I am leaving a second review here. My previous review is under Ryan H. Before I got married. The review is about the same ferrets. This past winter (Dec 2017-Feb 2018), we had to move to Boston because our daughter, born Jan 2018, was going to need several open heart surgeries. I needed serious long-term with our ferries. Angie and Michele not only took our two boys in for 2.5 months, they let me pay them back when I could due to the unknown of medical bills. They also came to pick up our super heavy cage before we left for Boston so the boys could stay in familiar surroundings. They always come back healthy and happy. I will never go anywhere else. read more

We used them a couple times when they were at their old location. They were fine then. But it seems the lady who used to work there now is in more of an ownership role only and has hired a legless man (all for employing the disabled as long as they are capable of filling the role), but I saw him tossing cats around (because its the only way he can keep them from escaping when he goes in to the enclosure) and after our cat's latest stay, he has come home and for the past four days been ******* in the tub, and when the BR door is closed ****** all around the living room. Diarrhea. He is clearly very sick from something they fed him, or he contracted while staying there. They also haven't answered their phone for days that we have been trying to reach them about this. Strongly recommend you board elsewhere. Edit: Disregard what Michelle posted, another strike against them, lying. They never contacted us about the issue but tried to save face on Yelp by claiming they did. Stay away at all costs. read more

I took my dog here for an evaluation and opted not to leave him here for longer than 15 minutes. The small dog area is the size of a walk in closet and no one was keeping an eye on them. It's basically just a make shift area behind the reception area and none of the small dogs were playing. Perhaps there's more space for the large dogs....but I couldn't tell since there were also dogs just walking around without supervision (seriously, when we walked in we were greeted by an unsupervised dog who "just comes here a lot" so he was allowed to just roam). The woman working here was very friendly but it seems like a major waste to just have my dog sit in a small area. read more

We had several good experiences having our Kitten stay at the Cats only Broad street location in Falls Church, but we are now concerned that there is a service/safety problem with this organization. They say they have people on site when they are open. They claim to have 24-hour supervision at both dog (in Merrifield) and cat (in Falls Church) locations. I don't believe that is true. The last time we used their services, in August 2012, no one answered the door when we arrived at 9am for our SCHEDULED pick up time. When the staffer finally answered the door at 9:45, after repeatedly pounding and ringing the doorbell, and repeated phone calls to both dog and cat locations, instead of apologizing, the staff person laughed it off. We figured that was a one time event, and were willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. However, that was the last time we will ever use their services. We've tried repeatedly over the past several days to contact someone at both cat and dog locations to make a reservation for our cat for next week (October 15, 2012). I've called the cat location repeatedly, always getting the machine. I've left messages at different times of day asking for a callback, and two days later have still not received a return phone call. I've also called repeatedly to the dog location, also getting the answering machine. My wife finally got through to a person at the dog location today after having the same luck. They told us that someone would be available to answer phones at the cat location in 30 minutes. We tried again, and got the answering machine again. I am sincerely disappointed, as our cat seemed to really enjoy spending time at this facility rather than being kenneled at the vet. We no longer trust that she will be safe and continually monitored by this organization. If you care about your pets being supervised when you are out of town, buyer beware. read more

Great service when you are there, but they never respond to emails or phone calls. Always There does not seem to really represent their business model. #disappointing read more

My boyfriend and I hired Michele for a series of in-home training classes. I believe she also offers group classes. We found her through Pet Supplies Plus in Falls Church, which offered us a discounted rate. She gave us some great training tips for our 2 lab mixes. We've made some real progress on the leash, which has helped our walks become more enjoyable. We also made significant progress on resource guarding during feeding time, which has made our house so much more peaceful. We still have a little ways to go on another aggression issue, but Michele did give us some additional resources during our last session. And she's checked on us a few times since then. I can definitely recommend Michele for dog obedience training. She really knows her stuff. Her classes are much better than the ones offered at Petsmart. read more

