I screened a lot of potential dog sitters and when I met Ken and Yvette I knew they would be the perfect ones to care for my two dogs when we went away occasionally. They came to my house in MD and visited for an hour to get to know me and my dogs and their needs. They are wonderful and trustworthy people and they are insured and bonded. They also Red Cross Pet Tech Safety and First Aid Trained. They really are just passionate about what they do! Not only did they text me while we were away to let me know how my dogs were doing they left notes for me upon my return. I felt relieved to know my dogs were in great hands. I would recommend them to anyone who needs a pet sitter of any sort of dog walker. read more

FurPals Pet Care - Ken and Yvette - Dog Walkers Near Me

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My husband and I moved, with our two cats, to the area a little over a year ago. We searched for the right place to board the cats when we traveled but found them all too expensive ($40/cat/day!) and small (a 5'x5' cell for two 16 pound cats!) Then we found Ken & Yvette. They came over to introduce themselves and to have a meet & greet with the "furkids" as they call them. We started using them around the holidays last year and haven't stopped. They're great with a lot or a little notice and they've been very flexible when we've had travel delays and can't make it back on time (by days even.) The icing on the cake for me happened tonight though. I realized I locked myself out of our apartment, before leaving work, and had no other way in. It was call Ken & Yvette (who as part of their services say they'll come and let you in for a fraction of the cost of your landlord) or call the landlord/wait forever/pay $200. Sooo, hopefully, I called Ken and Yvette. Ken was at the metro station before I even got there, escorted me back to the apartment, and made sure I got in safely. Amazing. :) read more

Yvette is a great cat sitter. She is responsive when we need her services and is available on short notice. Our cat is always well-cared for and loved on by her while we are away. She also looks after the house and makes sure any packages left outside make it inside. Overall, she is just a lovely, kind and generous person who takes an interest in her clients and wants to ensure they are satisfied with their pet sitter. Next time you need a pet sitter, hire her. read more

Ken and Yvette have been life savers for me and Maggie, my somewhat neurotic Hurricane Katrina surviving cat. When I go out of town I have full confidence that they will do the job. They were extremely thorough in interviewing me and Maggie at the beginning. Pricing is fair with no surprises. I would recommend them without hesiation. read more

We had a terrible experience with this company. We hired them to cat-sit for our two cats (a 2-year-old and a 15-year-old) for five days. They DID NOT SHOW UP! Not once, not ever. For FIVE DAYS. We came home to two cats who were starved for food and affection (they had a small amount of water left in the bowl). We're lucky the experience didn't kill the 15-year-old cat. Yvette said she "got the dates wrong." It was human error. That's not acceptable when there are two owners - each one can check the other. I sent them an email notification about our travel dates, and Yvette responded, affirming that she would take care of the pets. DON'T TRUST YOUR PETS TO FUR PALS. Read the other negative review (posted March 31, 2010). The owners can't be trusted, and your pets could suffer. read more

