We've been booking walks with A Bark and a Meow for several months and couldn't be more pleased with their service. They are responsive, responsible, and truly seem to care for our dog, Roland. We appreciate the photo updates and that they tell us if something is off. Roland loves Jessica, as evidenced by his reaction whenever she arrives. Previously, we'd been using another walking service in the area and didn't receive the same level of care. Another reviewer mentioned that you have to pay by check, but they allow PayPal payments as well. We're so glad to have found A Bark and A Meow! read more

I LOVE Bill. Hank the cat and Hailey the dog love his daily visits. He's reliable and caring. Bill gets 10 stars. My 3 stars are because the owner needs to modernize. Accept Zelle or Venmo. You are the only checks I have to write. Seriously? Please modernize your operations. read more

I searched high and low for a resonably priced dog sitter to watch my dog for two weeks while I was away on business. I have a whippet and he is very neurotic (10 years old, very set in his ways and doesn't like to be away from me or from home) and he can't be boarded; we had a couple of bad experiences in the past. I found A Bark and A Meow and Andrea was so helpful! Every day she wrote notes about her visits, she sent text messages daily and called every other day to let me know how Sergeant was doing. I felt very comfortable with her, and when I got home Sergeant was in great shape! He was happy in his home while I was gone and I was relieved that I finally found someone who I can trust to take care of him if I have to go away. I would strongly recommend Andrea to anyone looking for pet sitting or walking - she is great!! read more

I usually don't write reviews but I can't recommend this pet sitting service any more enthusiastically. I went on vacation and my boy's were taking care of very well. Nothing was better then getting daily updates and photos. I highly recommend a bark and a meow. read more

I recently had to take a quick business trip, with very little notice. Typically, I have had a friend to corral into pet setting, but as a new resident of Chicago, I did not have anyone to ask. I came across A Bark And A Meow here on yelp, and was glad to see that they were located close to my apartment. Andrea quickly returned my call, and stated that should would be able to help. I have an 8 yr. old boston terrier that is blind, and I was very concerned about her care. Andrea assigned Shelley as my sitter, and I couldn't have been happier. When she came over for the meet and greet, my dog took a treat from her, which *NEVER* happens with strangers. Shelley was very attentive, and even sent text messages to provide updates. I surprisingly had no worries while away, and did not have the feeling that I was asking too much of a friend. I highly recommend "A bark and a meow", and will definitely use their services in the futre. read more

Andrea's extremely poor judgement almost led to the premature euthanasia of my disabled dog. Having used this company to pet sit for my disabled dog before, I felt pretty good about leaving Molly (a three legged dog whose hips are starting to go) in their care while I ran off for a four day weekend. The first day went fine, but the second Molly had an accident in the house. Andrea texted us to let us know what was going on, saying that Molly had peed in the house and made a bit of a mess. We were disappointed but unsurprised, as Molly is at this point peeing in the house every couple weeks or so. Not too frequently, but not unheard of, either. Andrea had been apprised of this fact prior to taking on the job, and a big stack of towels was provided to her for just such an issue. Arriving home after our vacation, we found an apartment that reeked worse than the men's urinal in our park. The stench of ammonia was pervasive, and not at all fresh. Checking on Molly, I found her completely soaked on one side (she always sits on the same side). I immediately bundled her off for a bath, and discovered both a volume and concentration of urine that I'd never before experienced. She also had a diaper rash severe enough to cause a couple hot spots on her hip. We saw Andrea the next day to get our keys back and pay her, and told her of Molly's condition. She told us that she thought Molly needed a higher standard of care, maybe hospitalization, next time we went on vacation. We mentioned the diaper rash, and Andrea admitted that she probably should of cleaned the dog a bit better. We found this to be an understatement and parted ways. Over the next couple days, we realised that Molly had stopped walking almost completely, being unable even to stand. We kept her on the side that she doesn't like sitting on to allow the hotspots to heal, and she would stay in that uncomfortable position for hours, betraying an extreme lethargy. We though she had taken a permanent turn for the worse, cried for awhile, then made an appointment the next week to put her down. Molly has been headed downhill for several years now, and we simply though that her time was through. We continued to take her out three times a day, the same number that we had contracted with Andrea, though we were forced to hold her up for the first few days. Eventually Molly had a good day, where we didn't have to hold her up much for her "walk". And another good day after that. As Molly recovered, it became clear that she hadn't really gone down hill at all, that it was merely the mistreatment by our pet sitter that led to her near death. I've used Andrea twice now, and come to the conclusion that while she may be an OK dog walker, but she's not someone that I would trust with my animals while I'm on vacation. Allowing a dog to sit in her own urine for several days is truly inexcusable for a caretaker. If the patient were human, Andrea would be in jail. I don't think she's a bad person, but this mistake was very serious, and almost led to the euthanasia of an animal that isn't quite to that point yet. On a side note, I've never used Yelp before to review anything, but I do feel that pet owners need to be warned that Andrea has in the past exhibited extremely poor judgement. read more

