We had never used an "official" house or pet sitter before and when some pretty last minute…read moreThanksgiving week plans started to come to fruition, my first instinct was to call our vet where we typically board our dogs but of course they were booked up (months in advance). I frantically started looking into some other options but as luck would have it, I remembered that my favorite masseuse, Wendy Goldstein, also did house and animal care. I called Wendy immediately and told her the dates we needed, what we needed and serendipitously, she was available for the entire time frame. Wendy made arrangements to come to the house a week before our departure with a contract that laid out everything needed to make our time away as stress free and helpful. We showed her around the house/how things worked (her contract even asked for info on where the water/gas shut off is located, etc.) and introduced her to the dogs. As many of you who have read my reviews in the past know, we have 2 dogs(both rescues) and one of which who has been a tri-pawed for almost 2 years now. Beckett who just turned 9 and who Kevin has had for the past 8 years has always had back and neck issues, but with the running around with only 1 back leg he has started to develop some sciatica issues and had been on an anti-inflammatory and a pain medicine. When we told Wendy about Beckett's back, she felt his spine and said, "she would work on him while we were gone as a spine is a spine". I know Wendy has been instrumental when I have had sciatic flare ups, so I told her to work her magic. We were gone for almost an entire week. I spoke to Wendy only twice during our time away. She let us know Beckett was again jumping on the couch on his own, that she hadn't had to give him any pain medicine and that all in all he seemed to be walking and doing better (I had a feeling she would be magical for him). Holly our 4 1/2 year old(we have had her for 2 1/2 years now) is a little more difficult with new people and Wendy did report it took her a couple of days of us being gone until she was willing to sleep in the bed (she chose to sleep in a dog bed in Kevin's office) instead until she was comfortable. Our mail was taken in, the plants were watered, the sheets and towels were laundered and the bed was remade with the fresh sheets upon our return. The house was as clean as we left it-the dogs were not traumatized like they often are after boarding and neither picked up any new bad habits (like a deeper bark or barking incessantly which happened during their last time boarding the beginning of November). Let me just say that aside from the cost savings of having a dog/house sitter vs. boarding 2 dogs is enormous. To add to this our vet charges an extra $4-5 per day if a medication needs to be administered to a pet while boarding (even if they prescribed it), AND the vet charges a "premium" during peek holiday times. On top of all of this, having what is now considered a Senior Dog who has some physical limitations and a house that needs more tending to than our last house, having someone like Wendy in our lives makes it virtually a no-brainer if/when we have more trips when we can't take the dogs with us. Her prices are more than reasonable, her care of our home and animals was(is) immeasurable. She is also the best masseuse I have ever been to if you are not in the market for a house/animal sitter. Here is the link to Wendy's massage: http://www.yelp.com/biz/wendy-goldstein-cmt-ccht-danville

I've known Wendy for years and have used her pet sitting services several times. She is very…read moreprofessional, trustworthy, and leaves everything exactly as she finds it. She is diligent about walking the dog every day, and is worth every penny. I recommend her services.

We have been using Keelie's Pet Sitting for a few years now. Our cats are always well taken care of…read moreand Keelie is alway quick to respond and very accommodating! If you are looking for someone to look after your pets while you are away, definitely book Keelie. She is fantastic!

We are very happy w/the great service that our kitties received. Keelie was very reassuring when…read moreshe made her first visit to talk to us about kitty care. Each day we were given a summary of the visit and photos of our happy kitties, provided by the sitters. They even visited our outside turtle just to keep him company and they fed our outside stray at no extra cost. There is an app that keeps you fully informed about what your pet is up to in your absence. Great service. Great caretakers and we will use them next time we need loving sitters for our cats.

Thank you Margaret for the recent dog-sitting and walking!…read more Margaret did a great job stopping by our house twice per day to visit our dog Tinky. She took her for a walk, played with her, fed and gave her water while we were gone. She also made sure to bring in any newspapers or fliers that were left on our porch during the weekend. We felt very comfortable leaving for the weekend with Margaret's help! We will definitely use her services again and recommend to everyone we know!

I have used Margaret's pet sitting for almost a decade. She had the key to our house and I would…read moretext her when I needed pet sitting services. I loved getting updates via Facebook on my pets well being whilst I was away. Margaret cat sat my two cats and a tank of fish.

I have been using Jan to take care of my cats for many years. She is fabulous with them, caring,…read more trustworthy, honest and reasonable. I made the mistake of hiring Hound Depot and Tracy actually stole money from my bedroom. Should have hired Jan to begin with. I highly recommend Jan she is the Best.

Jan is wonderful and reliable pet sitter! She is great with all animals and is very loving and…read moreattentive. I recommend her to anyone looking for pet sitting services. Overnights at your house, dog walks or pet visits. Jan is the BEST!

Always there is apparently never there. They didn't even answer our inquiry about pet sitting our…read moredogs.

If you want to be able to go on vacation and not worry about a thing then this is the pet sitting…read morebusiness for you. When I had my initial meeting I met both Luz (the owner) and Pam (the sitter). Luz is a very responsible business owner and has everything covered- even things I didn't even think of. Pam was friendly, warm and wonderful with our two Havanese dogs. The always got back to me right away and it was very easy to get ahold of them if I needed to. We were gone for 11 days and Pam sent us pics and videos of our pups. It felt so nice not to have to think about if everything was going well at home. She is a very caring pet sitter. I would definitely hire them again.