I have used Fur Pals multiple times - probably 4 or 5 - for shorter trips no longer than 4 or 5 days to help care for my fairly self-sufficient cat. At first, I was thrilled with the attentiveness and ease of contacting and using this company. I got texts, notes were left, and my cat never seemed to attention-starved upon my return. However, I just recently booked them for 6 visits every other day over a period of two weeks. I was nervous immediately because a new staff member was coming over to my condo to take care of my cat instead of Fur Pals owner, whom I'd personally met. A few days into my trip, I hadn't heard a peep from the sitter as to how everything was going, so I decided to text then email Fur Pals for an update. It was another few days before I got a response, and only after a slew of calls and insistent emails expressing my concern for my pet. I was already anxious, but his is where I got mad. The day after what would have been the third visit, I got a call from one of my very good friends (and fellow animal enthusiast) that upon her visit to check in on my cat (she was just saying hi and checking his water, but not asked to do anything else due to some current health issues), she found my cat completely without water and a litter box that was solid as a rock. I was pissed. I knew there was NO way my cat's litterbox would be a solid brick of pee and poo had Fur Pals ever picked it out when/if they had come the previous three times (the last was supposed to have been the day before my friend called me), nor would his water bowl had been bone dry, I attempted to contact Yvette via phone. I left a voicemail and multiple emails expressing my concern for my cat's care (or lack thereof), and after about 3 or 4 times of my telling her over email and saying I needed to speak with her in person immediately (since that is her "preferred" method of communication and she has "black holes" and issues with her iphone), and an email saying "he is fine....no news is good news," I FINALLY got a call. I have had jobs in customer services most of my life, and I've even been a professional pet-sitter on the side. But you don't need to have this background or know anything related to pet-care to be suspicious when someone's supposed livlihood is in caring for other's pets but she starts making excuses and pointing the finger at YOU. On the phone, the owner told me she did not believe my friend was telling the truth, said things like "she's not one of our employees we've had problems with" (in regards to the non-existent sitter coming over), "this is why I don't like co-caring for pets with clients friends," or "this is why we don't like to do every-other-day visits" (without any disclosure of these things previously). If those comments weren't concerning enough, every other minute she was telling me she is too busy to deal with this, this "isn't her or the pet-sitter's only job," and kept asking if I just wanted them to stop coming (when I still have them scheduled for 3 more visits over the next 5 days). These rude and unnprofessional comments pretty much conveyed to me that she did not care what happened to my pet or our professional relationship, was not interested in making things right or coming to a resolution, and was perfectly happy dropping my contract and letting my friend finish up the work THEY had been paid to do. In my life experiences, someone who reacts in an overly defensive and accusatory manner in response to a client's concern, instead of apologizing for what happened and trying to make things right, is obviously feeling guilty about something. To be honest, I'm really sad this experienced has happened as up until this point, I'd never had any issues using Fur Pals. But then again, previously I was only gone short periods of time, and I didn't have anyone else following up on Fur Pals care (intentionally or not), so if something wasn't being done, I'd have never had known. Obviously, my 1 star rating speaks for itself. I would have given Fur Pals ZERO stars if I could have, based on the lack of care I had paid for UP FRONT (a questionable professional practices for services difficult to confirm or deny) and the absolutely unprofessional response I recieved in relation to my warranted concerns about my pet. I've noticed most of the positive reviews come from dog owners. I guess it is more difficult to skip caring for dogs, who must be walked, than cats, who just need their litter scooped every now and then. Thanks god for my friend, who did half of their job, NOT Fur Pals, whose care I'd never recommend again. I know this is a long review, but that is because I want everyone who is considering this service to know the experience I had. Maybe it was a fluke, but I don't think so, considering my story is very consistent with the other poor reviews. Please be sure to read the FILTERED REVIEWS. Most of the negative reviews are here for some reason. read more

I had a great experience my first time with Fur Pals - came home from a two week vacation with handwritten notes detailing every time that the pet sitter had come by and was very impressed. Unfortunately, this level of service does not appear to be normal. The second time I hired Fur Pals, my cat was not checked on until 11:00pm (I know because I have to buzz the pet sitter into my apartment building.) I sent an email about it, because I was told when I hired Fur Pals that the petsitter would come by in the early afternoon, and was told that cats don't care when someone comes over as long as they get fed. No apology or attempt to explain why a mid-afternoon visit was pushed until 11:00pm at night. My email wasn't responded to until over a week later, and I didn't receive my apartment keys back until almost a month later, after I repeatedly emailed to ask for them back. The worst part is that if I didn't need to buzz the sitter into my building I never would have found out that my cat hadn't been checked on for over 36 hours! When I was asked for my apartment keys back, I was told that not having full access to the building was against Fur Pals policy so they were planning to return my keys anyway. Maybe they don't want other clients knowing what time they visit their pets? Like Meredith K., I was extremely surprised that Yvette, when she did respond to me, had a litany of excuses for why she hadn't responded (changing schedules, horribly busy, was sick etc.) Horribly unprofessional and rude - I will never use them again. read more

I was initially nervous leaving my two cats home alone, as they are young, crave attention, and like to get into things. However, Yvette and Furpals has been great. Yvette came over to meet them initially and requires you to fill out really thorough paperwork. It is also really easy to book them, even though you probably has to reserve more in advance on holiday weekends (and they charge an additional holiday fee). I have now used Furpals a couple of times, and whenever I get home, there are notes about the cats, the cats are happy and relaxed, and the liter area is cleaner than I left it. I also asked Yvette to send a text the first visit of the trip, and she happily agreed. Overall, I highly recommend Furpals. read more

