Michelle took care of my 1 year old rescue Evie and she was amazing. She took Evie out with a group…read moreand they went hiking and exploring for many hours. Evie always came home so happy and exhausted. I recently moved out of Berkeley and was so sad to lose her services, so if you are looking for a dog walker in the Berkeley area Michelle is your best bet!!

I used Animal Karma this summer to board/pet sit my dog. My dog has a lot of fears (bad history…read morebefore I adopted her) and does not like to be separated from me for long periods of time. Usually when I return from a trip my dog frantically paws and claws at me. However, after staying with Michelle, my dog was very happy to see me. She seemed content and not frantic when I returned. Also, Michelle kept me updated on her progress while I was away. I couldn't ask for more!

We wanted Petra's help to introduce our dog to the new furry neighbors. Our dog had shown some fear…read moreand it was really important that she and the new pups next door start off on the right foot since they would be crossing paths often. Molly likes people, but before Petra even got to our door, she was more excited than typical to meet her. I don't know how dogs read your vibes, but Petra has whatever it takes to be that dog whisperer. Molly is smart, but Petra was still able to do so much with her so quickly. It really was about teaching me how to understand Molly and interpret her signals. I have a good relationship with Molly but she could see that Molly needed more confidence and following her advice resolved some of the issues I was seeing at home. Then on another session when we did some introductions with the neighboring dogs. She had a lot of ideas that were very strategic in order for it to be successful. I tried to get wisdom online and set something up earlier, but it did not go well and I was not willing to risk a bad interaction that sent us in the wrong direction. It was well worth calling Petra and having her get the job done well. She had ideas that I had not considered and it was very positive for all the dogs involved. It also showed me some areas that I could work on to help Molly be more confident with other dogs. And the neighbor mentioned he was interested in her help for his pup's separation anxiety.

Petra Reynolds has dog sat and trained our 12 year old chihuahua, Mole' since she was a pup. Over…read morethe years her work has turned our dog from a shy, timid dog into a confident, friendly, responsive dog. When we go on vacation, Petra takes Mole' into her home and treats as if she were her dog. For dog training, dog sitting and dog walking, there is noone better! Helane Zeiger

K9K is not the first trainer we've worked with, but after moving back to Berkeley, this time with a…read morevery dog-reactive dog, we knew we needed to do more work with our dog. Our work with Buster isn't finished, but here's what's made Rachel and the K9Kommitment trainer we're working so fantastic. During the entire process, they've been incredibly positive and encouraging. Really getting us excited about working with our dog. You would think that should be a give, but it's not. A lot of trainers give the impression that their job is to teach you what is wrong with your dog, and how they can fix both dog and owner. It's a subtle distinction, but an important one. The philosophy with K9K is closer encouraging you to WORK better with your dog and establish better communication. Less about fixing, and more about guiding. At least that's my experience. More than that, Rachel offers tons of options for weekly group classes and drop-in events, so Buster gets a ton of experience around other (also reactive!) dogs. Again, Buster isn't there yet, he has a long way to go, but I've learned so much, and he's gotten so much better at managing all the stuff that stresses him out. He's a delight at home, and he's getting there outside the house. Rachel and the trainers that work with her are amazing. Consistently calm and encouraging, knowledgable, and super dog-positive (again, why isn't this a given w/ dog trainers?). I would highly highly recommend.

As a first-time dog owner, I felt overwhelmed when I obtained a rescue dog. I had no idea how to…read moretrain Miso nor deal with her strong reaction to other dogs. Rachel came highly recommended by Miso's foster mom. I immediately hired her and was thankful that I did! Rachel provided me with insight on what was going on and several tips and tricks on how to socialize Miso. Miso is improving every day. She will often use her own dogs to help train Miso and is flexible in schedules and location. She will even provide support for the simplest tasks like dog washing if needed. I highly recommend her!

