THIS PLACE IS NOT FOR ME OR MY DOG…read more Let me start by saying that Hillary and her team of dog trainers are very nice people. I have nothing personal against them. However, I have a very serious concern about what happened to my dog during her time in this program. I brought my German Shorthaired Pointer, Nuala, to Hillary's program at the request of my parents so they could better understand how to work with her. I got Nuala at exactly eight weeks old from a very reputable gun dog breeder, as she is being raised to become a hunting dog. From day one, I worked closely with her on basic training and early socialization with both people and animals, and everything was going great. An important detail: I bring my dog to the beach almost every other day. She is constantly around people, crowds, noise, and other dogs, and this has never been an issue. She has always been confident, friendly, and well-adjusted. She has no problems with other dogs at all. My parents had same experience until recently. Fast-forward about 2 1/2 weeks into her program--she is now 17 weeks old--and suddenly she is showing fear-based behavior toward people. She started barking and growling at strangers, running toward me for protection, and hiding from people. Again, she has no issues with dogs, only people. This behavior is completely out of character and not at all the dog I brought into this program. I don't know what goes on behind closed doors at this facility, but something clearly went wrong. My dog came in confident and social, and she left fearful of people. Because of this, I will absolutely not be bringing her back. Before spending $2,500, I strongly recommend doing extensive research on where you bring your puppy. Personally, I have had far more success training my dog on my own by watching trainers who specialize in my specific breed on YouTube--something I've been doing successfully since day one. Training takes time, patience, and consistency, and the best part is that those resources are free. In summary, while I don't dislike Hillary or her team on a personal level, I am deeply unhappy with what happened to my dog while she was in their care. I paid $2,500 to help my puppy grow into a confident, well-behaved dog, and instead she came back scared of people. Because of this experience, I will not be returning and would not recommend this facility to others. I am extremely upset and disappointed.

Fabulous!!! my puppy Coco Valentina loves going wonderful programs and staff. Puppies are so calm…read moreand happy to be there to learn,

Kelly is truly amazing. She has been walking our dogs Frankie and Ranger for a couple of years…read morenow. Our dogs are so excited to see her and come back very happy. Kelly is on time, consciences, kind and truly is the best Dog Walker we have ever had. We also have had Kelly house sit many times when we have traveled. She always keeps us updated and takes great care of our home! I can't recommend her enough! Bob

Kelly is by far the best dog walker EVER. My dog Lola, does not like people or dogs. Within a…read morecouple of days Kelly had Lola under control and was able to put Lola in her car with 4 other dogs, I never thought in a million years that would happen. Kelly is caring, conscientious, hardworking and dedicated. I feel super blessed to have found her and I highly recommend her to anyone in need of her services.

I specifically chose this trainer because his website said he specializes in aggressive dogs. I…read morerescued an aggressive pit bull from a shelter (not knowing about the aggression issue). This trainer wasn't even able to handle our dog because she disliked him so much. We bought the package of lessons and used 2 of them. When it was clear that our dog was getting worse and not better, I asked if we could cancel and get a refund for the remaining classes. Our refund we received was for a fraction of what we were owed. We ended up hiring sonoma county canine, and our dog is improving so rapidly. And our dog LOVES the trainers there. I guess every dog is different and needs a different kind of trainer. So, maybe don't purchase an entire training package with this trainer since you don't know if it will work out.

