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.

I used Keelie and her team to walk my dog (daily) for 2 months. I was recovering from surgery…read more They were so professional, responsive and had excellent communication. They took great care of Sandi. She got so excited when she heard her dog walker coming to the door that she started jumping with excitement. A couple things they do to take extra care include: 1) Keelie (owner) personally introduces me to every person who will walk Sandi. 2) They use special leashes with AirTags. Their team members are licensed and bonded to. I highly recommend Keelie and her team.

We booked with Keelie because we really wanted our furbaby, Goose, to be part of our wedding day…read more Goose is a big boy--83 lbs--and we love him so much. While we made sure our venue was dog-friendly, we needed someone we could trust to take care of him during the festivities and bring him back to our Airbnb once the reception started. We are so incredibly happy and grateful we found Keelie! From the very start, Keelie was super responsive and friendly. We met a couple of weeks before the wedding so Goose and Keelie could get to know each other and we could go over all the logistics. On the big day, we didn't have to worry about Goose at all--Keelie went above and beyond to make sure he was happy and safe. Goose is big and energetic, but with Keelie, he was on his best behavior! Keelie even took adorable photos of Goose throughout the day, which wasn't part of the agreement but meant so much to us. She dropped him off at our Airbnb, gave him another walk, stayed with him until he finished his dinner, and let us know when she left. We absolutely loved Keelie and cannot thank her enough for taking such amazing care of Goose. If you're looking for a pet sitter who will treat your furbaby like their own, look no further--book with Keelie's Pet Sitting!

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.

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

I wanted to give an update of Always There Home & Pet Care as our circumstances have changed, and…read moreof course, COVID happened. As expected, Luz and her team adapted to COVID protocols completely and we've continued to use them, though less frequently of course during the pandemic. We now have a different composition of pets, too. Two young dogs - a teenager and a puppy - and our grand dame who is 13+ years old. Luz and her staff are dedicated to learning about the "new" dogs, their idiosyncrasies and whatever changes happen to feeding, exercising and medicating protocols. Our dogs are a handful, we often have varying instructions for their care, where they need to be, what they need to eat, and so forth. None of it fazes Luz and her team in the slightest. I cannot say enough fabulous things about Always There Home & Pet Care. Thank you to Luz, Monika, and the rest of the team!

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.

I cannot say enough good stuff about this group. AND, most importantly, I trust them with my…read moreprecious Sam.

We had a great experience with Fetch! They really did their best to match us with a wonderful…read morein-home dog sitter. Chelsea was so kind, patient, and lovely. Even though my dog has anxiety and barks a lot around new people, she took the time to earn his trust. I truly believe he ended up loving her because she was able to walk him and make him feel comfortable around her. Thank you, Fletch, for making the whole process so easy. We'll definitely be using your service again!

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.

Her business is taking care of dogs, we left our small (17#) 10 month old boston terrier we let her…read moreknow that he did not seem to get a long with big dogs this was our first long term Boarding experience. She found he was not reliable with other dogs big or small randomly. She contacted us on the 12th day of an 18 day prepaid contract that she could not care for him and that we needed to make arrangements to take him elsewhere. (Note were on the east coast traveling.) As far as we know he did not cause any injuries.....this is her job, why she could not accommodate and separate him is beyond our comprehension.... As I did not want my dog to be where he was not wanted, I was able to have my daughter pick him up....it caused us a lot of inconvenience she was able to find someone better to watch him. I am sure she feels she did the right thing.... but, I wonder. Know her limitations...she says she trains dogs as well...so why couldn't she deal with one puppy.

After trying several different doggie daycare places (Dogtopia and WOOF) for our young male Shih…read moreTzu, my wife and I were very fortunate to come across Kris at Pampering Paws who provides him with tender loving and exceptional care in a "home like" environment that is safe and fun. As some reviewers have mentioned, Kris' property especially her backyard is ideally suited for her clients to run around and play with each other. She takes great care making sure that her clients are peaceful and happy while visiting her home. The #1 reason why we appreciate Kris at Pampering Paws is that SHE IS THE ONE caring for our dog. Kris is always great about providing us with updates both during and when we pick him up. We highly recommend Kris at Pampering Paws especially if you have a dog that needs a little extra TLC.