I've taken two different cats here for years. They used to be in a more office-like facility but recently relocated to their own building. It's more home-like now which seems great for some cats. They always make sure that every animal there is up to date on shots. Every cat I see there when I drop off or pick up my cat seems quite content and happy. I left my cat there with a week's supply of canned food plus a few extra cans. I instructed that he be fed 1 can per day. But when I picked him up they told he had run out of his food "days ago" so they had switched him to their food. To me that means they either overfed him, lost the cans, or fed his food to other cats, or didn't listen to my instructions. I feed him pretty expensive food too. When I took my cat home after an extended stay there he hid in the bathtub for a few days and didn't seem himself. I stopped using Always There after that, and have been boarding him with my vet instead. He always come back 100% himself from the vet boarding, and they feed him the exact amount of food I instruct. I miss their old setup, where every cat had a large private cage and only one cage at a time was allowed to roam free, rather than every cat. read more

I encourage pet owners to make an unannounced visit if you are considering this as a place to board your pets. I did so this weekend and there was one person (the receptionist) trying to juggle both the dog wing and cat wing. I asked to see the cat area and she looked a little reluctant and asked me to wait while she went upstairs. A couple minutes later took me up. The stained carpeted steps leading up to the cat area are filthy and the area is used as a place to stash cleaning supplies and extra litter. Despite advertising there is 24/7 supervision, that is not the case. I asked where the staff was and they were off doing home visits and would be back "sometime later". The cage free condos are dark and dirty and there are 7 house cats that roam freely in the cat area. I can not speak to the dog wing or the talents of the dog trainers. I don't know. My only point is that you should judge for yourself whether there is sufficient staff and whether the cleanliness of the place meets your standards. read more

We've boarded our kitty at a few places over the years but none has been as comfortable for him as Always There Pet Care. Each cat gets his or her own roomy "condo" where his food, water, bathroom, and kitty furniture is. There's also a common area where the kitties can socialize if they want. The place is clean, sunny, and the owners are incredibly friendly, helpful, and clearly care a lot about each of the cats. Our cat was there for 6 nights and was happy and relaxed when we returned! I'd recommend Always There to anyone in the VA area looking for a place to board their cat. read more

Terrible and smelly place. Apathetic staff. Dogs do not seem to have much stuff to do there. No outdoor space and it looked like they were in rooms w/ absolutely no staff w/ them. This place is more expensive than the one I usually go to (but it was full). Had to leave my dog for over a week because I had no options. She came back skinnier and smelly. I did not have a good feeling walking in and was worried through out my vacation. People there don't make any attempt to make you feel any better. Not taking my pet there ever again. read more

Yes, I am a Super-Fan of the kitty condo location. I'd never kenneled my fur-baby before and was really nervous about it. I went to see another kennel before I found Always There. They put me at ease right away, and I loved the fact that they let your cat out of the condo for an hour instead of 15 min 1x or 2x a day!! They get let out for an hour and rotate all day between all the tenants. The condo's themselves are big, at least compared to the one I saw, and roomy. It's very inviting and laid-back and I think the animals will respond to that as well. SO happy I found them and can breathe easy knowing I now have Always There Pet Care as an option for when I go on long trips. Highly recommend if you love your pet as much as I love mine! read more

I have been taking my dog to doggie daycare here since September. They may not always remember my name, but they always remember my dog. My dog is always exhausted before we even get home.Yes, they are busy but the staff there is kind and courteous to me and loving towards my dog. There have been a few times that they have forgotten to trim my pup's nails (after a few requests), but in all fairness I never stuck around to have them enter it into the computer (thus, partly my error). I have not seen the back facilities, but my husband has and was pretty well satisfied (and he is well aware of my high expectations). We have also boarded both our dog AND our cat overnight here and have never had any problems. I do wish that this place was a little more conveniently located, and a little less expensive (perfect location if you live in Falls Church), however I would definitely recommend Always There Pet Care, especially if your dog has extra energy that needs to be run off during the day. :) read more

I have been taking my dogs to Always There Pet Care for almost 4 years now. I have never been disappointed. Angela and Michele have a wonderful home-away-from-home for my "babies." They love going there. Sometimes I just drop them off to have some socialization for the day, and sometimes they are there anywhere from one overnight to a week. They are always happy and tired when I pick them up. And, when they are there for more than a couple of nights, I have them bathed and their nails clipped before I pick them up. The place is always clean, and the staff is wonderful. You can tell they all love animals! I never have to worry when I leave them here. Michele is training both of my dogs, also. Taz is 4 and Izzy is 2, and I thought it was too late to train them and get them under control. I was so wrong. We have only had 3 private sessions with Michele so far, and I am amazed at how both dogs are coming along. I actually see light at the end of the tunnel, two happy dogs, and two very happy owners! read more

