Walked our (recently deceased) bulldog for 12 years. Excellent, reliable and great with him. We also boarded our dog with the owner several times when going out of town and he was always eager to go and came back happy and relaxed. Highly recommend. read more

I see these guys walking dogs all the time, and maybe they're good at that. But, seriously: worst cat sitter EVER. I hired BPLC to take care of my cat for an entire month. I had previously used them for short trips, and it was fine, but for a long trip, I really wanted to make sure my cat got some playtime and stimulation. I paid $580 for my cat to receive a 30 minute visit every day. I was asked to leave written instructions. I typed them up and left them near the door, and also emailed a copy to Elizabeth, the coordinator. Since I knew my cat was shy and might not come out the first few days, I bought a bunch of big, new toys (collapsible cubes and kitty tunnels) and left them near the instructions. I specifically said "If the cat doesn't want to come out, please put these toys out, and just rearrange them each time you come so she'll have a new landscape to play with when she's alone." I also left a battery powered Bolt laser toy that will run for 15 minutes after its button is pressed, and I suggested, obviously, that the catsitter press the button before leaving. After I'd been gone 5-6 days with no update from the catsitter (I think an email after the first visit is pretty standard, to let the person know the sitter was able to get in, etc.), I emailed and, after waiting nervously for a few days (I was abroad without a phone), I got a reply that didn't actually mention seeing the cat. After a few more emails, Elizabeth said that, no, the sitter had seen no sign of the cat. I suggested sitting on the couch and reading a magazine for 15 minutes -- the cat always comes out once people have been sitting still for awhile. No response. After a few more days, I got a friend from the neighborhood to stop by. She reported that the food bowl was full, but took a cellphone photo of all the unopened cat toys still in their packages, the Bolt untouched, and of the food and water bowls filled up NOT the way I said in the instructions: the guy had left huge amounts of wet food rather than a tiny plop on top of the dry food (that's as much as she'll eat at a time) -- the way he was doing it, the wet food would run out wayyyy before I got back. Not cool. Those cat toys? Would've taken two minutes to put them out, and two *seconds* to push them to a new spot on the floor each visit. Now that I was suspicious, I emailed the building manager. Fortunately, management at my building (20 Exchange - read my review, I am by no means an unpleasable person!) is excellent. Since the catsitter has to check out the keys from the front desk, the manager was able to look in the computer and tell me how long the sitter had stayed each visit -- 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 12 minutes, etc. NEVER all 30, and I NEVER got any confirmation that the sitter played with or petted the cat. Probably because he didn't follow instructions, and ripped me off by not staying the amount of time he was supposed to. As a final insult, one service BPLC says it offers on its website is watering your plants. I asked in the instructions that one tiny bamboo plant get watered. Of course, I came back to a dead bamboo plant. This service will keep your pet alive, but that's about it. Did they send an illiterate person to my house who couldn't read instructions? Maybe someone who doesn't know English? I was afraid my cat would go insane from lack of contact or stimulation, and that made it pretty hard to enjoy my trip. I returned to the country furious. If you're a cat sitter, it's your job to sit on the floor for awhile and try to earn an animal's trust. If you're not willing to do that, don't offer a catsitting service. This guy did about half of what I hired him for. I'll be happy when they refund half my money, and bring me a new plant. Next time, I'll hire someone who actually likes and cares about cats. read more

Big Paws Little Claws - Thanks for not watering my plant for an ENTIRE MONTH, despite that service being included and my writing it in the instructions. - Dog Walkers Near Me

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Comprehensive pet care at it's best! I travel a lot and have been using BPLC for over a year now. The service is top notch and I always feel safe and know that Cassie (my Pug) is in good hands. They are available on short notice and very reasonably priced. Great service, I cannot recommend highly enough. read more

Fantastic Company! I've used BPLC for close to 8 years now. I have a 115 lb German Shepherd that can be difficult to walk in Manhattan. We had tried other dog walkers in the past but no one could handle walking Elvis the way BPLC could. Rodney became a part of Elvis' family and he and his walkers have walked him every single day for 8 years now. They keep him and everyone safe and happy. They leave a daily report card and give Elvis tons of love, petting, belly rubs and one on one attention. They always text me if they feel that Elvis might not be feeling well and give him gifts on his Birthday, etc. In my opinion there is no one better to take care of your pets, they have treated Elvis like their own family and that's how we have come to feel about Rodney and everyone at BPLC. If I could talk him into moving to L.A. and opening a company there to walk Elvis I would! read more

