A few months ago we took our rescue pup on a walk with our friend and his rescue. Our dog wasn't to…read morebe trusted off leash and when we let him run around as a test, he ran off and almost went into the road. After watching our friend communicate with his dog using an e-collar, we decided to sign up for off-leash e-collar training with the Good Hound. We worked with Shannon and Siobhan and now feel fully prepared, confident and so, so proud of our pup who we can let off the leash at any time. The Good Hound was the best investment we could have made with our dog for many reasons: 1) They take the dogs out for hikes - giving them a bunch of exercise during the work day and a lot of opportunities to socialize with other dogs. 2) They spend time 1:1 with your dog to get a solid grasp of what they are capable of. In our case, they learned he was not a "working dog"; in other words, he tends to be very lazy and extremely stubborn. 3) They work with you, on what YOU need to practice with the e-collar and on communication with your dog. 4) The trainers LITERALLY go the extra mile. Shannon was so patient and sincere with us; even when we were discouraged by the lack of progress. He even asked if he could take our dog for another trek to further assess his response to recall, and came back with more insight, techniques for us, and a thorough follow-up plan.

The Good Hound has been a wonderful experience for us and for our dog for the last 5 years. When he…read morewas a puppy, they trained him to walk off leash and come when called. Now he is so excited when they arrive to take him on his trail walk. Year round, he gets to hike in fun parks with his "friends" and his beloved Good Hound team members. They respond quickly to questions, often share photos of the walk that are really cute, and also, their staff members have boarded our dog in their homes when we travel- for us, a much better option than sending him to a kennel.

My Black Lab has been going to the Dog Scoop for day and occasional overnight care for more than…read morefive years. I couldn't imagine taking her anywhere else. They care for a large number of dogs each day with great space both outside and inside. And even with the many Black Labs they have, they always greet her by name. She literally dances with joy every time I ask if she wants to go and play with her friends. I couldn't be happier with the care she receives.

A great experience for my pup so far! He's a rescue and stilling training for separation anxiety…read moreand crating and the dog scoop is a wonderful option for him to spend the day with great pups and people! There are always dogs and people present (even overnight) and the pack model seems to keep things stress free. He goes in excited and comes out ready for a good nap! Really appreciate that we don't have to reserve day care in advance and looking forward to trying out boarding.

Doggie Trail (Kate and company) are absolutely the BEST! They take care of my dog (Kasha) as if she…read morewere their own baby and treat her like a member of their family. I work some really challenging hours and anytime I've needed additional walks, support or even last minute overnight care in the case of a family emergency, Kate and her team were there. She is kind, gentle and loves my dog with all her heart. I am so grateful to Kate and her team and cannot recommend Doggie Trail with enough enthusiasm!

Caring and professional service! Kate and her walkers have…read morebeen taking care of Bailey for over 6 years. We would never use another service. She loves dogs and has never let us down. Bailey is a large breed and can look intimidating to people who see her for the first time. Kate's walkers have always been very good with her and she barks and runs around in excitement when she hears them coming. I highly recommend Doggie Trail. Kate is a wonderful person.

Brookside was recommended to us by fellow dog owners in JP. Dinyee came over to meet Zoe and I was…read moreimmediately impressed by her demeanor with my pup and willingness to answer my endless questions. Scheduling was easy and flexible, we received an invoice every week so we could confirm that the schedule was set, and the walkers left detailed notes after their visits with Zoe. We especially appreciated their patience with Zoe, who was a very young pup and not great on the leash at first. They even helped reinforce training we were working on and shared notes on how she did with commands. I highly recommend Brookside to anyone looking for professional and attentive walkers who can assist with reinforcing training. They are also affordable, which is a huge bonus.

We have been happy customers of Brookside walk and train for 9 years! Dinyee is a fantastic trainer…read moreand fundamentally understands dog behavior. She centers on communication and structure for our dogs; this has helped keep our dogs calm and less anxious. She has helped our family with approaches to use at home to build those skills. We starting with training for our rescue dog and now for our new puppy. With both dogs we learned so much and this continues to improve everyones quality of life! We also use Brookside Walk +Train for daycare and boarding. Both services keep our dogs environment consistent and are really convenient!

I LOVE Robin's Pet Squad. Indiana Bones (Indy) gets so excited when his walker comes. It's such a…read moretreat to get pictures of my happy boy out on his walks. Thank you so much to everyone at Robin's Pet Squad for making my transition back to the office that much easier by relieving any anxiety I had about leaving my dog! Denise

From the moment that I met Robin, I was obsessed. I am always skeptical when considering a service…read morebecause of the breed of dog that I own. I needed my American Bully puppy to be socialized, and Robin was MORE than happy to help. She also assured me that she had experience with the breed, and that she did not discriminate. When her and my Katana met, it was such a fun thing to watch as Katana showered her in kisses, and she gave her so much love back. Katana waits at the door every Mon-Thurs for Robin to come. She loves her group walks, and Robin does so well with her. Robin is very good at implementing any commands that we use at home, and/or are currently working on in her training. I appreciate her so much for her love and dedication to my beautiful girl! I love the updates, and the pictures. Robins Pet Squad is the way to go!