There are basically two requirements for cat sitting: feed the cats, and clean the litter box. One is not a pleasant job, but it's not rocket science - scoop out the litter and throw it away. Inexplicably, neither of the two sitters did anything like that. The litter box was filthy to the point of being unusable by our three cats. Two of our cats, both of who have fastidiously used the litter box without trouble for multiple years, took to pooping and peeing on the carpet because the litter box was disgusting. We are now a week and quite a lot of money into trying to retrain them to do what they did naturally and there is no end in sight. Please do right by your kitties and stay away from these two until they get their act together. read more

This is the first on-line review I have ever done, but given our experience with in home pet care, I cannot recommend their services. We arranged for a pet sitter to come to our house twice a day for a 5 day period. We have one dog and one cat. The dog was to be walked twice a day and both were to get food and water twice a day. We returned to completely emply water bowls and frantic pets who fought each other for water when the bowl was filled (despite the last visit was to have been no longer than 6 hours prior). Additionally, my dog was so constipated that he was in pain and had spill-over diarrhea all over the small room they sleep in and his bed. My husband was so concerned he took the dog to the emergency vet to determine that it was ONLY dehydration and severe constipation. After two days and more bowel movements that you can imagine the dog was back to normal. We called but were never able to reach the owners and never received a call back. I wrote a letter describing our concerns and asking for the return of the house key. The reply I got back was the house key. I cannot recommend a pet sitting service that does not actually ensure the dog evacuates while on a walk over a serveral day period, or does not refill water bowls, and DOES NOT EVEN respond to customers with concerns about the service provided. read more

Over the last 12 months or so my Wife and I had used this service several times to attend to our two cats (Smokey & Rusty) as we travel regularly. While out of the country September 3rd thru September 13th, 2015 we had arranged for them to visit our home and check on Smokey & Rusty three times while we were away, once on Saturday 9/5, once on Tuesday 9/8, and finally once on Fri 9/11. We confirmed this schedule with them before leaving on our trip to be sure our two cats would be well cared for in our absence. 'Always There Pet Care', by their own admission, had an unforeseen scheduling issue while we were away traveling and they "forgot" about their commitment to my Wife and I, resulting in no visits to our home to check on, feed, water, scoop litter, and keep company with Smokey and Rusty. When we returned on 9/13/15 the scene that greeted us was sad in the extreme. As a result of their oversight Rusty continues to be extremely sick following major dehydration and Smokey did not survive the experience, passing away from dehydration and the resultant Kidney failure on Monday 9/14/15. By our estimation their water ran out 3 or 4 days before we returned home. Had 'Always There Pet Care' performed their service as advertised (and relied upon ) then water would have been replenished during each of their three scheduled visits. 'Always There Pet Care' did seem sincere in their apologies when we told them of this (and up to this point we had no issues whatsoever with their service), but when you run a service such as this where people entrust the care of their pets to professionals so you can travel, comfortable in the knowledge that someone is keeping an eye on your kitties, then this oversight of theirs is inexcusable and we would strongly recommend against using them as we feel they betrayed our trust in their service and as a result we have had to bury our beloved Smokey (and can only hope that Rusty recovers). Smokey was a friendly, happy, playful cat in good health and well cared for, she did not deserve this. We hope no one else's kitties are subjected to such a painful and sad outcome resulting from an oversight such as this. read more

We have tried to use Always There twice. The first time, when we went to pick up our cat, noone was there, and we had to return home until they called, explaining that a vet appointment ran long. That was understandable. The next time, we tried to drop our cat off at a few minutes past 9AM, having called the night before to confirm their availability. No one was there by 9:40 (despite their posted opening time of 9 AM), and we had to make other arrangements. While your cats may be well cared for if you are lucky enough to get them in the door (or out the door), the chances of that happening are hit or miss at best. The lack of responsiveness, and fact that the office is not normally staffed, raises safety concerns in my mind as well. read more

