Emergency Backup Protocol
What happens if your sitter can't make it. Written down, so you don't have to ask.
Most pet-care apps say they'll “help” if a sitter cancels. We'd rather tell you exactly what happens, in order, including the part where we might not be able to fix it.
You are refunded in full, automatically.
If your sitter cancels for any reason, at any time, you receive 100% of what you paid. No form, no request, no waiting on a decision. If we had already charged your card, the refund is issued the moment the cancellation goes through, and your bank may take a few days to show it. If we had only placed a hold, the hold is released and you are never charged. This is the same whether the booking was tomorrow or in an hour.
A real person calls you.
You get an email and a text the moment it happens. Then a member of our Easley team calls or texts you personally — within 2 hours during support hours, Monday through Sunday, 9am–6pm EST. If it happens outside those hours, we reach you first thing the next morning. You can also call us at (864) 607-8798.
We help you find a replacement, and you choose.
We start with the sitters you already know: your Favorites and anyone you've booked before. Then we look at Vetted and ID Verified sitters with availability on your dates and send you their profiles. You pick. We never place your pet with someone you haven't approved yourself. If there's time, you can request a free meet & greet with the new sitter, in person or by video, before you commit.
Your new sitter is briefed before they arrive.
Your pet's Care Guide goes to the replacement sitter through the app the moment you book them, exactly as it went to your first sitter. It covers:
- About & personality
- Compatibility with other pets and people
- Health, medications and doses, allergies
- Feeding amounts, times and restrictions
- Daily routine, potty and crate schedule
- Escape risks and safety notes (digger, jumper, door-dasher, leash behaviour)
- Your vet and your emergency contact
Keep it current and the briefing is automatic. There is nothing to re-type at the worst possible moment.
The Community Care Fund still applies.
Any booking made and paid through WinniePaws, including the replacement, is covered for up to $250 in unexpected vet costs, no negligence to prove, paid within 3 business days of a receipt.
What we can't promise.
We are a local network in Easley and Greenville, not a national pool of thousands. On a holiday weekend, or with a few hours' notice, we may not find you a replacement. If that happens you will know quickly, you will already have your full refund, and we will tell you exactly who we tried. We would rather say that here than let you find out the hard way.
What we ask of you.
Keep your pet's Care Guide, your vet, and your emergency contact up to date in your profile. It is the single thing that makes a last-minute handover safe.
Reach us.
(864) 607-8798, Monday–Sunday 9am–6pm EST · support@winniepaws.com
Last updated: September 22, 2026. If we change this protocol, the change and its date will be shown here.