I had low expectations of success with our 8 year old chihuahua mix, Biscuit, but we were kind of…read moreat our wits end with his barking, guarding, and general reactivity! he had also recently destroyed our blinds and two screen doors... Birgit helped us and Biscuit SO MUCH! I can't believe the improvement in Biscuit's barking and reactivity after a month and a half. we used to feel frustrated with his barking multiple times a week if not daily, that is down to about once a week!! Birgit taught us very realistic methods and practiced with us, at our home and the dog park. she is extremely knowledgeable. she is organized, has great communication, and is very reliable. she followed up our sessions with written materials that really helped me remember the details of what we had worked on. I would recommend her to absolutely anyone. on a personal note, I wish for myself and Biscuit that I had done dog training sooner. I know we are both a lot happier now. it's so worth it!!! the effort and the money!

We highly recommend Birgit Hafermann for any dog-related services. Birgit has supported the care…read moreand training of our three dogs for many years: Callie, Tipper and Georgie. It never fails that our dogs become more responsive and better behaved after her care sessions with them. At the end of two of our dog's lives, she reached out to us in a very touching way that my husband and I appreciated greatly. She is still, of course, part of our Callie's support team.

Laura B. is a wonderful dog walker. I hired Laura when I traveled out of town to walk some of the…read moredogs that Animal Friends takes on recurring pack walks. Laura B. is intelligent, compassionate, and truly in tune with animals' needs. I trust her completely. I would without hesitation recommend her to anyone in need of a dog care expert. She is professional and talented. I think that one of the things that sets Laura apart is that she is a very practical and determined manager. She strives only for excellence every time, and she delivers. Thank you, Laura!

Laura has quickly become one of our dog's favorite people. She takes him on fun and exciting group…read morehikes where he gets to meet up with his other dog friends. Laura has been super reliable and sends updates and pictures of him on his excursions.

This is a long overdue review for Mena - he was INVALUABLE for me and pup, Brooke. Brooke was…read moreintensely fearful when I adopted her and that quickly turned into reactivity. He walked us through positive reinforcement training and helped us SO much in her first couple years. He's also a wonderful dog sitter and Brooke is madly in love with him. We moved away so unfortunately we can't use him anymore but I recommend him to everyone I meet who needs a trainer. He's a wonderful person, super knowledgeable, and was an incredibly effective teacher for me and Brooke. Brooke is now a calm, happy, loving dog and a lot of that can be credited to Mena and what he's taught me.

I was nervous that we would never find a person who would want to walk our dog Remi. She has the…read moreworst social skills, she greets everyone no matter how many times you have met her with really loud barking, a mohawk of raised hair, all while lungeing at your crotch. If you have the courage to break her barrier of being frightened-gaurd dog, she is lots of fun and has a great personality. Somehow Mena has never had an issue with her. I think he has a dog whisperer way about him. For example once I was with Remi at a dog park and typically she stays away from people and plays with her ball or others dogs, anyone who wants to pet her she does her scary routine. This day she ran straight up to a random guy and was super happy to see him, I was thinking who in the world could that be, when I got up closer I realized it was Mena! She LOVES Mena! Also I have seen Mena in action walking a dog, he was training the dog as he was walking and he looks like a pro. I stopped the conversation I was having with my friend as we were driving by to point out Remi's dog walker! I feel like Mena is more then a dog walker he is like a buddy to the dogs. Once Remi needed Mena for an extended period of time and he took her on an adventure, not just a neighborhood walk. He send pictures and messages with updates that will settle any nervous or curious dog parents mind. Plus Mena is just rad, I'm a little jealous that Remi gets to hangout with him all the time. He also has a key to our house, we are perfectly ok with that!

We had the absolute pleasure working with Anna for a few months. Anna is very communicative, has a…read morewealth of knowledge, a calm presence, and a gentle approach in teaching us and our girls how to interact and train our young puppy. We love that each session is tailor to our concerns & puppy stage. Anna gave us the confidence in practicing positive reinforcement is the most valuable in my opinion. Even our young girls are calm and assertive when it comes to training Bailey. As for our puppy, Bailey, she loves Anna on our first meet, and responses really well to her. Booking Anna as our trainer is the best gift we could ever give to Bailey. We hope to continue working with Anna in the future.