Beware. This dog walker injured our puppy. People in our building told us the walker wasn't paying attention to the dogs, and that he acted apathetic on the walks. A worker in our building's valet thought the guy smelled like weed. We were nervous but had no grounds to fire him until one day we came home and we saw that our puppy had no control over her back legs. Once we took our puppy out of the crate, she collapsed and acted as if she were paralyzed from the waist down. After a very expensive trip to the vet, we found out she had a slipped disc caused by trauma such as being caught in a door, kicked, or falling from a high surface. When we confronted them they denied anything had happened - which was worse than owning up to an accident of some sort. I would never recommend this company. read more

Big Paws little Claws gave me excellent service. They would email me on how Casper was doing which I believe is great!!! . I was able to enjoy Cinco De Mayo with no worries. In addition to walking Casper, and feeding him they also water my plants :). Thank You guys for taking care of Casper. I know he can be quite a handful. read more

I've been using Big Paws Little Claws for years and never had an issue, although I don't think they are as communicative as they could be. This is minor compared to the issue I had after my last trip: they did not show up at all. It was a short trip - we were only supposed to have someone come in three times during our five day vacation (we fed them before we left Day 1 and got home in the afternoon of Day 5). Luckily it wasn't any longer, because the big bowl of water we left them was completely empty and the litterbox was over-flowing. We have a continuous dry feeder so they were able to eat, but if we'd been gone for a day or two longer, the cats could have been seriously sickened or died from thirst. Upon getting home I immediately sent an email to BPLC, and did not receive a response. A pet sitter who doesn't show up is unacceptable. They confirmed two days before our visit, so I don't know how this could have happened. For the safety of your pets, I would highly recommend using a different service. They completely disregarded the safety and well being of my cats, and I will never trust them again. read more

We have been using BPLC for 5.5 years and are very happy with their service. They are reliable, accountable, great with our dog and extremely flexible - our schedule often changes last minute and BPLC is always amenable to our needs. Our number one priority is our Miniature Pinscher, Frankie, and as long as he is happy/ healthy, getting the attention he deserves on his walks (i.e.: exercise, goes #1 and #2), and is in one piece when we come home everyday, we really can't ask for more. My husband and I have both been home on occassion when Frankie's walker has come to get him (some of those times they didn't even know that we were home), and the greeting that Frankie has received from his walker has always been very loving and enthusiastic. I'm really surprised at some of the negative reviews because we've never had an issue. We have never felt that Frankie was not cared for in the way that he should be. No one on the planet will ever care for Frankie the way that we do...we are his "parents"...but BPLC comes pretty darn close. I'd also like to point out that we live in a building where our doormen and neighbors are quite vocal about those coming and going, and they've never said a negative thing about any of the walkers we have had through BPLC. I've also checked in w/ our doormen/ neighbors from time to time (as any dog owner would do) and nothing but positive feedback - "walker is polite, engaged, Frankie looks happy, walks are 30 min. long, etc." To sum it all up, I am totally a "crazy" dog owner who is completely obsessed with my dog and wants nothing more than to provide him with the best life possible. I'm absolutely anal about all things that have to do with Frankie's well being but I also am fair and reasonable. BPLC has provided excellent service over the past 5.5 years and we will continue to be their clients for as long as we can. We feel very lucky to have them and we consider Rodney and BPLC family. I would recommend them to anyone. read more

I've been really pleased with BPLC. I've been using them for the past couple of months and they've been great. I really like the fact that they are punctual and consistent. My dog loves her walker and has a good time with him. I would totally recommend them. Plus, the prices are reasonable. read more

Love BPLC!!!! Started using BPLC 6 months ago for my puppy. It was his first time with a dog walker and I was very nervous on how he would react to someone other than me walking him. But, I am more than pleased with all the walkers that have been taking care of my baby. He loves them and they love him! read more

Big Paws Little Claws has been walking Buster for over 4 years: they are reliable, affordable, and really love dogs (at least I know they love my dog). Sometimes when I need a last minute walk due to being swamped they come through in a pinch. In the last 4 years I have also moved a few times and they have never had an issue with my locations (Fidi/Battery Park to Midtown and back). I recommend them. read more