I met Brendan years ago when he was walking my roommates dog every day. That dog was a bit of a handful, he didn't come when called, couldn't be trusted around other dogs, and had an interesting temperament. After daily trips out with Brendan, the pooch began to develop better manners and eventually started following some basic commands from people. If you knew this guy, you'd know that was massive development! A few years later, I adopted an amazingly energetic boy named Dexter. Dex was already well behaved but has boundless energy that really needed an outlet while we are away at work. Since my roommate had such great luck with Brendan, I decided to give him a call. Its been two years since we started working with Brendan and I couldn't be happier! Brendan has a key to our house and takes Dex out several times a week to go on doggie excursions and knock out some of that energy. Every day when we get home, we can tell Dex has enjoyed a solid workout. What's better is that Brendan is happy to board Dex at his home anytime we have to leave town. We often joke that Dex would prefer to live with Brendan, as he is always thrilled to see him. Sometimes he boards him for a night, other times it can be weeks. No matter how long we're gone, we know he's in good hands and he is always happy to accommodate our schedules to ensure Dex is taken care of. If you need a dog walker or boarder that you can trust, look no further than Brendan. He is amazing and I can't say enough great things about him! read more

Brendan is the best! I was very sad to have to find another option for my sweet dog (she was struggling with separation anxiety and needed all-day care), and hope to be able to return to Brendan as soon as possible. He truly cares for dogs and their people. He's communicative, kind, and thoughtful about the dogs he welcomes into his pack. My dog loved him and the pack! Thanks, Brendan, for taking such good care of Beezus. read more

Caring , loving dog facility. Your dogs home away from home! Great family owned!Very friendly team!

Tough review to write. Gabrielle and Cynthia walked Darwin daily for about 1 year. A few months in there was an incident with my friend's dog (I recommended Happy Tails to them) where his pup was seriously injured (but thankfully has since, fully recovered). As many walkers will tell you this can happen even with the most cautious of caretakers. However, my friend was very unhappy with their communication during the ordeal. Gabrielle and Cynthia are very shy and this seems to affect their work. They didn't tell me about the incident, I found out through my friend and then confronted them and discussed the whole thing. Ultimately I decided to continue, as they did do the right thing and took the dog immediately to the vet. I chalked it up to their poor communication skills. Several months later Gabrielle and Cynthia abruptly decided to stop walking Darwin. I had just one week to scramble and find a new walker. I was super lucky and a great walker that doesn't typically service my area came through for me (Stacy at Paws a Moment). Months later my conscience nagged and I decided to pull my review from Yelp, I knew in my gut they had lost my trust. This was further confirmed when I found out from my new walker that Darwin sometimes has a real problem with his recall, I suspect this had something to do with their quitting (again communication issues were a likely source of the problem). Soon after I pulled my review I received a booklet of photos of Darwin (very nice ones), from Happy Tails. It was a nice gesture, but again reinforced that they knew they screwed up. My advice to those seeking a reliable and safe walker, seek out someone else. Full Disclosure: Happy Tails is a Yelp advertiser at the time of this review. read more

I wish I could leave zero stars but this is not an option. BRENDAN LOST MY DOG. He did not call me to tell me this had happened. He did not apologize. He was COMPLETELY UNPROFESSIONAL. I received a phone call, luckily from the kind women who found my dog, to inform me that he had been lost, when we were out of town having our dog board with Brendan, and promptly decided to take him out of Brendan's care. My dog was not properly and safely clipped in transport, he was kept in a tight space with an aggressive dog, and he was not looked after. I cannot imagine what would have happened if my dog had not been found by some very kind and careful strangers, I probably would have never heard from Brendan again. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR DOG IN THIS MAN'S CARE read more

Just to be clear, Happy Tails is no longer owned by Gabrielle and Cynthia. I met Brendan recently with his pack of dogs, and he is great with them! Judge Happy Tails based on your experiences with its current owner. Just my 2 cents. read more

We couldn't be happier with Brendan and his dog walking service. I echo all of the positive reviews below (and, like others, note that the few negative ones are directed towards the previous owners of the business). But I also want to review his boarding service. We leave our dog with him for days at a time (vacation, quick trip up skiing, etc.), and he does a great job. How do we know? That's because we have seen him with other dogs that he boards. As an example, last night, we were out at Park Chow, and there was Brendan, sitting on the patio, having dinner with a dog he was boarding. "Oh, I take them with me wherever I go. I wouldn't leave them at home alone." Yeah. He treats your dog as well as you treat your dog. Maybe better. You can't ask for more than that. read more

Cinthya is so patient and pedagogical with my insecure, overly sensitive, bark-at-everyone-wearing-a-hat dog. I am sure it is because my pup is so cute and she can't resist being as nice as she is to him. :) Seriously, we love and look forward to the notes she leaves every day and are so thankful that she takes care of our pup. UPDATE: Brendan has taken over Happy Tails from Cinthya and Gabrielle. Brendan is amazing, and my pup loves him. read more

Gabrielle takes such good care of our cats! We have left town twice with her looking after them and they seemed very happy when we got back. No Complaints at all. UPDATE: Gabrielle & Cynthia moved away and Brendan has taken over. Brendan has been if anything, even better than Gabrielle with the kitties. read more