Fur Pals came to my rescue when the my current pet sitting company went MIA a couple of days before I was scheduled to leave town for a week and a half. I called several pet sitting companies trying to find an alternate and all I got was email address, form letters, and voice mail until Fur Pals. They came over the same evening and everything was set up and ready to go. When I returned my dog was happy and normal and I was relieved and happy. read more

I agree Ken and Yvette have been great to my dogs. I travel extensively and they were always willing to jump in at the last minute when needed, always sent photos and updates while I was away and great notes when I come home. My dogs always seem calm and happy when I return. I haven't had to use pet sitting as much since my wife moved in but have referred many people to Fur Pals who have had great success with them. Yvette still stays in touch to let me know she misses the "kids" and I would definitely use them should the need arise again. read more

We love FurPals! We have has used them for the last three years over holidays when our other volunteer pet-sitters are also out of town. Our cats are always happy when we get home, and they provide helpful updates. Yvette is lovely and has always been easy to work with. read more

Based off the strength of the above review and the Fur Pals website itself I left my cats in the care of Fur Pals while I went on vacation. Never having left my cats alone for a long period of time I was worried. But I didn't really need to be. The owners and the person responsible for watching my cats did indeed come to my place and get to know me and my pets. Yvette and Ken really knew their stuff and were very personable and professional. They sent fun little email and text updates after every visit that really helped me relax. Our sitter also picked up our mail and even left a nice little thank you card waiting for us when we returned! read more

Yvette and Ken are absolutely wonderful! I've had them petsit for me numerous times, and each time they impress me more. Where do I begin? 1) They are incredibly flexible with dates (I've had to ask them to petsit on very short notice on more than one occassion, and they had no problem). 2) They really take care of your pets and home as if you were family. 3) Every time I'm away I come back to a house that is somehow neater than when I left; my kitties' messes are cleaned up (including hairballs on carpet!), they're happy and well-fed, and my mail is neatly stacked on my kitchen counter. Last time I had some perishables delivered while I was away and forgot to mention it, and Yvette put them away neatly in my fridge. 4) They leave detailed notes about their visits and how your pets are behaving while you're away. So nice! 5) They're incredibly friendly, patient, and helpful. Amazing customer care. I simply don't have enough good things to say about them. FurPals will be my petsitting service of choice until they drop ME! :) read more

Wow..............I met Yvette and Ken on a recommendation. Wow..............I was more than impressed with their response, interview and professionalism. After my first message from them, I was able to enjoy vacation. Upon arrival, I found everything in order and my kids were just as I left them. I have nothing but favorable things to say, so if you are looking for negativity. It won't be here. Thanks to their interview, they helped me to plan for things never imagined when it comes to care. Thank you Ken and Yvette and the staff of Furpals. read more

At the last minute, I needed someone to take care of my cat while I was out of town for several days. I called Yvette a couple of days prior to leaving town and am happy to report that she was able to fit me in their schedule! This would be the first time I ever left Grayson alone for this amount of time and was concerned about how he would react to my absence. The reports I received while gone were all very positive. Grayson had great interaction with the associate, Joe, who checked up on him. He even let Joe trim his nails!! When I returned, Joe had left a detailed progress report for each day and I truly appreciated that. I think it shows the level of care and commitment on the part of the company. All in all, the care Grayson received was superb!! It was a wonderful thing to be able to be on vacation and not worry about the care he was receiving. I will definitely use their services again!! They are the best!!! read more

Yvette is wonderful -- she agreed to look after my cat on short notice during the holidays and always texts me a photo or two of the critter. read more

When I first was considering Yvette, I read the terrible reviews on here and should have trusted them! But, someone had recommended her, so I ignored them. When I met her in person, she only wanted to talk about herself, rather than ask about my dogs, but I was naive and didn't trust my gut. Now I wish I had. My neighbor who works from home said Yvette never actually walked our dogs, she just let them out in the backyard. Super lazy. She is also crazy--really emotional and unpredictable. She tried to give our house key to a strange guy to walk our dogs while she was away, and she admitted he had never taken care of dogs before. What the hell? When we told her we were not ok with this, she freaked out and called us all sorts of horrible names. Such bizarre behavior. I wish I have never ever left any of my dogs home alone with her. Our dog is much happier now that she is not coming to the house and has a new walker. (our experience sounds so much like Meredith's review, wish I had taken her advice to stay away!) read more

We set up an appointment with these folks to come by between 8:30 and 10 am. They never showed, never called or emailed to explain why they couldn't make it or to reschedule, and never responded to phone calls. Utterly unprofessional. read more

