Inga and her crew at Tickled Paws are professional, responsive, caring, loving, thorough, and…read morereasonably priced -- what more could you ask for in a pet sitter? We were going on vacation and needed someone to come in to feed our cats/scoop their litter/water the plants/bring in the mail. I followed a craigslist ad to the Tickled Paws website and e-mailed them with the dates and details of the services we needed. Inga responded within a day or so and we scheduled a free introductory session to discuss every aspect of what we needed, where things were kept, what the cats were like, etc. I appreciated that this introductory session was free because many places charge for this. I was prepared to pay if necessary, but it didn't make sense to me. I was impressed that Tickled Paws gets that this is essentially my interview of them, not a service they are providing me. Inga was a pleasure to work with. At our intro meeting she brought a new client packet with any info I would want. She thoroughly explained their procedures and took the time to learn everything she could about my cats, our apartment, and what we wanted done. Both prior to and during the intro meeting she clearly explained their rates, etc. and was honest with the length of session that would be necessary to get done what we needed done. She gave us a new client discount and the total I ended up paying was less than I had anticipated by a significant percentage. After the intro meeting, Inga sent me a .pdf of the signed service agreement and log in info for my client profile on their website. She responded quickly to the e-mails I sent her with some last-minute details and sent a follow up e-mail after the first day to let me know how it had gone. When I got home, the place was clean, the cats were contented and well-fed, and there was even a log on the table detailing what she'd done at each visit, whether she'd visited with the cats, etc. Most importantly, at every stage of the process, I felt that Inga genuinely cared for my cats. She payed attention to what I told her about them, she tried to make friends with even my very shy cat, and seemed genuinely overjoyed at making progress with them. I'm definitely not the type of person who thinks of her pets as children, but it really was comforting to feel implicitly that the cats were being cared for with the sense of affection and duty I'd use myself. After having been disappointed with the quality and price of service from similar pet care organizations in both DC and Virginia, I was so grateful for Inga and Tickled Paws. We'll definitely use them again.

Updated summer 2018 - Palstride stopped (rather abruptly) serving DC…read more Palstride will be my trusted pet-sitter from here on out! We received an in-person consultation before engaging Palstride the first time, during which they clearly explained their services and enthusiastically got to know our cats and their needs (where's the food? which toys do they like? where do we toss the litter? which blinds should be opened each morning? etc). After each of our engagements, we came home to find a diary containing detailed notes on each of the (3x daily) visits they made to our home, including what activities they carried out and how the cats were behaving. At my request, I also got a mid-trip report (with adorable pictures of the kitties) via email which was reassuring and a charming way to keep in touch. I appreciate their reasonable rates, the thoroughness of their service, and the Palstride staffs' obvious affection for the pets under their care. Finally, although the Yelp profile specifies "Manassas" as the location, Palstride's staff are entirely capable of handling a location in downtown DC. FIVE STARS.

We have used WalkOn for our two dogs for the last year, ever since we moved to the area. The…read morepersonal service and attention to details we have received as we transitioned our dogs to a new environment has been a wonderful peace of mind. We have a rescue who is very shy, and Beth has succeeded in gaining his trust and affection, which he rarely grants to strangers. Our second is a large breed purebred, who can be aloof to folks outside her pack, as is normal for her breed, and Beth has demonstrated an understanding to handle the breed. We trust WalkOn with our walking and overnight sitting services. We get daily updates when we are out of town, and text report after a visit when we are in town. We are so glad we have WalkOn available for our dogs!

I had a last minute cancellation of my dog and cat sitter before a 2 week trip. I happen to live…read morenear Beth but didn't know it! We happened to see her car with her logo on it in our parking lot. Upon calling her up she responded quickly to my message and upon hearing my needs had things set up for me in no time. I got daily pictures and updates about my fur babies. I was so pleased with the care for my pets and how great they looked when I got home to them.

I'm surprised there aren't any reviews here yet. Let me be the first to SING PRAISES for The Pet…read moreNanny. The mother-daughter multi-state business is not only a great venture to support, they are an outstanding service every pet owner should know about. What they offer is reliable and trustworthy loving care of your pet(s) backed with utter professionalism; prompt return calls, thoroughness explaining every detail about their policies, they're fully insured, bonded, trained and so friendly. My 3-month old puppy had a blast with Lauren; she equally showed love and affection to him. My husband and I were nervous to have to leave our pup home but upon meeting Lauren and her back-up sitter, we felt so comfortable and at ease. I am so relieved I found The Pet Nanny and really hope the next time I need a dogsitter or walker that they will be available for us! I can't say enough great things about them.....