Andrea and A Bark and a Meow are really unique in that Andrea and her walkers will take your dog and board them in their home. The price (which is super reasonable) includes pick up and drop off and unlike commercial boarding places, is a charge for 24 hours not check in during the afternoon until check out in the morning. My dog MUCH prefers to stay with Andrea and her dogs when we go away as opposed to other options. The other guys (sounds like smooch!) always set her potty training back since they don't take the dogs out. Check out her prices for walks too, really reasonable. Andrea is responsible, responsive and very sweet. 5 stars, highly recommended! read more

Andrea is excellent. We have a feral cat who lived in our backyard for some months and then decided to move into our house. We have used Andrea 5 or 6 times now and every time she makes sure she communicates with us how Ombra, our cat, is doing every time she visits the house . She tries to take a picture when she can, since Ombra is skittish and usually does not show herself. Andrea has also taken video and we see how she is so loving toward our girl. Andrea is a true animal lover and will treat your pet as if it's her own. She is a professional who knows what she's doing. I highly recommend Andrea and A Bark And A Meow. Thanks Andrea!!! read more

We only used their dog walking service for a couple of months but Matthew was very good. He did a great job of leaving us a note everyday letting us know how the walk went. The prices were good and our pup was a happy dog. I would recommend this place to anyone looking for a good dog walking service. read more

My boyfriend and I tend to go out of town every year and we always use ABAAM. Andrea was helpful and came over to meet my cat and take notes as to what was expected to be done. I love getting pictures from the sitters who take care of my kitty- and I never worry about her well being when I use this company. read more

Andrea was referred to us by our neighbor in the same building and we were so lucky to stumble upon her. She walks our 11 year old shelter dog once a day, has taken her for a number of overnights, given her massages when her legs ache, and checked up on us (the humans) when we were home sick or ailing. She is like a member of the family. We are expecting a new member of the family (baby due in Oct.), and she has been so supportive in helping Teedie adjust and is "on call" for when labor begins and we have to head to the hospital. One of the greatest perks about A Bark and Meow is Andrea picks the dog up and drops her off when we board her at her home. We never have to worry about closing times, or late flights, because we know Andres is taking good care of her. I could not recommend a dog walker, border or general care taker more. Hope you enjoy A Bark and Meow as much as we have! read more

Andrea is awesome! She took good care of Niko my little Yorkie for a week. She is very caring and always kept me up to date with his daily activities via text. She also brought in my mail and left notes on Niko's daily acitivities. I am soo glad I met Andrea because boarding is not an option for me. He prefers to be home and take walks during the day. A Bark and Meow is my go to source for pet sitting. read more

Andrea and company have been sitting with our 3 cats for years and they have been providing wonderful care for the guys... they're excited to see her and are always happy around Bark and A Meow. They even water the plants, administer vitamins, supplements and prescriptions to the guys. They send text messages at least twice a day with news and status, let us know if anything happens worth noting, and are just the nicest people I know... very professional but also very human and just good people. Always responsible and never disappointing, I just love them and really recommend that you call them if you need help with your guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

Andrea is a wonderful dog person. She took care of our Corgi mix when we went out of town for 5 nights. She even sent us text messages to update us daily. Our dog was really frightened by fireworks and she got sick from the loud noises! Andrea took care of her and even gave her doggie meds (experienced as a vet tech). We were VERY pleased with A Bark and Meow and wouldn't hesitate to recommend Andrea to anyone. read more