John Vinton is an expert dog trainer. I highly recommend him…read more He worked with us and our Scottish terrier to overcome a serious issue with crazy, outrageous behavior and barking at other dogs. We surmised that our puppy became fear-aggressive in part due to an accidental death of our older Scottie. Perhaps she had to step up and be the "protector" when she really wasn't ready for it. Anyway, John has a very well thought out and executed training program that includes multiple visits to our home and walks with our dog in our neighborhood so he could see exactly what was happening. John's methods are kind and gentle to both dog and owner and I rate them highly effective. A lot of what we learned had to do with making sure our dog has an appropriate place in the human world she lives in. Some of the training tips are surprisingly easy to implement. However, if you embark on a serious training regimen with your dog, do expect to spend time each day on the project and it will be more than worth it. A lot of what we did was basic obedience assisted in great part by John's knowledge and guidance. We also spent a lot of time walking our dog in areas where she would meet other dogs. It was extremely difficult at first as she would be crazy, out of control around other dogs. The big breakthrough came after a number of weeks of slow improvement (the outrageous behavior was moderating). John had our dog on leash and suddenly came up on another dog. John intuitively could see that the other dog was friendly so he had our dog approach (all on leash), and the two dogs had a wonderful time sniffing around. Even though our Scottie can still bark and act anxious when another dog approaches, if we permit her to get close, the encounters have always turned out positive. Thanks to John's coaching and gentle persuasion we have learned to trust that our dog really wants to get to know other dogs and she enjoys the interaction. I believe she is on the road to calm behavior around other dogs thanks to John Vinton.

Maria has been walking my husky mix twice a week with a pack for about six months. Her love for…read moredogs shines through her every interaction with him and her other charges - they are all mesmerized by her. As a professional dog trainer, her understanding of dog behavior coupled with her compassion make her a perfect match for my loony dog. She is professional, prompt, communicates well. She interviewed our family and took a thorough medical and behavioral history before matching him with a pack. I highly recommend her services. She does training, walking, and dog Reiki. The last I haven't used but I am sure its amazing.

We have used Maria on three separatie occassions for her medical intuitive communication. She has…read morebeen incredible. Our first time using Maria was for our 14 year old cat, Amir who was having some medical problems. Maria met with us to ask questions about our concerns, then "connected" Amir doing a meditation. She gave us valuable information about how to make him more comfortable and signs to look for when he needed more support. We also used Maria to help integrate a newly adopted dog into our pack of 2 dogs and 3 cats. She was invaluable helping "Olive" feel safe and comfortable in her new home. We most recently used Maria to help us navigate the next steps with our 16 year old Terrier. We learned what Trixie needed during her aging years. She suggested an orange toy because she used to have one. Sure enough, she did have one a while back so I went out and bought a new orange toy. She carries it around all day now. While Maria was mediating to connect with Trixie (from a different location), Trixie stood on our deck in the sun, looking so at peace. She also looked like she was meditating! We are not overly whoo whoo people, and we have really benefitted from Maria's guidance.

Our dog Max started going out with Having a Ball during the 2020 shelter in place. In the early…read moredays, the service was great and Max was happy. Unfortunately, we have had many issues with this company and recently moved Max to another company. Overview of main issues: - Inconsistent schedule, different walkers showing up daily to pick Max up - They use personal cars which are not large enough for 6 dogs to be comfortable. - I regularly saw a dog sitting in the front passenger seat when they would come to pick up Max - this is very unsafe, especially since they are driving from Sausalito to Petaluma on Hwy 101. - Many times on hot days, Max would come home and his fur would be hot to the touch and he would be panting excessively. This made us question whether or not all of the personal vehicles used to transport dogs have functioning AC. - In August, our home alarm was set off twice by the walkers. Both times, Max was in the house with the alarm wailing for an extended period of time. - One day at 6 PM, Max was not home from his walk and we started to get very concerned. Multiple texts and calls went unanswered. Eventually, we learned that a dog had run away earlier that day and all of the walkers were trying to find it. We later learned that our dogs did not get a walk that day- so essentially, Max spent many hours crammed in a car - and we were charged for the walk (!) After this incident, we expected an official communication from the company acknowledging what happened and details on processes being implemented to ensure appropriate communication in the event of a future emergency. Even after discussing this with Richard, no communication was forthcoming. We are left to assume that there is no process in place. - The company stopped offering trail hikes and transitioned to ranch outings as of 10/1/2020. The ranch outings are more expensive and are advertised as being 2 hours. Max wears a GPS - his ranch outings have not been 2 hours (see picture below - at ranch from 1:05 - 1:59). Our estimation is most days in October he spent at least 3 hours in the car for pick up/drop off of other dogs. - The final straw was when a complete stranger showing up to pick up Max on Friday 10/22 - we were not notified that there was a new employee. We have a lockbox - it was highly concerning that we weren't notified and introduced to this new person. To this date, I never received a response to my last email outlining our concerns.

