I am posting this late review because I am seeking a new sitter. Used Barb several times throughout 2023 for my senior chihuahua. I was always greeted in the driveway and never saw how dogs were kept inside, however, I got a call that he had run away which he has never done. He was turned in to a shelter and she got him back while I was out of town. I think she left him outside and he always barks at the door to be let in and I suspect no one let him in do he found a hole in the fence in her big yard and went to find help, we have not used her again. read more

I also read the recent Facebook threads and saw this has happened to others. We used this pet service in December and left with $800 worth of vet bills. When I picked up our dog she looked terrible. She was filthy, lost a lot of weight and had crazy amounts of blood in her poop. I would never recommend this place. read more

I hate this place and this lady and if you don't care about your animals you will take them here. My husband and I left two of our dogs there couple of years ago and immediately within three hours of them being there the biggest one jumped the fence got away from her, she lost our dog. And she's damn lucky that he had enough sense to know to go back there because his brother was there. My husband and I were both ready to sue if our dog didn't show back up and she's lucky he did. Well yeah technically we're both ready to kill her tbh... I wouldn't even give this lady or displace one star but it makes me pick at least one. If you love your animals stay away from this place in this lady!!!!! She needs to be shut down and the crazy thing about it is after we had gotten him back she told me that she had lost other peoples dogs in the past. NOT A GOOD PLACE AT ALL!!!! SHE DOES NOT CARE about your babies at all! read more

Barbara is amazing and always has been amazing with our 3 dogs & cat! We've used her for a few years now and she's always nothing less of polite, accommodating, speedy service & responses to any text messages and phone calls! Always takes care of our pups & cat like they're her own. We have been happy everytime we have used her. Our dogs and cat love her HIGHLY RECOMMENDED read more

Barbara has been watching my dog for a couple years now. I have a large boxer/pit bull mix who is used to having quite a bit of room to run (& is pretty spoiled, I have to admit), so I wanted someone reliable & trustworthy who I felt would spoil my 'little' fur baby like I would - along with some room to run. (So, no apartment) I found that person and more in Barbara. When I drop my dog off, she's happy to go - which has not always been the case at other places - and she's happy, healthy (& admittedly, a little dirty) when I pick her up. This tells me that she's been able to run and play. We referred to the previous place we took her as "fat camp" because she would be unhappy going and always lost weight while there - not the case with Barbara! When we leave our dog, it is usually for 2+ weeks. Barbara will text us pictures and give us updates on her while we are gone. It always makes my kids smile to see their "puppy". Overall, I would highly recommend Barbara as a caring, compassionate, professional dog sitter. read more

Forney Pet Sitter - Boxer/pit mix - Pet Boarding Near Me - Forney, Texas

Large fenced yard for dogs to run in. Separate fenced backyard. Large house for indoor play. Fast response to texts and sends photos and gives updates. Highly recommend. read more

After having a bad feeling in my gut the last time my dogs stayed here, I reluctantly let Barbara watch them again. I have 2 English Bulldogs that cannot stay outside in the Texas heat or they will have a heat stroke. I thought it was strange that more than once the photo updates I got from her were taken outside. My dog got diarrhea while staying with Barbara which isn't uncommon with stressed dogs and boarding situations. Why was my dog so stressed staying in someone's home and getting loved? Her metal collar and ID tag was rusted and worn in the front when I got her back as well. I have bathed my dog and she has played in a kiddie pool for hours in that collar with no sign of rust or wear like that. She also went to Barbara's with a low grade eye infection beginning which I gave her meds and eyewash to use twice daily. Even if you use once daily, the eye will maintain as we have been through this before. When I got her back, the eye was almost matted shut with days old boogers and buildup and she could hardly see. When I asked about it she said it wasn't like that earlier in the day. I know that's not true because her eye would only look this way from neglect. She had never looked like the in my care. I also checked her out and her belly was full of what looked like fire ant bites. Pus filled bubbles all over her soft tissue of her girl parts, and her belly. I asked her what this was and she said she never noticed it. Maybe it was a rash. She has an answer/excuse for everything. My dogs were filthy and stinky after being in her care both times. These are indoor only dogs. After this, I decided I was not going back. I started doing some looking online and it turns out that MULTIPLE, I mean over 16 people have had similar experiences with her. One person I spoke with, their dog DIED immediately after being in Barb's care. The other completely different person, their dog had life threatening bacteria in their system, the vet said likely from drinking dirty, old, stagnant water. Their dog had liver failure and had to be placed on meds for months to normalize. There are too many stories like this to NOT leave a bad review and shopper beware to keep anyone else from going through the horrific experience my new dog parent friends went through. I was one of the lucky ones. For now. I will continue to monitor her health over the coming days and weeks. I implore you to read reviews before putting your dogs in any kind of harms way. There's nothing worse than being on vacation and worrying that your babies aren't being loved properly. I really wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt because that's just who I am, but there are too many similar stories of folks feeling like their dogs were mistreated as well as left outside for long periods of time. One dog had pneumonia!!!! How do you get pneumonia from staying inside? read more

