Hands down, Christi is the best dog walker in the East Bay. She is a first a dog lover, who is…read moreconscientious, organized, and thoughtful. Her pack walks exhaust the dogs while being safe and exciting for them. Her dog sitting sets my mind at ease as she knows dogs, her level head and knowledge ensure peace of mind while we are away.

this is also a long overdue review, I have used BARK AROUND THE BLOCK for many years. and…read more her staff are excellent. my dog; Rommel, a French bulldog he absolutely loves walking with her. She socializes the dogs with the group walks offered in the afternoons or morning walk. during the ongoing months The scheduling and communication is excellent ! My dog has improved greatly in all aspects of his socialization as well as his obedienc. Believe it or not for his breed he is so chill now. He loves his group walks! The trails are varied which is fabulous and keeps it interesting for the dogs. I have been extremely pleased with the excellent level of service provided by Bark Around the Block She is deserving of the Best Dog Walker of Alameda for the consecutive years, it has been awarded to her Company!

If I could give 6 stars I would! Tess was not only incredibly responsive but proactive while taking…read morecare of my 12 year old orange cat. I never go away and definitely get separation anxiety about leaving him. She took the time to get to know his needs well and thus really settled me to go on my trip. I was sent so many sweet photos of their time together. Lots of brushing, cuddling and play! I came home to him noticeably happy, which doesn't often happen when I've been gone. She really puts her full heart into caring for her clients.

Tess is very professional and truly an animal lover. I would trust her with my babies anytime. Also…read morevery competitive rates!

I was recommended to Lucia because she truly cares. Lucia cares for my little girl as if she were…read moreher own. Every time I drop her off she always goes running to her, that alone shows her true character. She has a huge back yard that is perfect for sun bathing and has snacks on snacks on snacks! She keeps the area clean and always does what she can to make my dot feel comfortable while I am away. I especially love when she sends me picture updates. Here are a few!

This is in response to Lucia's comment below…read more 1) He did not have existing scratches. Mickey stayed here for boarding from June 24-July 8. Please look at the newly added picture of his nose just the day before drop-off. Where are the scratches? Don't lie. I also have texts of you admitting you didn't notice the scratches on his nose during his stay or how they formed when we asked about it. Those are new scratches. 2) He recently stayed at another boarding center, Club K9 in Sunol, and he was fine. Zero issues. He came back with all A's on his report card. The handlers handled him fine. Multiple people were able to leash him and take him out without a problem. I highly recommend them for boarding. They have multiple people on site watching the dogs, instead of two. They have a better handle on the dogs and any situations that may arise. Aside from this experience that you claimed, I had zero experience of him showing any aggression to myself or others (including strangers). I'm not saying he didn't bite you or your nephew, I'm saying something or someone must've triggered it cause this has never happened before. NEVER. Since this was my first boarding experience, I went in blindly and trusted her version of what was happening, the biting, the fighting, etc.. After my second boarding experience elsewhere, I am more skeptical than ever about why Mickey was acting the way he was at Lucia's. I find it odd that he was showing aggression. He has stayed with me a total of 5 months now, 1 and a half months when I dropped him off at Lucia's, and was unsure of how he would act there since I've never done this before. After spending 5 months with him, the dog she described does not align with what I've been seeing on a daily basis. He has been in several foster homes and has never had any experience with aggression. Some homes included other dogs and cats. In regards to Lucia's comment "Which part of this are you taking responsibility for?" I should have researched your boarding center more and taken the 1-star reviews on yelp and google reviews more seriously. This was my first ever boarding experience and I wasn't sure what to look for or ask. During the meet and greet, there were no other dogs present but she assured me it was fine and that he would fit right in. Red flag #1 -- Since Lucia was the "expert" I trusted her judgment, although my partner questioned why there weren't any dogs around to be sure Mickey got along with them. Red flag #2 -- One person looking after 6+ dogs? I should've known better. Red flag #3 -- When feeding him the first night, he got into the other dogs' food. He has food allergies, I specifically asked for him to be isolated. She assured me MULTIPLE times that wasn't a problem. The instructions weren't followed and I have the texts to prove it. Red flag #4 -- He is kennel trained. He sleeps and eats in his crate since he went to the rescue and prior with his previous owners. One of the nights you let him out of the crate to feed him a snack in the middle of the night with your senior dog present when you could've just slip it into the crate. I'm not sure why he attacked your dog and I truly apologize if he did, but several of these situations could've been prevented had my instructions been followed. I should have pulled him out, but I had no one there to take care of him. If I could go back, I would've found somewhere else. I take responsibility for not doing more research and asking the proper questions during the meet and greet process. There are reviews of dogs getting loose during their stay and Lucia running down the block and yelling within the boarding facility and she acknowledges it in her replies there. I should've looked at all of this prior to our stay. That was my mistake. I let a lot of the red flags slide and put my dog's health and safety in jeopardy. If you have time, take a look at the reviews on google and dig further in yelp. I stand by my statement that if you have a rescue dog, please take them elsewhere. And based on the tone and replies to negative reviews, you should reconsider letting your dog stay here even if your dog is well-socialized and easy to care for.

