Karen went above and beyond when taking care of my cats while I was on a weekend trip. She even…read morecleaned their bowls and plates. She sent pictures to keep me updated. I felt really comfortable with her and so did my kitties (and usually one of them is not so happy with people he doesn't know, but he loved Karen!) I'm so glad I've found her!

Karen really gives you the sense that not only does she love her job (who wouldn't love being able…read moreto play with dogs all day) but she genuinely cares about the dogs she walks and cares for. She helped my wife and I out with a very difficult situation where I was out every weekday for two months before we moved out of the Richmond area. It was very evident that our dog's attitude and demeanor improved whenever Karen walked her. Taking a photo of our dog each day was a big plus especially since I was away during the week. It brought me a lot of happiness to know my girl was content without me there. It's a shame we no longer live in the area but I can't recommend Karen enough to RVA folks who live within her service area.

SArah and her group are beyond great. They handle our tiny cat with breathing problems and our…read morelarge blind/deaf dog without any issue

We left two of our dogs at home for a little more than two weeks while we were out-of-town. These…read moreare both dogs who had never been boarded or left behind before. One is ten years old and the other a little more than 1 1/2 years old--and we were very concerned about their welfare without us around to take care of them. (Yes, they're both spoiled.) We decided that leaving them at home would be better than boarding them and contacted Sarah based upon the recommendation of our groomer. We could not have been more pleased with the result. Sarah had three young people who made four visits each day for the 2+ week period. They reliably showed up on time each day and fed, walked and played with the dogs during the visits. (It did take a couple of days before the dogs adjusted to the change in their routines but they generally did adjust--although one had eating issues but that was because he is a little neurotic and had nothing to do with the care provided. In fact, the sitters went out of their way to work with that particular dog to get him to eat.) We received detailed daily reports about each visit by email, with pictures. Most importantly, we were quickly contacted with any issues or questions that arose. We would absolutely use Sarah Sits again and highly recommend them to anyone who wishes to have pets cared for in their own environments.

She took care of my dog during a 2 week vacation & did an outstanding job. She came to my house 3…read moretimes a day to feed & walk her and even groomed her. I was impressed by her reliability and how well she bonded with my dog. She sent an email during each visit so I knew she was there and even included some photos that I enjoyed seeing.

From the owner: I am fully background checked, license & insured. While…read moreboarding kennels are convenient, in-home pet sitting has several advantages over boarding kennels. It offers more personalized care, reduces stress, eliminates the risk of disease transmission, adds an extra layer of security, and makes life easier for pet owners. In-home pet sitting is a convenient option to consider if you want to ensure that your pet receives the best care while you are away. My services are at the clients home and not mine

Took my dog for a meet and greet and was told that he was too anxious around new dogs and being…read moreaway from me. They gave me the name of a trainer and recommended that I come back after he's had some exposure. Full disclosure, we're already working with a trainer on his anxiety around strangers and dogs (which I was upfront with) and I wanted to see if he had progressed enough to enjoy doggie daycare. Clearly not! While it may seem odd that I'm giving 5 stars to a place that we didn't get in, I want to say that I appreciate how willing they were to evaluate my dog, listen to my concerns, and give me honest feedback. We have had experiences with other places judging him by his breed and his past and not even giving him a shot. He's a young guy who had a traumatic past and has made SO MUCH progress. He loves other dogs and people, but he does need a firm handler that he knows for the first introductions to give him some confidence. It was totally appropriate for them to give me the feedback that they did. I appreciate that they considered if he would enjoy himself or be too stressed. I appreciate that they are attentive enough to their dogs to not need to discriminate against breeds. From what I say, the staff LOVES the dogs and the dogs are so happy to be there! We will definitely be trying again when we get a little more confident :)

If you have a special needs dog, there is not another daycare on the Southside like it. I have a…read morevery anxious dog. They go through a meet and greet process every single time he comes. No other day care in the area (we have been to most) cares about the special need dogs. The just deem your dog non compat (because they don't have the training, supplies, or staffing) and send you away. If you want the best, you want this location Dogtopia! A Quality, caring staff for your precious fur babies.

I recently moved to Richmond and needed someone to watch my cat over Christmas week. They responded…read moreto my request immediately. The pricing is extremely reasonable. We set up the "meet and greet" and multiple employees came over to see where the food, water, litter, etc is and to meet my cat. Everyone wore masks to comply with covid precautions. Over the week they were extremely professional and took great care of my cat. They stayed with him for 30 minutes per day and played with him in addition to cleaning the litter and preparing his food. They even cleaned up a little leak I had after it rained really hard one day. After each visit I got a detailed email with all they did and multiple cat photos. I'm always so worried about my cat when I go away and they made me feel so much better. I'm so so happy with this service and will 100% be using them again!