Jane Beal has the magic touch with dogs - she truly loves them as her own! She does a great…read moreassessment of your dog to ensure everyone it's a good match, and is upfront with pricing and expectations. But I found she waaay overdelivers! She is dependable, flexible, and very reasonably priced. She kept our dog several times overnight at her house and I NEVER worried whether he was being well cared for. At one point he became very ill while we were out of the country (heart issues), and she took care of him like he was her own - even heading into the animal hospital to visit him until we returned with no complaints and only empathy for us and the pup. If I could give 10 stars here I would. HIGHLY recommended.

What a coup-my dog is getting older and cannot walk all the way to work and home when it's warmer…read moreso I knew I'd need a dog walker. And then I learn that Jane Beal has decided to go professional. She's a natural. She reads dogs brilliantly (proof being how she turned around her beloved rescue who needed a bit of tweeking upon arrival) and establishes a trusting bond quickly. What's most important to me is that she is cautious with her charges. She does not have too many dogs with her at one time as many dog walkers do. Walks are fun, safe, and athletic and well suited to the dog and the day. Lola adored Jane the moment they met. Lola was a stray living in the bushes for 5 months on her own so she was and still is weary of strangers and strange places. Jane knows her limitations and keeps her safe. There are few people I'd let Lola leave the house with. Jane is that few. You'd be lucky to get on Jane's roster.

We've been using On Call Pets for over 2 years and they have NEVER let us down! We primarily work…read morewith Shelby and Cat but have also worked with the owner, Kelly. I knew our pups were in excellent hands, but that was confirmed when (due to surgery) I was home when Shelby or Cat came over a few times and our dogs were very excited to see them and were jumping with joy and giving kisses. Shelby has also dog-sat for us overnight and was wonderful about sending us pictures and updates, often sharing a picture of Marvin snuggling with her. I think what really sets On Call Pets apart is the excellent communication, their passion for the animals they work with, and also the very reasonable prices. I had used other services in the past before moving to Brookline that I thought were fine, but On Call Pets blows them all out of the water.

On Call Pet Services is run by Kelly Lapre, who works with a team of other people. We've only…read moreinteracted with Kelly, and have found her to be very responsive (as in, nearly always responds within in 15 minutes of an email) and 100% available (she has never once said no to a gig). For cat sitting (2 cats, uncomplicated needs), her rate has been $16, which I find very reasonable. That said, we have been working with Kelly for about a year and a half, and recently decided to switch to another cat sitter. This was not because of anything overwhelmingly egregious on Kelly's part, but rather that we've had better services from other sitters in the past and would like to return to that. For instance, other sitters have always texted us pictures and updates about our cats. With Kelly, I found that she'll give me a brief update if I email to check in, but that's it. I would've preferred if she texted pics daily with every visit as a standard. (Note: When I emailed Kelly to share some concerns/feedback and ask for our keys to be returned, she stated that she is happy to do this for her clients upon request.) Another example is that over a longer gig (4 days) this summer, we returned home to an empty water bowl and two very thirsty cats. When I asked about it over email, Kelly wrote, "I gave them water every time I saw them just like I always do. I have been watching cats daily in the heat for ten years and two cats will empty a bowl of water in one day when it's hot. The water bowl is not big and now that I think of it it was empty each time I came so maybe when your [sic] home you fill it more often or there is another issue." I concur with Kelly that it's possible that a combination of heat, cats, time, etc may have led to the water bowl winding up empty by the time we got home (a day after her last visit), but what concerns me is that she noticed the bowl being continuously empty, and did not reach out to us. I would've been 100% okay with her putting down another water bowl (even without asking us). Also, increased drinking in cats can be a sign of something pretty serious, and I would like to have a pet sitter that has the awareness and expertise to alert me to something like this. Again, not canceling our service because of major issues, but rather some minor ones that overall just put us off. ETA: Kelly said that she mailed my key back to me. It was never received.

We stumbled on Cambridge Canines a few years ago when looking for a pet sitter for our cat and we…read morewere lucky enough to find Adriane. She's been our go-to cat sitter ever since. Our cat loves her - Adriane comes by the apartment once a day to feed him, clean his litter and play with him, and always sends us pictures and emails to let us know he's doing okay while we're gone. Adriane's very knowledgeable about animals and has had great recommendations for any pet issues we've experienced (hair balls, wolfing down food, etc) and it's clear that she loves animals very much. Working with Adriane has been very easy - we communicate over email, she's happy to come by the apartment to pick up/drop off our keys before/after our trips, and has been available every time we've needed a cat sitter. Her daily rate is very reasonable as well! We're moving out of Cambridge in a few weeks and one of the things we'll miss the most is having Adriane to take care of our cat. It's been so nice to know that our cat is in good hands while we're away. We can't recommend her enough. Thank you Adriane!

Adriane has been a fantastic dog walker. She is completely professional, a good communicator, and…read moreshe clearly loves our little one as much as we do. You will not find a more caring and trustworthy companion for your pooch!