Coleen is the dog whisperer!…read more She's great with our dog. From the moment we met her, we knew we can trust her with our pup. She has a very soothing and kind voice and gentle approach with our dog. She has a key to our house and picks up our pup. Our cockapoo and maybe terrier rescue is almost a year old. We've had her for 4 months and she's still "in training". She adores Coleen. We all adore Coleen and her team! Coleen has special days where you can schedule spa treatments/grooming sessions for your pet. Another great service is when she picks up pet supplies for you and drops it off at your home. Coleen is fabulous and we all are very fortunate to have her in our lives!

Coleen is an amazing pet sitter and doggie outing extraordinaire! She had cared for my cats and dog…read morefor about 20 years. She is remarkably reliable and has bailed me out on short notice more times than I can remember. She is also a priceless resource when it comes to local vets, pet stores, proper nutrition and behavioral problems. She is kind and patient. She recently boarded my dog for almost 2 months during my move to Boston. She keeps you connected to your beloved pet with text pics. Best dog walker, cat sitter in the East Bay! As an update, Coleen continues to take care of my dog Lucy - she will be boarding Lucy over the Christmas break. Her rates are very reasonable and she never boards too many animals as safety and comfort of the pets in her care are her top priority.

Our pups first groom and cut. Emily was great! Echo looks so…read morehandsome! He was happy and loving when we picked him up! He wasn't traumatized or unhappy. We'll be back!

Convenient now that there's a doggie daycare in Alameda where the old jazzercise used to be…read more Our dog has been here a few times and seems to enjoy it. The great thing is they take several photos and have a summary of your dog's day on a report card at the end of the day too. The only thing is I wish they were open Sundays too.

We've had Imari come to our home as a pet sitter for several trips over the last year and I wish we…read morehad found her sooner! She cares for our two kitties like they are her own and is so professional. There's always a check in a couple days before our scheduled visits and each day we receive multiple photos and/or videos. You can tell she takes pride in her work and I love being able to support local business owners. Highly recommend Imari to anyone looking for a pet sitter in the East Bay!

We absolutely adore Imari. She is so dependable and great with our two cats, Fitz and Luna…read more When she checks on them we can tell she takes the time to give them each a little love and attention, even our Fitz (who can be surly at times). Would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a good pet sitter in the East Bay!

I formerly received dog walking services from a large "established"company based out of Oakland…read more While my dogs did seem to enjoy participating in their weekly adventure hikes with this organization, there were elements that turned me off such as lack of flexibility, steep prices, and a rotating cast of walkers- none of which seemed to stick around. I have found that this is pretty much par the course for many of the East Bay dog walking companies that I have looked into. A couple months ago, a friend from the Alameda Pet Shelter (place where I adopted both of my pups) recommended Zack with Unmarked Territory. Zack was wonderful with both of my dogs and paid special attention to my older dog's health concerns. You can tell he has a lot of experience with dogs big and small. I love getting my report card at the end of each walk describing all of the fun and exciting places my pups have been! Very reliable, professional, affordably priced- and flexible! Unmarked Territory is the best!

I met Hollyce almost 2 years ago. I was frazzled as a day old dog mom, with a 6 week old puppy in…read moremy arms, buying a bottle of wine at my local corner store. Hollyce noticed I might need help. She gave me her card and I called her the next day. She has helped me take care of (and learn to take care of) my baby ever since. She is incredibly flexible and reliable, and there is literally no one else I trust my dog with. Prior to Covid, I was working in the field as a social worker. Sometimes I would get stuck at work for hours past when I supposed to get home. On those days, Hollyce always came through, and would pick up Pancho or hang on to him for the entire day. Literally sometimes I wouldn't be back home until 8 at night. Now that I'm mostly working from home, I still ask Hollyce to pick up pancho (because we love her) and if she notices I'm stressed, she'll just hang on to him for me and he'll get a few extra hours of attention in (probably why she has so many dogs on certain days). She is exceptional as a dog walker and trainer, and just as importantly, as a human. We love her so much, sometime we will coordinate trips to the dog park on days Pancho doesn't go with her, just so we can have the joy of playing with her and her well-trained pack. So, if you're looking for for a dog walker who will literally walk that extra mile with your dog, Holly is your gal!!

Holly is so fabulous! I've never felt more comfortable leaving my cat with anyone, including my…read moreclose friends, neighbors, and family members who see my cat on a regular basis. My cat has a ton of energy and is an escape artist--she wants to go outside so bad! Holly took care of our baby while we were away and was extra cautious when coming and going. She stayed for a few hours each visit to play with our cat and form a relationship with her while we were away. It felt so good knowing our sweet girl was in such good hands.