I love always there pet care. I use them to take care of my cats at least 3 times a year. Angie is awesome and takes amazing care of our pets. I would highly recommend them. I trust them completely. read more

We have regularly boarded our clowder of cats in the "suite" at Always There's cat facility (which is actually in Falls Church) and have been generally pleased with the service; special kudos to Michele who helped give our car a jump start after we had loaded the cats into it for the drive home only to find that the battery had died. read more

I would trust any one of my pets with Michele or Angie as I also trust their judgement when hiring the staff that will also care for my pets. I have been with them since their old location in Falls Church. They have been providing a fun and safe place for my pets when I can't. The new location will be no different. I can't wait to see the new place when it is finished. And I continue to trust them while they are in their temporary location. Michele and Angie are there for all the right reasons- they love animals! read more

We have boarded our two cats at the Falls Church facility several times and all times, they have come home happy and content! The cats love the facility and enjoy being able to roam around exploring. Even our most nervous cat is happy there. The owners are fantastic - they listen to your needs and do their best to ensure a quality stay for the kitties. Will definitely use them again and would recommend them highly. read more

I am a big fan of Always There Pet Care. I have two large dogs who have been going there for the past 7 years. The facility is clean and the staff are always friendly and are especially good with the dogs. Their cageless boarding facility is great and the dogs always come home happy and exhausted--exhausted because the dogs have had so much activity playing with and interacting with the other dogs. I see no reason to ever look for another pet boarder. read more

Don't know what Adam is talking about, but I've known the owners of for almost 20 years, and have taken multiple dogs, and cats for them to care for, and have always had a happy healthy cat or dog returned. If Adams didn't take his cats own food for them to use, then I can see where the cat could have stomach problems. Each time I've taken our animals, I have always taken enough food for them to have while we are gone. I know for a fact if the "legless man" mishandled any animal, he wouldn't be working there. read more

I was running on crunch time and needed a place to board my dog and cat for the Thanks Giving holiday. I tried multiple dog/cat boarding facilities but none of them were to my liking. I was going to give up and just stay home for the Thanks Giving holiday until I found Always There Pet Care, it was like a great relief came over me. So I gave them a call at the last minute and they assured me that they had room to board my animals. They were very polite and gave me a run-down about the place, and what really astounded me was the fact that the cats have their own kitty condo resort separate from the dogs!! I really thought that was great because my cat doesnt like too much noise, so that same day I went to view both the kitty resort, and dog resort. When I entered the Kitty Condo Resort it was amazing, the employees were very polite and helpful, and it was very clean and quiet just like my cat likes it. They assured me that the cats are supervised 24/7 and that through-out the day they have time to come out and explore. I love that they even have a suite, it costs a little more than the regular condos but it's well worth it. Overall, the Kitty Condo Resort gave me a wholesome feeling that my cat will be well cared for, and they did an awesome job. When I came to pick up my cat she didn't even want to come home with me. She was too busy playing with catnip. As far as the Dog Resort goes, it was very clean as well. The employees were very helpful, they insisted that I have a tour so that I knew where my dog was staying. They showed me the different rooms, and there was a staff member in every room playing with the dogs. Really, thats all I needed to see. Overall I love both the Kitty and Dog Resort, and I would recommend them to everyone. They're really helpful and understanding, you don't need an appointment for a tour, they're clean, you can tell they care about the animals because they treat them like they're own. I just loved the place. I HOPE THEY READ THIS BECAUSE I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU AGAIN FOR TAKING ME IN AT THE LAST MINUTE, I AM NOW A DEVOTED CLIENT. THANKS read more

It's not easy to find a good cat sitter and this facility "always" does a great job at taking care of my cat. My cat has boarded here five times and has always done great when she's back home. Her behavior is one of a happy cat that has had the right attention. They provide a litter box in each condo as well as food for the cat(s) but I always bring in my cat's own food just to make her happy. If you have more than one cat that needs to board they will place two cats in one condo for those of you with bonded cat pals. I haven't had any issues and feel comfortable leaving my cat here, especially since they require vaccines for the cats before they can board. I have always called my reservation in advance so have not had issues with booking availability. There's plenty of parking in the back and doors are kept locked to keep the cats from escaping! This is a reliable place with owners who care about cats. read more