Love these guys. When I was admitted to the hospital unexpectedly, fur pals stepped in right away. Even gave us a discount and left a gift for our new baby. Answer emails and texts. So glad we have them. read more

Yvette is the consummate professional. Fur Pals has been taking care of my cat when I travel since 2009. They are kind and caring with my pet and careful and thoughtful in my home. I would highly recommend them to anyone! read more

Overall I have had a good experience with FurPals. They are great with last minute pet sitting requests and I like that they have different rates for longer/shorter time periods and not just one set price. Everyones needs are different so it's nice to have options. I usually get daily text updates and even a picture or two of my pets while I'm gone! Upon my return I always have friendly notes to read from each day Yvette was there. FurPals really helps me to feel comfortable that my pets are in good hands while I'm away. read more

I rarely post reviews as I am always skeptical of extreme write ups, but I have to let people know how please I am with Fur Pals! I went on vacation for about three weeks and my dogs stayed with a friend in DC before I moved back to the city. Yvette met me at my friend's house the day I dropped them off to go on vacation and I felt at ease immediately that someone else understood that my dogs are like my children. Having transitioned from another dog walking company it is nice to feel like my dogs come before the business. Fur Pals continues to provide walks for my pups and I couldn't be happier. read more

After calling around Furpals was the only company that gave me peace of mind to leave my cat at home for the first time with a sitter. Yvette, the owner, was extremely kind and set me up with Carmen to check on our cat daily. I absolutely loved Carmen and so did our cat. Carmen was extremely understanding about my nervousness to use use a sitter and sent photos after her visits so I could feel at ease. She even helped out with a last minute ordeal to get my keys to a friend who needed a place to stay while I was away. I recommend this company and particularly Carmen to those looking for a cat sitter. read more

I have used Fur Pals numerous times over the past year and Yvette and her staff are wonderful! I never have to worry about them showing or taking proper care of my cat. It's such a relief to know that you can trust someone with a key to your home and the safety of your pet. I adore Yvette and highly recommend her. read more

I moved to DC about a year and a half ago, and have always worried about leaving my cat (who has abandonment issues!!!) alone for more than a day. She is the cat that goes on hunger strikes, gets an upset stomach, and scratches raw spots on her body when she is nervous or anxious. I used to go as far as driving down to Richmond, where my family lives, to have her stay there while I was away. Recently, plans to leave her in Richmond fell through and I had a scheduled week-long trip. I was panicking about what I would do with my cat while I was gone. I knew I couldn't board her, and really felt nervous about leaving her alone. My fears were instantly eased when I met Yvette. The same day I emailed her for help, she called back and we schedule a meeting time the next day! She came in and we chatted for over a half hour! She is so personable and her love of animals (and their owners) is evident. She met Lucy, I gave her a tour of my place, and we set up times for my cat to be visited during the week I was away. They have paperwork that covers everything...after filling it out, I knew that FurPals would pay attention to every particular detail, especially the oddball ones specific to my cat. While I was gone, I had the option to call/email/receive text updates. When I returned, my cat was happy, healthy, and fine! There was a detailed log of everything that had happened during visits sitting on my kitchen table. FurPals even brought in mail and packages that arrived while I was gone! I could not have been any happier. I just returned after a second trip for Memorial Day Weekend, to the same level of care and detail as the first round with FurPals. They even administered medication this time around. I signed up for yelp just to recommend them....you will not be disappointed. They have the care, experience, and compassion required to be EXCELLENT. read more

We hired FurPals about a year ago for daily walks of our two big dogs, a lab and a lab border collie mix, 9 and 10 years old. FP was the only company I found that was insured, accredited by both PSI and NAPPS in DC proper, and Red Cross pet first aid trained. I actually interviewed several pet sitters in person, and Ken and Yvette were the only ones who actually welcomed the process and provided a certificate of liability insurance upon request. One of our dogs has a kidney issue where he drinks a ton of water and needs to go out more frequently than normal, and Yvette has paid close attention to the matter and treated him (and our other dog) as her own, putting up with more than a couple accidents in our condo building. Our everyday walkers are contractors through FP and overall they've been competent and caring. We've had a couple instances where contractors have been late, but to Yvette's credit, she has immediately rectified the situation as soon as she was made aware of it. She cares about our dogs and it shows. read more