After searching online and taking recommendations from friends, I contacted Premier about their…read morethree-week board and train program for our bernedoodle puppy. When talking with them, they recommended their puppy orientation (which is more like a tailored training session to cover general information and whatever you specifically want to talk about), the cost of which goes towards the bootcamp, so you aren't losing anything in taking the class. I was already going to proceed with the bootcamp, but after our session, I was even more excited for our pup to go. Jessi worked with our 14-week puppy for just about two hours, during which time she made huge strides in her "leave it" and in walking and jumping. Jessi gave me easy tips that I used the next day on a walk, and it was like a night and day experience in getting her to heel. I can't wait for her to attend her bootcamp. Another huge perk to this location (and something I specifically wanted when searching for locations) is they also do general overnight boarding, where they will keep up her training. You can even leave notes about specific concerns if you did their bootcamp with them. They are also so so close to BWI, which is great for us in planning boarding. It's also really not far from DC (just over 30 minutes) for anyone in the District!

Nelson is a 1/3 cattle dog rescue. He is a busy boy and a great squirrel hunter. After 6 months…read morewith us he had gotten so obsessed that he would be walking along calmly and then try and pull your arm off on a walk. There was no interrupting his stalking. Premier DT got him turned around. He came home after 3 weeks so happy to show off all he learned and his knowing how to please us makes him a more pleasant member of the family. Given a choice, he would go live with his trainer Connor. No questions asked. He LOVES Connor. When he comes for boarding or on Connor's home visit Nelson was/is a puddle of love. We have continued to work with him on our own, using the commands, and now a year plus later he walks off leash most of the time, leaves squirrels and everything else on command and does the right thing 99% of the time.

I started using Argentina's services about a month ago. I primarily use her for pet sitting my very…read morehyper, fun-loving, 3 yr old Shih-tzu. Her rates are very reasonable. She is bonded and insured. She works with my schedule. Often she picks up and drops back off my pooch! She boards my fur ball in her home in Virginia. She is also able to pet sit at the owners homes if they prefer. She gives my dog tons of TLC and even sends me pics and texts on how he is doing when I am traveling. She keeps me in the loop on all the happenings and activities that she and Ming (my dog) do while I am out of town. I would HIGHLY recommend Argentina. She is respectful and competent. She also does dog walks, in addition to pet sitting. When my dog gets back from a 5 night stay with her, he is relaxed and pretty much "pooped" and hits his bed as soon as he is returned. She services Arlington, Alexandria and the DC area. This is her fb website for her company: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Divas-Dogs/140698202689758

I've had Maverick for a year and didn't know how to use positive methods to reinforce and add to…read morehis behaviors, growing up I only learned training methods that used scolding and punishment vs. praise and reward. Jody was on a list of trainers I received from a local labrador rescue. Social Tailwaggers looked like just what I was looking for. I needed to change my mindset and learn the basics of how positive reinforcement works. Jody was a very patient and relaxed teacher who made each class fun and interesting, and pointed out a couple of things I did that Maverick didn't like, such as snapping my fingers close to his face. I wish I had attended Basic Manners soon after Maverick first came to live with me. I am now more confident and patient when working with Maverick and I have taken what I learned and used it to train other behaviors. I'm very happy with what I learned and Maverick's improvement during the course. I hope to attend the Intermediate or Advanced Manners class with Jody and to eventually prepare Maverick to achieve Canine Good Citizen. Our bond is stronger than ever.

Prior to my husband and I getting our puppy we had an in-home consultation with Jody. We are both…read morefirst time owners and wanted to make sure we were prepared. I do not think I can adequately express how knowledgeable, helpful and thorough Jody was throughout the consultation. She provided evidence-based articles to explain her training practices and recommendations, resources such as handouts and examples of each toy she recommended and how it helps your new pup. We have been so grateful for her support and will be taking her puppy socialization class later this month and are interested in participating in others. Highly recommend Social Tailwaggers!

I am so glad I found Gizmo's LuvBuggy. Allison and her assistant Mika were wonderful with my pooch…read morewhile I was on vacation. They are responsive and truly caring people who love animals, and my sensitive senior dog was well taken care of and content while I was away. I enjoyed receiving the daily pictures and summaries. Gizmo's LuvBuggy rates are very competitive relative to other options, and the coverage area is large through the county. I would not hesitate to recommend this service.

My dog Piper tramples me to get out of the car for her weekly daycare at Rusty's. She can be very…read morestubborn, but she listens to Lakshme and behaves better for her than for me! Lakshme also knew that I had trouble with grinding/cutting her nails, so one day she surprised me by giving my baby perfect nails. I only trust very few people to watch Piper, so I was delighted to find Lakshme! Piper says thank you!!

Laxmi is just wonderful. Took the time to get to know my pup beforehand and make sure he would fit…read morein with her own dogs and regular boarders. I felt super comfortable leaving my black lab with her and knew he was really well looked after in a home environment. I made a little get to know my dog sheet for her fridge as well as his meal schedule (I gave my own food) as well as a t shirt of mine and his bed so he would be comfortable. Again highly recommended!