Moxie, our 2 year old Golden has been "having a ball" since December of last year. She loves her…read moretime out with her friends - both human & dog! Live others, she gets so excited when the car pulls up...her whole body wags with joy. She comes home happily tired out & looking forward to the next day's adventures. I can't recommend Having a Ball highly enough. Their staff are wonderful & I can't be happier.

Patti is truly a gift to dogs and humans. I have worked with Patti for years, starting first with…read moremy husky-rottie mix and then again when I moved back to Marin with my puppy Aussie mix Annabelle. Patti takes Annabelle several times a week for play group and hikes, and while I get a few hours to myself (if you've had a puppy, you know how huge this is!), AB gets her fun on. Annabelle's social manners and training have all improved greatly under Patti's tutelage. Just as important, AB is always over the moon when Patti arrives, excited for the adventures ahead, and she arrives home tired and happy. Patti also stays at my home while I'm out of town, and I know that AB is in great care and having a fabulous time with Patti. We love Patti and her amazing dog Danger and are so grateful for them! Plus her dog photography -- omg. Beyond!

Simply put Patti is a godsend and our Oliver enjoys every adventure filled minute spent with her…read moreand her pack. Ollie is a high energy Australian Shepherd who requires an active handler and it is evident that she knows how to connect with her dogs and gives them just the right amount of exercise and attention. We are grateful to have someone who treats each outing as an opportunity to treat the dogs with everything from special swim trips, Halloween costumes and non stop photo ops and we look forward to her Instagram after each visit. Highest recommendation!!

Leilani took care of my 2 Yorkies and stayed overnight with them for 6day this last Thanksgiving…read moreweek. I was extremely pleased with her services and care of my pets. She was very attentive to their needs and kept me updated on how they were doing in my absence. She was very thorough in asking question about them and detailing how she takes care of them. She is a warm , friendly, caring individual who has had a lot of experience in taking care of pets. I highly recommend her for pet sitting or just taking the dogs on walks. I have already booked her for my next trip in April. She definitely loves animals and gives them a lot of attention when she is with them. Thank you Lani, Joy G.

Leilani (Lani) was wonderful! Saw her high ratings on Yelp and decided to contact her. After…read moremeeting her and hearing how she works with clients, I opted to book her while we travelled oversees for 12 days. Lani is extremely conscientious, professional, attentive to details, and plans for "just in case" situations (a must!). She's gentle and caring with animals (we have two indoor cats). I could relax knowing she was responsible caring for our kitties while we were away. Thank you again, Lani! I highly recommend Leilani's Best Friends Pet Sitting.

If there was an option to leave six stars, they would deserve it. Larissa and Sam are two of the…read moresweetest and most competent humans I've ever met. They deeply care about both the dogs they watch and the owners. I have never felt more secure leaving our pup than when he is happily romping into their arms. In addition to the best prices anywhere in Marin, they have a pick up and drop off service during the week that makes life so much easier.

Buyer Beware! A mutual dog lover referred us to them and…read moreeven contacted them after we received NO response from emails, phone calls and texts trying to set up a meet and greet. We finally toured the facility and were told we had a 'handshake deal' to board our critter and the contract would be sent 'next week'. No contract ever arrived and we were left to find an alternative facility less than a week from leaving town! How can you trust these people with your loved pet if they cannot even live up to their basic promise to communicate with a new customer? If there was a negative rating it would be well deserved.