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.

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!

These folks are amazing. I called them to get urgent help for me door-eating dog, and they came…read moreover that same day to meet him. By the end of the week they had him on a schedule, walking 3 times a week for a half hour, to train him to walk on a leash. Once he can do that (which may take a while, he's hard-headed :)) he is going to go on adventure walks with them, which are basically long hikes with 2-3 dogs at a time, that completely tire your pooch out. I have two walkers that work with my dog, and they are both awesome. They send me an email after every walk, with pictures of my dog and a progress report of how he's doing. They also are bonded and insured, and offer to keep keys to the house so they can come in while you are at work and exercise the pooch. And get this- it's $20 for the walk... and $5 for every extra 15 mins! And that is for one or two dogs... very reasonable. So much so that I can definitely afford the 3 days a week walking, and seeing my puppy so happy at the end of the day is worth it. Love these guys.

UPDATE: 7/23/17: I'm…read morewriting an update to this review 7 years later, still as a loyal client of Canine Adventure. Unfortunately, my 3 boys (Ozzy, Tyler, and Bono) have since passed away, but my 2 new pups (Cannon and Hollywood) are still regular adventurers. They get to go hiking and swimming with Marti every couple of weeks - with Cannon generally finding some enormous stick or piece of trash to keep him entertained and Holly swimming laps in the river and playing chase with other dogs. They always come home happy and tired. There is a review posted from someone named "Matin" (which I assume is made up as it is a brand new account and contains false information) that says someone from Richmond Boxer Rescue steered him away from CA. I am the founder and president of RBR and a loyal client for almost 10 years now. Many of my fosters and volunteers use them and love them as well. NO ONE from my organization knows who this person is or said anything negative about CA, so that is a blatant lie. Review from 2010: I cannot say enough good things about Josh and Canine Adventure! Aside from actually being able to sometimes make my boxer, Ozzy, slightly tired (a nearly impossible feat), Josh was always reliable, responsible and ended up being a good friend! My own dogs (Ozzy, Tyler and Bono) were lucky to get Adventure Walks with him every week! The highlight of their week was seeing Josh pull up in front of the house! In addition to working with my own dogs, Josh graciously worked with my many fosters through Richmond Boxer Rescue. He donates his time to several other local rescue groups as well. The walks and training were an invaluable asset to the foster dogs as were the AMAZING photos he would take on the walks! We moved to the west coast but would still be loyal clients if we were in Richmond! I so wish there were a service like this available here!

So glad I called Zach to help me establish a solid relationship with my cane corso/pit bull mix…read more Zach was beyond helpful during our month together, and my dog quickly became his biggest fan. We did training sessions at the park, the dog park and the farmers market together to work on training in real world scenarios. Since working with Zach I'm much more confident in my role as my dog's owner and I'm more confident in handling different situations that come up. As promised, Zach has remained available as questions have come up since our month wrapped up, and it feels great to know that I have an expert in my corner as Bodhi grows and continues to change. The things Bodhi and I learned from Zach continues to help us today and I know they will help for many years to come! I continue to teach Bodhi new things using techniques that Zach taught me. I highly recommend Zach for a training approach customized to your family and your dog, rather than some cookie cutter approach from a bigger company.

Zach is exactly what we were looking for! Most trainers were pushing board & train and/or using…read moree-collars, and we'd just adopted a 3-month-old puppy. We're not using an e-collar on a puppy and honestly, we didn't need her disciplined. We needed to establish a relationship and be given proper communication skills. Enter Zach! He gave us this and more! He has given us skills that we will carry with us all our lives and has transformed our relationship with our puppy. We will forever be grateful to him.

All the pet sitters are amazing!! I went on a long trip and was nervous about leaving my little dog…read moreand cat alone, but the frequent and clear communication that Barksley folks offered completely put my mind at ease. I could tell how much they loved my babies. HIGHLY recommend and will be using again and again.

I can't say enough good things about the folks at Barksley. I have a very large Malamute/Husky mix…read morewho is very opinionated and only likes some people. He is hard to manage and I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to find care for him. Lindsey and Olivia have become his very best friends, and I trust them completely to take the best care of him. I recommended Barksley to my Veterinary office as well as my friends. I highly recommend that you check them out! (photos of my happy boy with his Barksley besties)

River City Dog Excursions has been ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. I have a 1 year old aussiedoodle puppy, and…read morehis dog walker Meghin is simply outstanding. It is evident that she really loves Finnigan and treats him like royalty. My favorite thing, I would have to say, is getting pictures of him enjoying his day on walks or play dates with his "dog friends" and on nature hikes. Not only do I love how she treats him, but when I get home, he's actually tired! This whole company has gone above and beyond in my opinion, they are always on time, always reliable, and are even so dedicated as to walk Finnigan in the snow (ps: he loves the snow!). April is the one that runs the company, and from the first moment I met her I knew I was going to be impressed with the company. She had me fill out some paperwork (dog food, allergies, vet, vaccination history, etc)... which is a true sign of excellence in my opinion. I also love how there are multiple people in the company... for example, although Meghin is his normal dog walker, one time April ended up walking Finnigan because Meghin had to go out of town. Another time, I had to go out of town for the weekend and Meghin wasn't available, so another person was able to stay with him for the night. Another amazing thing too is that they make sure you get to meet the pet-sitter or dog walker before they watch your animals. Every single time, they have allowed for a free consultation so that each person can get to know the dog. I love this company and will hopefully be using them for a very long time. They're professional, reliable, personable, trustworthy, flexible, dedicated, and they LOVE YOUR ANIMALS LIKE THEIR OWN! Can't get much better than that in my opinion. Also, you get what you pay for... so although you can ask your neighbor to maybe watch your dog for free, you won't get the same attention to detail, customer service, quality, and kindness like River City Dog Excursions.

I am an overbearing dog mom and want the best for my pup and River City Dog Excursions is…read moreincredible! I'm so glad I found this company. Meghin walks and takes my pup Norman on hikes. He comes home full of smiles and immediately plops down to nap. She sends the best pictures and videos too. I was really nervous to let someone besides me have Norman off-leash with them but I can tell from the videos that he trusts Meghin and she knows how to control him! I really feel at ease that Norman gets to have so much fun during the day while I'm at work. Thanks River City Dog Excursions!

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

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!

Fetch has done a tremendous job with our elderly dog. He has particulars and our sitter took care…read moreof him perfectly! We are so thankful to have such great service.

Fetch!! I can't say enough good things!! I have used 3 times a week for over 3 months! Every visit…read morethey give me an update, and pics of my babies. Which I love and look forward to seeing! They're reliable, trust worthy and consistent. I will keep using them regularly for a very long time. It's worth the $$ to have peace of mind.

Leash and Lead is my favorite pet sitting company. I have several cats and a dog, and they know…read morehow to relate to both. The owner, Melissa Hannan, is very knowledgable about animals and pet behavior, especially large-breed dogs, as she has had several of her own. I have used their services for overnight stays when I was out of town and day visits when work hours just got too long. Two thumbs up from me!

I was looking for a new dog walker when my dog and I moved here, and I'm so happy we found leash…read moreand lead. They send daily updates from the walk (along with pictures) so you can see that your dog is having fun! Also, when my dog was sick, his walker, Kendall, did some of the clean-up, which I would not have expected!

Such a sweet woman that runs this little business. Cats, dogs, bunnies.... She can do it all! And…read moreher prices are not insane at all, she often runs specials so if you sign up for her emails, you'll catch a glimpse of what she's offering here and there.

Cyndi was great with my 3 dogs while I was out of the country for a week. She sent videos and…read morepictures so I could rest at ease.