give you back your OWN pail (or use a box), rather than take the chance of giving you someone else’s pail. We have customers with immune issues and many with small children, and we understand the dangers of bringing anything into your home other than pet food.
Oh NO! My dog chewed up the pail! Is there a fee for that? How much?
Our pails are quite expensive, as we buy only food grade pails and bags to ensure the safety of your pets. And while we ask that you try to take some care with them, we also understand that things happen. Dogs chew, squirrels try to steal food, pails live in the kitchen and live the life your family does with all the attendant messes and mishaps etc. If your dog chews, we usually try to give you back your same pail each month to minimize the damage to only the one pail (or just the lid, depending on how bad it is). We will not charge you full price for the bear that stole the pail off your deck before you got home, or for the lid that got run over in the garage. However, we do ask that damaged pails be returned, as we do have a use for them most of the time (the bear pail is now a handy garbage can in our warehouse) and this helps us keep costs down. We also ask that our pails remain as pet food pails only. Bait, tools, garden waste, strong cleaning products and kitchen waste might all fit perfectly in them, but they also leave smells, residue and damage behind that is difficult to deal with so we can re-use the pails for the next customer, or even so that we can reasonably put your food back in them. We know they are handy as step stools, sawhorses, seats, and canoe packs, but they really aren’t meant to stand up to those uses either, and their life span will be considerably shortened if they are used as such.
I am not usually home during the day, can you deliver in the evening?
You don’t have to be home for us at all! Actually, because we work mostly around the kids’ schedules, including appointments, sick days, field trips and more, we rarely know what time we will be there ourselves. And since we never want someone to have to wait around for us, our system is designed to be easy for you. Just put your pail and payment on the front step (or another agreed upon location) and we will switch it out when we get there. That might happen at 8:30 in the morning, or it might be 9 at night. Most often, it will be during the school day, but not always. Also, we have astounding timing. If you decide to wait all day for us, and then pop next door for a cup of sugar, we will almost always show up the minute you are unavailable to answer your door. This has happened more times than we can count, so we usually recommend leaving your pail outside, just in case. (Sometimes we will knock if we think you are home anyways, just for the fuzzy love).
Then how do I pay you?
We accept three forms of payment. Cheques made out to The Pet Food Waggin’, Cash (although we do NOT carry change), and etransfers to info@petfoodwaggin.ca. At this time we do not accept credit cards, as this is quite pricey and we try hard to keep our prices competitive.
What if I am the one who forgot to leave my bucket outside? And payment?
You are not alone! We all lead busy lives, and we know you try your best. All we ask is to try to be sure to leave it out next month, so we aren’t short for too long. As for payment, our mailing address is on our invoices for cheques, as is our email address for etransfer payments.
What if I run out early, or have a lot left at the four week mark?
No problem, we try hard to be in each area once a week (depending on where you live of course), and can often shift you a bit as needed. Our best solution is to adjust the amount of food you are getting, so we can ensure we don’t miss you when we are in the neighbourhood. And if you give us enough notice, we can usually work out something, as we never want our customers to go hungry!
So what kinds of foods do you carry? Can I get my usual brand delivered?
Our food is a private label food, made at a manufacturer in Ohio (called Ohio Pet Foods). We offer 8 varieties of dog food and three kinds of cat food. Because we import our food from the US (we sadly couldn’t find the quality we wanted as a private label in Canada), we have several extra layers of inspection and certification in order to get it across the border. OPF is an approved facility with the CFIA, and are regularly inspected by officials. Our ingredients also must be sourced carefully, and all ingredients except Lamb (which is from New Zealand) are North American sourced. To our knowledge, OPF has never had a recall, but if they did, we have strict protocols in place to deal with it ASAP.
This sounds great, but my dog has allergies, and my cat is very fussy. What if they don’t like it?
We always offer free samples to try and be sure that our food will work with your pets’ needs and tastes. Cats can be worse than small children, and we have met several that refuse to touch our food, and some that refuse anything else afterwards (it is like flipping a coin sometimes!). As for allergies, we want your pets healthy and happy more than we want them to be our customers. We hope that we can work with you to find the right food for your pets’ specific needs, but if we can’t, we try to point you in the right direction at a local pet food store.
Okay, how do I get started?
You can email us at info@petfoodwaggin.ca or phone us at 683-7387 for a free sample. Please be patient, as we always put current customers ahead of new ones when things get busy. When time is short (and with a few volunteer commitments alongside the family and business, it often does), we will ALWAYS call those who are already expecting us before we respond to someone new. Not because we don’t want your business, but because we feel that before we take on new customers, we need to be sure to take care of the ones we already have. (Unlike a few hi-tech companies we know). If for some reason we haven’t gotten back to you in a few days, please feel free to call again.