I've used A Bark and a Meow several times for my cats. There are a million high end places for dogs in the city but I feel that cats get left behind. I couldn't find a place that boarded just cats and most of the times my cats were with dogs and would come home tramatized out of their minds. With Andrea coming to my house my cats stayed calm and in their own environment. It also provided me some house saftey with the lights being turned on and off and mail being collected. It's the perfect solution! read more

Andrea is wonderful! We usually have our in-laws watch our two dogs whenever we leave town and can't bring them along, but this past weekend, we wanted to find someone in the city to watch them. None of our friends and neighbors were able to, so I started searching (last minute) on Yelp to find a reasonably priced, well-reviewed place. I called Andrea on Thursday about watching the dogs Saturday through Sunday and she called me back about five minutes after I left a message (And apologised for the "wait"! I didn't even get a call or email back from the other places I tried to contact.) She was wonderful to talk to and very thorough in asking questions about the dogs needs and their personalities. I immediately felt very comfortable with her. She even offered to pick them up for us Friday night at no extra charge. While we were away, Andrea sent us picture, video and text updates of the dogs' activities. I think they were happier with her than they are at home. They stayed at her house, played with other dogs, went outside far more than they get to go at home as she has a yard for them to play in and took them on several walks a day, and she even gave them treats on top of the food that we sent along with them (she ok'd that with us for anyone with dietary concerns). Our dogs came back happy, healthy and wonderfully worn out and we paid at least half of what we would have paid at any other place I know of. I give A Bark And A Meow my highest recommendation and I will definitely be using them again the next time we get a chance and recommending them to all of my friends with pets. read more

I called Andrea when my friend said they couldn't watch my cat the day before I was to leave for a trip. She told me she was very busy, but she figured out how to stop by my place to meet with me anyway. She was thorough in asking what my cat's needs were and had a number of options on what kind of attention my cat would get (from a quick feeding to staying and playing with him for a half an hour). I felt completely comfortable handing over keys to Andrea (since she doesn't board cats, but drops by your house), knowing she would be entering my house, she was very professional. I got daily texts from Andrea while I was gone, letting me know how my cat was, she even recognized signs of diabetes and told me I might want to et him checked out. I came back and found notes detailing what times she was here and what she had done. I am thoroughly impressed by Andrea's performance and would recommend her to anyone needing a cat sitter. read more

Andrea and ABAAM is a down to earth pet sitting business. Although we would all be a little hesitant leaving a new addition to the family behind, Andrea was very accomodating and text messaged us our whole time away. She comes from a great background and has a special skill. When we picked Magic up, he was so happy to see me but didn't want to leave Andrea either. I think she did a fantastic job with him and we will not hesitate the next time we have to travel without Magic. read more

They claim on their website that "We are open to all Chicago for boarding and petsitting", this is not true. I live four miles south of the Loop and they told me it is too far for their petsitting services. I didn't really want to give them any kind of star rating for that because I wasn't able to use their services, but I thought that it was an important thing to note. read more