We worked with Anna over the course of a few months to help us better work with our high energy…read morecorgi, and we couldn't be happier with the experience. One of the best parts about working with Anna is her unwavering dedication to improve how we communicate with and listen to our pup, Nami. She taught us fun pattern games, shared so many helpful resources, and imparted sage advice to help build our relationship with our dog inside and outside the home. Since working with Anna, we've learned so much about how to better help Nami make good decisions. Whether it's learning to walk on a line or practice good recall, we've seen so much progress. Thank you, Anna, for teaching us how to be better humans for our girl Nami!

Jason has walked my large and spirited dog for almost 5 years now and is incredible all around! He…read moreconsistently arrives with his van of happy panting pups to pick up and drop off my boy. He communicates promptly when I have questions or for the rare schedule changes that come up during the year. I can see my dog's joy when he goes off on his adventure. Long after he gets back, my pup is relaxing and resting from the walk. Jason always has a great attitude - rain or shine - and gives my dog lots of love. We are so lucky and grateful to have him in our pup's life!

We will never forgive Canine Boardwalk for the heartbreaking death of our beloved German Shepherd…read moremix, Sadie. We left Sadie under Jason's care on March 17, 2016. About 24 hours later, she was missing. After 4 days of frantic searching, the mobilization of many friends and family, and multiple pleas for assistance from Jason, our dear dog, Sadie, was found in the middle of I-80 by a stranger who thought her body might match the description on one of our fliers. Her body was flattened and mutilated beyond recognition from being run over by so many cars. Canine Boardwalk let her run collarless, without dog tags, and off-leash at Pt. Isabel. Under no circumstances would we have allowed Sadie to be let off leash at the Pt. Isabel dog park, which is full of foxtails (grass seeds that can be lethal to dogs), unfenced, and located near two major freeways. Only we could confirm Sadie's identity, and the experience of viewing her body will haunt us for the rest of our lives. We were not able to give her a proper burial or even remove her body from the highway. Now, I understand that people make mistakes. Dogs, even ones as docile and loving as Sadie was, are still animals and can be unpredictable around strangers. This is especially true of special-needs dogs like Sadie, who suffered from occasional seizures. Sadie's death, as gut-wrenching as it has been, could have been just a tragic experience. But it was more than tragic; this entire experience has been deeply traumatic because Jason and the staff of Canine Boardwalk handled the situation in the most callous, uncaring ways imaginable. From the moment they misrepresented themselves about who'd be walking Sadie and where they'd take her to their reluctance in helping us search for Sadie to the excruciatingly slow reimbursement process to get our money back for our missing dog expenses (we had to email them repeatedly for this), Canine Boardwalk made a tragic experience a deeply traumatic one. Because Canine Boardwalk avoided taking responsibility for their actions our pain has been magnified to agonizing levels. As you can see from the date of this post, Sadie's death was just a few months ago, and the way we lost her has made the mourning process unspeakably difficult. Without Canine Boardwalk's negligence and Jason's unprofessionalism, Sadie would be alive today. Their business practices are unsafe, and we believe the way they run their business endangers dogs. If Canine Boardwalk wants to stay in business, then they need to develop clear policies and procedures to ensure that tragedies like this do not happen again. We want to make sure that other dog owners do not experience the same kind of heartbreak and trauma that we did. Please think very, very carefully before you give them your business. There are other dog walking businesses run by compassionate, responsible people who would probably appreciate your support just as much as Canine Boardwalk would, and these other businesses would probably provide care with better professionalism and more respect. Please consider supporting them instead. After this experience, I wish I could give Canine Boardwalk a no star rating. Sadie, we love you so much and miss you every day, every hour. May you be romping happily with all the other dogs way out there over the rainbow bridge. RIP.