New to Richmond and in need of a great pet sitter, I 'm so happy to have found Kate. We had a…read more"Meet & Greet" with my two felines (who have special needs), and I could tell she was relaxed and confident with pets. She carried out all my instructions and provided me with updates. Very satisfied!! Grace

My dog loves this place! He's starts crying when we get close. He can't wait to get out and go…read moreplay with the other doggies. The owners are wonderful, kind and very caring people. They want the best for your pet and treat them as if they were theirs.

Absolutely LOVE this place!! They take amazing care of our dog and he's always so excited when we…read morepull up so I know he loves it as much as we do!! They made special notes in his file, like how he gets anxious in thunderstorms, so they could take special care with his unique personality. When our trip was unexpectedly extended an extra day, they were more than accommodating. They truly went above and beyond to make sure he had everything he needed for the extra day. When our pup was too stubborn to get in the car, they gave me a hand and helped lift him safely into the back of my Jeep for the ride home. Couldn't speak more highly of this amazing place!!

NEVER!!! Both cats needed the vet afterwards!!!!!! Horrible terrible stressful place with no…read moreunderstanding of CATS. Sit! Stay away!

The staff is absolutely 100% friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. However, I was so displeased…read morewith my dog's training experience that I requested a refund. The refund was given with no hassle. No apologies or discussion was offered. That struck me as odd; as if there was unspoken guilt. Is there accountability? Genuine remorse? The only staff that did respond was from Michael Hughes, the Head of the Pack. The response he sent was genuine and professional. What happened was my dog attended a free day care (coupon from orientation) and did not make it to the end of the day. She acted out towards the other dogs. I was told to come back in six (6) mos. with no further guidance. When I asked if they (trainers) could help socialize her I was told, "yes." I was reluctant to pay as I don't have that kind of money; however, I was told they (trainers) would socialize her so that day care would become a regular thing for my dog. I was very explicit about what I wanted (socialization) and did not want out of the training. I stressed multiple times, even throughout the week of training, that my dog is NOT to learn commands such as, "sit," and other commands that are not useful for this scenario. Besides, I was already training her myself. I dropped my dog off Monday morning and I reiterated very clearly what I was expecting and desiring; repeating what I precisely did NOT want her to learn. I picked her up Monday after school and asked about her progress. I was told I would not get a progress report until Friday AFTER she had completed school. I did not like that. This way my money, my dog, my concern. So, come Friday, the trainer showed us what they taught our dogs. I was furious when I saw that they had taught my dog, "Sit," "Climb," and, "Heel." These were the behaviors I explicitly did NOT pay for. I was supposed to get a dog that was now socialized with other dogs to return for day care. I was in tears when I got home. I felt swindled and they failed my dog. Now I'm back to square one. Additionally, my dog did not retain her training other than heel, but even that took effort. I was so frustrated at having to train her myself for what they got paid to do. Lastly, my dog has a very bad reaction to loud noises. This was also communicated, but they placed her in the kennel were it was extremely noisy. I did not know this until a staff told me at the end of the day on Monday, that my dog does not do well with loud noises. Yes, I know! That is why I communicated that. Nothing was done about that either. I was offered to pay a daily rent if I wanted my dog in a quieter area. Their five (5) core values are: *Compawssion: Delivering genuine, caring, and thoughtful service. *Pack Spirit: Fostering teamwork and collaboration for collective success. *Furrmazing: Approaching every task with enthusiasm. *Purrrsuing Learning: Committing to continuous improvement and sharing knowledge. *Best Paw Forward: Operating with integrity by doing the right thing I don't know what has happened to this resort as my parents used them consistently with our dog and cat whenever we went on vacation. Never one single issue. I decided to read former and current employee reviews on Glassdoor. That resonated. On a different note, the pet areas reeked! Particularly the kennels.

Kimberly and her team at Midlothian Pet Pals have taken care of our two elderly cats as if they…read morewere their own pets. We are texted with pictures of the cats when they are at our house and we see they love they give to our pets. We used to take our cats to an external "cattery" but the cats hated being out of the house. Midlothian Pet Pals have extended the lives of our cats and have made us feel comfortable in traveling again. They are the best!

I never write reviews but I had a very unpleasant experience trying to book an initial consultation…read morewith Midlothian Pet Pals. I reached out back in 2021 when my husband and I first moved to the area and received a response that they were booked for the dates I was requesting. I completely understood that as I was requesting for only a month out (it was fine, we would figure it out). I then responded looking to book for future dates but received no response back. I ended up finding an independent pet sitter for the dates I needed but thought I would reach back out a year and a half later to see if I would have better luck with a response. Again, I was told in April that they were booked solid through the end of August...I responded saying I would still like to book an initial consultation so that I would be able to request future dates. I never received a response. It was extremely off-putting that they wouldn't even take a new customer who was willing to be flexible and work around next available dates. I have now found a much more professional, friendly, and responsive pet sitting company who I have been recommending to everyone who's asked me instead. It was disappointing to say the least and I hope others have a more positive experience.