TLDR: if you care about the health and safety of your pet, avoid this place. We normally board our dog at the fantastic Tucker's Pups, but we were going out of town for a longer trip and thought our dog would be more comfortable in a home setting. Andrea seemed nice over email and her prices were fantastic. She took the time to do a meet and greet with us before we agreed to the boarding. In person, she seemed a little standoffish, but nothing too out of the ordinary. It wasn't until she came to pick-up our dog that things first seemed off. We have a canvas carrier that our (little) guy is very happy sitting in. We suggested that we put him in the case before Andrea put him in the car, but she said it was fine and would be better to give him free reign of the car. The second she drove off, we saw him jump onto the top of the back seat and stand on it precariously while she drove off completely oblivious. One sudden brake and he would have flown through the windshield. At that point, we were hours away from getting on a plane and had no other choice than to hope it was just a one-time mistake. The second we got our dog back we knew things had gone horribly wrong. He smelled worse than almost anything I had ever smelled. It smelled like he had been locked up in a house 24/7 surrounded by chain smokers and that he had been sprayed with an "air freshener" shortly before he was dropped off. I use quotations around "air freshener" because whatever smell was sprayed on him did not smell good. It smelled like a chemical disinfectant, something that was surely poisonous to a small dog. My husband nearly threw up because our dog smelled so bad. We showered him for over half an hour, but the smell had so completely permeated his fur that he still smelled bad. Even the insides of his ears had absorbed the smell. His carrier and other items (including his leash and dog collar) also smelled like they had been sitting in a trash dumpster filled with cigarette butts for weeks. These items had not been blessed with the disinfectant smell so it was more obvious what the stench was. We had to put everything through the washing machine three times before they no longer smelled. In addition to that, it was clear our dog had been fed all sorts of food, without our permission. On the last day of our trip, Andrea sent us a short video of our dog, which showed her feeding him treats. But she never asked us if he had any allergies or if we were okay with treats. We have fed him the same high-quality brand of dog food for years (Taste of the Wild), but since he has returned home, he has refused to eat anything except human food. What really said it all was the extreme level of happiness and excitement our dog displayed once he got home. As I said, we have taken many trips before. While he is always excited to see us when we return, this time he was so overjoyed that it was nearly an hour before he calmed down and stopped running around and jumping on us. We have never seen him like this before. The only positive thing I have to say about Andrea is that, during our trip, she sent us amateur pictures and one video of our dog, which we appreciated. But, people we have used from Rover.com have done the same, and usually with much better quality photos. Her half-hearted photography attempts showed to us that she does not really care about the animals, or their owners, at all. I am shocked and appalled that this place has been in business for 10 years. I have no experience with their dog walking services and now never will. read more

I'll get straight to the point. Bill who is co-owner of this business is extremely nice and willing when able. However his business partner Andrea is a complete joke. We set up an appointment to discuss boarding, I spent 20 minutes setting up the time, place to meet even discussing the cost. Call me "old school" she sent an email telling me she wasn't able to board our dogs. I'm ok with something coming up; but an email not a call. i just don't think that is a way to conduct a business. This may be a good business - we will never find out. read more

Bill's been watching our two (sadly now just one) cats for the last 4 years or so. He's very attentive and kind. One really can tell he loves animals. The very first time we used this service they were pretty much booked as we decided on a last minute trip. Even though their schedule was sot tight. Bill reached out after I contacted the owner and was able to accommodate us. We've had nothing but positive experiences with the company. read more

Really excellent service and affordable prices. I was so thrilled with a Bark and a Meow. Daily notes were left for me when I returned, as well as text messages of updates and images from each visit. Andrea showed a true interest for my cat and her well being while I was away. I would use her again in a heart beat! read more

Based on recommendations I saw on Yelp, I spoke with A Bark and a Meow about checking in on my cat for a weekend in January back in November. I told her where I live, and what the dates would be. She told me we would follow up, first after Thanksgiving, then after the New Year, since she was busy, but that "I will definitely do it." Understandable, it's a busy time of year for pet sitters (I know, I should have seen the red flags.) So, we're e-mailing back and forth, I've checked her references, we have a date and a time set up for her to come over and meet my cat a week before we leave town, and then suddenly...she remembers that she's too busy to watch my cat. A week before my trip. read more

A Bark and A Meow was great with my dog Max. It was the first time I have left him and Andrea took him into her home with her other puppies and he had a great time. She even text messaged me to tell me he was doing well. When I got home Max didnt even seen to miss me too much! Thanks so much! I will be using them again very soon! read more

I've had nothing but a good experience with Andrea taking care of my two bunnies. I've used Andrea multiple times now, and I've always come home to happy and healthy bunnies. I've found Andrea to be extremely accommodating too as not everyone is willing to pet-sit two bunnies with a lot of personality on short notice, and her prices are fair. Every time I'm away, Andrea texts me every day to tell me how my bunnies are doing, which I really appreciate. When I came home from the holidays, Andrea left a gift card to PetSmart and a lovely card. I'd recommend her to anyone. read more

Andrea and her walkers are top notch. My partner and I have used Andrea to walk Lois and have nothing but great things to say. Always on time, always responsive and very easy to work with. When we head out on vacation she boards our dog with her other dogs which makes us feel much more comfortable. She takes great care of Lois. Have nothing but great things so say about this business. read more