---
title: For pet parents: using your portal
slug: for-pet-parents-using-your-portal
category: Customer Portal
url: https://alaga.io/help/article/for-pet-parents-using-your-portal
audiences: pet_parent
updated: 2026-08-18
source: Alaga Help Center
---

# For pet parents: using your portal
This article is for **pet owners**, not for the business. If you look after pets professionally, you want the rest of this Help Center.

Your portal is where you book, check what you owe, and talk to the business looking after your pet.

## Getting in

Your groomer, kennel or daycare sends you an **invitation** by email. Open it, choose a password, and you are set up.

A few things worth knowing:

- **The invitation lasts 30 days.** If yours has expired, ask them to send another — they can do it in seconds.
- **Use the address the invitation was sent to.** Signing in with a different email will not find your account.
- **Each business has its own portal address.** If you use two businesses that both use Alaga, they are separate accounts.
- **Forgotten your password?** Reset it from the sign-in page. Nobody at the business can see your password, so they cannot tell you what it was.

## Booking

Choose the pet, the service and a time that suits. What you can book depends on what the business offers — some do grooming only, others also take boarding or daycare.

If booking will not let you continue, the usual reason is **your pet's vaccinations** need updating. The page will say so. Send the business the up-to-date paperwork and they will sort it out.

Some businesses ask for a **deposit** when you book. It comes off the final bill.

## Your appointments

See what is coming up and what has already happened. If you need to change or cancel something, **contact the business** — cancellation policies vary, and late cancellations may be chargeable.

Expect **reminders** before an appointment, by email and sometimes by text if you have agreed to those.

## Your pets

Keep your pets' details current: weight, vet, feeding, medication, anything about how they behave. The people handling your dog read this before they start, so it is genuinely worth keeping accurate — especially anything about anxiety, past bad experiences or medical needs.

Vaccination dates matter most. Out-of-date records can stop you booking.

## Invoices

See what you owe and what you have paid, and pay online where the business has that switched on. You may be asked to enter your card the first time even if you have paid them before — card details cannot be moved between systems.

## Messages

Message the business directly. Replies come back to the same conversation, so everything stays in one place instead of scattered across texts and voicemails.

## Agreements and forms

You may be asked to sign an **agreement** — a waiver or terms — or fill in a **questionnaire** about your pet. Some businesses require an agreement before you can book. Both are done in the portal, and signed copies are kept.

## Text messages

If you agreed to texts and want them stopped, reply **STOP** to any message. To start again, reply **START**. That is the only way to change it — the business cannot re-subscribe you.

## Something not working?

Contact the business directly. They can see your account, resend your invitation, correct your details and answer anything about their own policies, prices and availability. Alaga makes the software; your groomer or kennel runs the service.