For those who don't have human babies, we have fur babies…read more Big Paw Pet Care also takes care of kitties! I have a kitty furbaby and I trust Beth and Audrey implicitly to take care of her. Beth and Audrey are so good about texting me updates and pictures of kitty when I'm gone that I have peace of mind that she is happy and healthy. I'm so lucky to have Big Paw Pet Care, it's obvious Beth and Audrey care about what they do and I will not hesitate to use them again.

I could not be happier with Big Paw!…read more Over the years we have left our dogs with various different sitters and services, but none as good as Big Paw. We recently went away for 20 days and felt very apprehensive about leaving our two little Bijon/Havanese mixes at someones house for that long. After meeting Beth and visiting her home we felt much more at ease. Beth and her husband are extremely friendly and their home is clean and spacious with a nice backyard for the dogs to play in. They watch all types of dogs - big and small. Our boys slept in their bed, played with their baby and fit in like part of the family. She kept them bathed and clean despite the fact that they were lucky enough to be outdoors every day. She administered allergy meds and took great care of them. We LOVED that she sent us emails or texts every day (yes, every day) while we were gone with updates on how our boys were doing. It was so nice to get pictures of them with huge smiles on their faces and see how clean and well treated they were. She loved them like they were her own and to top it all off, her price was significantly better than others. I can not speak more highly of Beth and Big Paw. Their website is very nice and allows for you to create a profile for your pets with a section to list information like vet, medical, emergency contact, breed type, etc. I look at my dogs like they are my children, and I would not steer you wrong, you will be more than happy with Big Paw! THANK YOU BETH!!!!! Our boys miss you!

Kevin is great. Attentive, loves animals. Very affordable. Takes great care of all 5 if my cats…read morehighly recommend

From the owner: Licensed and insured. Kevin’s Pet Sitting has been around…read morefor 20 years serving the Danville, San Ramon&Alamo areas. Too busy with work/hectic schedule? Kevin's Pet Sitting can bring your doggy out for an hour's walk or to the dog park. Going away on vacation? Kevin's Pet Sitting can help with a few visits a day or overnights to ensure your pet feels safe&loved while you are away.

Fantastic web app to manage the account. The sitter that has been assigned to me, Autum, is…read morefantastic. On the walk through before our first sitting, she understood right away what needed to be done. Every day she sends a report with photos. It really is so nice to see the pics of my kitties every day when I'm away. Autumn thus far has been available short notice which my previous sitter needed at lest 2-3 weeks advance notice. On top of that, she is cool with coming every other day which saves me a ton of money. I suspect I will be using Fetch! Pet Care's services for a long long time.

Members of the Fetch Team picked up my two dogs, twice a day, and took them to Briones for…read moreoff-leash adventures. My dogs loved it and it so eased my conscious as my work schedule at the time was very long hours. I have also used them on an "emergency basis" when I took sick and a Fetch team member came to my house and exercised a new puppy who needed a great deal of attention. They are wonderful!

I am normally not the person to write reviews, but I think it's important for everyone who is…read moreconsidering Naughty Paw to read this. When we came back earlier to pick up our Pomeranian puppy for wash/dry/grooming, we saw through the glass that our Pom nearly fell off the table from 5 feet high while they were grooming her!!! My wife and I were shocked and horrified by this. When we got her back 10 min later, we saw that they had created a huge area of bare skin behind her ear during the grooming (picture). They tried to blame it on our Pomeranian, because 'she wasn't cooperating'. Our Pomeranian is a puppy of 7 months old, who is sweet to everyone around her. It's obvious to us that the people working there are unprofessional and lack the experience dealing with dogs, which makes it very dangerous. In retrospect, our dog could have died if she had fallen of that table. She was also shaking and her heart rate was extremely high when we got her back from this traumatizing experience. Please avoid this place for the sake of your dog safety. You have absolutely no idea what is happening behind those doors when you drop your dog off there. There are plenty of other places in Halifax that offer a better and safer experience than Naughty Paw.

TOP NOTCH - I feel very comfortable leaving my minpin there - I'm extremely grateful as I travel…read moremuch for work - While picking up or dropping off, I've met both large (Great Dane) & small (Chihuahua) dogs - Tiffany's VERY kind, caring & has experience w/special needs pets as well - If you'd like to msg me, my fb name is Cynthia P Icovet

Absolutely fantastic!! Colleen and her team (especially Lola) are the best and I'm so thankful to…read morehave found them. They're always punctual, courteous, and they follow all of our instructions. I never doubt that our dogs are safe and loved. I can't recommend Happy Tails more highly!

We could not be more happy with the care of Colleen and her broader team. Our fur baby used to go…read moreto boarding when we would travel. We could tell he was overwhelmed and very stressed once we would pick him up. For the following 2-3 days he would sleep all the time to recover. Now our fur baby is cared for in his own home and someone visits multiple times a day. When we return home the mail and packages are picked up and our dog could not be more happy. He acts normal and is no longer stressed. Knowing he is happy allows us to travel without stress.