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We left our sweet 13 lbs. fur baby with Barbara Martinez of Forney, Texas, while we were out of town. My baby was attacked by a Pit mix that the sitter was also keeping for the first time. She stated she left them alone outside while she went back in the house to remove a casserole from the oven. She claims she went back out there when she heard my dog screaming, and she was on the porch by herself.This happened on February 19th, she didn't contact me until the next morning (February 20th) and didn't take her to the vet until the next day, after I spoke with her, to get her checked out. She had to suffer in pain and bleeding internally all night. Josie was rushed into surgery immediately for exploratory surgery. She had a lot of internal bleeding and trauma, per my Vet. Several tears in her intestines and the muscles walls and a hole in her heart. After 3-4 hours of surgery, she coded on the table and they were unable to revive her, they worked on her for 5 minutes, trying to get her back. (I was on the phone with the vet the entire time, as they tried to resuscitate, her. They never got her heartbeat back). My veterinarian told me she died of crush syndrome and shock. Dr. Bright also informed me, that it appeared as if she had been shaken like a ragdoll. My sweet little fur baby is gone and it could have been completely prevented. I will never get justice for her. But if I can prevent this from happening to someone else's baby, that's what I intend to do . The sitter was completely negligent in not getting her immediate care, and also not separating a big dog that she didn't know from the little dogs. (A friend of the owner, of the other dog also informed me, that she was told not to put his dog around little dogs). My other dog is a Chiweenie and he apparently saw the whole thing happened. We had him checked out, as soon as we returned from out of state. He was missing skin and fur on his nose. Barbara claimed it was from him being in a kennel. Although, (I have in writing that, she would not do that because he had never been kennel trained before). The vet had to put him on sedatives for his anxiety, nausea medicine because he's been vomiting and not eating. As well as, medication for diarrhea. . He is completely traumatized. Please do not leave your baby with this woman. I was told after the fact, that my sweet Josie was not the first animal to die under her care. She is a registered pet sitter with Rover, and also a private pet sitter, Forney Pet Sitter. I have received numerous messages in the last couple of days, from people stating that their animals were killed, seriously injured or lost under her care, Apparently, this has been going on for years. No one has been able to get her shut down. I have reported this to Kaufman County sheriffs department, as well as Rover. I also contacted Fox 4 news, I am hoping they will run my story, so that other animals may not be hurt or killed. I have also reported this to PETA. Please do not leave your babies with this woman.!! read more

Just going to give facts on my dogs- Two medium indoor dogs. Both in excellent health. Stayed for 4 days over Thanksgiving 2019. Both came home super sick with vomiting, diarrhea. One dog( 1 year old) had joint/walking issues, back legs dragging, and hives all over. Both dogs were filthy dirty. Vet could not figure out what was wrong. Vet bill for 1 dog was over $500. Both dogs recovered. Why am I reporting this now- I was on a pet thread for the area and 3 other dog owners stayed at this location and their dogs had same symptoms right after staying here. Owner is a dog sitter for Rover as well. Under Barb. read more

I stumbled upon Barbara asking for recommendation on my cities locals FB page. She came highly recommended by a few people and the second I met her, I knew it was meant to be! She was super sweet and was able to accommodate a week long visit for our pup with only a few days notice. She sent updates with photos throughout our trip and left my husband and I feeling at ease knowing our pup was in such good hands. I highly recommend her and will be reaching out to her again for our next getaway! read more

Barb is amazing. We have been taking our babies there for 2 years. We have NEVER had an issue with leaving them there. We boarded our dog for a month and he couldn't wait to go back. As soon as we turn into university dr, the boys ARE JUMPING UP AND DOWN with happiness to get to Barbs. They dont even look back to say goodbye, they are READY TO PLAY! The boys have made a special bond with Barb and her family. Barb is like their second mom and I trust that she takes good care of them. She responds in a timely manner and she will send pictures or videos when they are requested. The boys are always so worn out when they come home, they get so much play time outside. Yes they will come back dirty, but that's because THEY ARE OUTSIDE HAVING THE TIME OF THEIR LIFE! And i have been sent videos for proof. They're dogs, they are going to get dirty, especially since they have so much backyard space to run around and play. they boys have never had an issue with other dogs there. I know that if there was a problem, Barbara would tell us. They will be outside, make sure your dogs are up to date with all of their vaccines! read more

Barbara has taken care of my 8-yr-old golden for the past 4+ years since I moved to Forney. She is lovely to work with, very accommodating, and my pup is well cared for every time. Barbara even sends me text updates when I'm traveling to let me know how he's doing. I've seen some of the negative posts on here and find it hard to believe we're talking about the same person. All I know is that I wouldn't hesitate to leave my precious Benny with Barbara anytime. read more

Barbara is awesome! Texas got overwhelmed when we first got there and had an accident in the house. I felt horrible but Barbara insisted that it was fine and not to worry about it, even "kicking us out" so we could get to our next location on time. I love that Texas had room to run/play which, any Goldendoodle owner will tell you, is important! We will definitely be going back. read more