HT has been a godsend for our extremely hyper, but lovable Portuguese Water Dog, Miya! Gabrielle's been taking Miya to dog parks for 2-3 hours at a time, 5 days a week for over 6 months now, and Miya couldn't be happier! Everyday, she comes back extremely happy and exhausted from all the running around. And we come home to find a nice note with how Miya's day went ;) read more

I wish I could give 10 stars to Brendan! Brendan has been walking Buddy, our 5 year old golden retriever, for approximately 3 years. Buddy started with Happy Tails when Gabrielle was running the business, so we've known Brendan since the very beginning. Since Buddy started hanging out with Brendan, he has learned so much. We can now trust Buddy off leash which was a huge problem for us in the beginning. Buddy is never gone for less than 3 hours when Brendan comes, Brendan is reliable and just a great guy all around! Brendan even came to our wedding and was in control of Buddy the whole time! Guests were floored at how well Brendan handled our dog during the ceremony and our dog is VERY energetic and playful! Not only that, but our neighbor upstairs actually dumped their old dog walker and started sending their bulldog to playgroup with Buddy because they saw how Brendan never shorts the doggies of time and how reliable and great he is with every single dog! If husband and I ever have to move, saying goodbye to Brendan would be one of the hardest parts! Buddy loves him so much and he is an excellent and very responsible dog walker!!! read more

I wanted to give a shout out for Happy Tails Dog Walking to let all the cat owners know that they did a great job tending to our kitties while we gallivanted around New York. Horror story about the cat sitter before Happy Tails: We were apprehensive about using a cat sitter b/c the last time the manfriend had one she locked the keys in his apartment, with poor Carlos, all alone hungry and thirsty! That sitter knew that the only way to reach the manfriend in Argentina was through email but instead left very alarming messages on his cell phone voice mail. Messages that he received 2 weeks later while collecting his baggage at SFO. She never called back to let him know that she had convinced one of the neighbors to let her crawl through the tiny bathroom window off the fire escape and apparently tragedy was averted. After a very frantic cab ride from SFO expecting to find a dead cat, he figured out that she had made it through the window. Needless to say, we were a little sketched out about going down that road again. I found Happy Tails on yelp and commend them for doing a good job with the cats (no dumb ass moves like locking the keys in the house!). It's much nicer to go away knowing that not only is someone feeding your cat, but also playing with them. Very reasonable rates too. read more

After calling numerous boarding places for a dog I was caring for, I finally found one that took my dog in at last minute. It was around 5:35pm and I was desperate to find a place that wasn't closed already. I finally found Happy Tails Dog Walking on Yelp, and I quickly called them. They took the dog I was caring for (since he didn't get along with my dogs) around 6:20pm. I did fret about "outsiders" with dogs I care about, but as soon as I met them in-person, my feelings were put to ease. They were super nice. If I ever need a place for my dog at last minute, I would call this one! read more

My god is very hyper even though he is not really a puppy anymore. I feel guilty every time I come back from work and see him starring at me, doing his "academy award winning performance" with deeply sad eyes. --- Where were you? But not any more! Since I enrolled him in Happy Tails, he just says "hey" from the hay and goes back sleepy with a "don't bother me" look on his face. I could see his legs still running in his sleep the same way they were running on the beach. Just running and squeaking a little bit --- oh, so cute J While he sleeps, I get my updates on how he behaved and what happened today. Awesome service. Very much recommend. And I won't trust my dog just to anyone. read more

Update: Unfortunately I am no longer using Happy Tails because they are no longer servicing my area ( Pacifica) I'm sure they are still providing lots of great walks for many other happy dogs. Original review: My dog Chloe and I are so happy we found Happy Tails! I work long hours and really needed someone I could trust to take my dog out for excercise, fun and love while I was away. Since I started using Happy Tails I can tell my dog is happier. She is no longer anxious and wound-up when I come home. - instead she is relaxed and is just waking up from a peaceful nap after a fun afternoon romp on the beach with her other dog friends. The staff at Happy Tails genuinely love animals and care for my pet when I am away the way I would myself if I could be home. read more

Brendan is the next best thing to the dog whisperer. We have a lhasa apso and he's a picky little thing. He is really skittish about going with strangers and he's lazy. We as his owners can't get him to walk so he's gotten fat. We thought there was no way in this world that we could get him to go. Weren't we wrong. Now, he can tell when brendan is coming and he starts wagging his tail. Slowly but surely, our dog is getting into shape again. When you work full time its hard to find time to walk the dog so this has been money well spent. Our small dog could be prone to arthritis and joint problems if he doesn't get walked so this will help him as he gets older. I highly recommend brendan to anyone who loves their dog and doesnt have time to walk it themselves. Your dog will be in good hands. read more

Brendan is a wonderful addition to our "it takes a village to raise Jip" family. I am very fortunate to have had our paths cross. A last minute mix up had us knocking on his door for a boarding. Friendly and accommodating, he came highly recommended and did not disappoint. He created a wonderful environment for our dog (thank you Skittles and Stevie) that included Jip being Jip the lapdog and follower. Brendan made his home Jip's temporary home and for that we will be forever grateful. His daily outings and backyard time which includes socializing with other dogs allows for dogs to feel comfortable. By the end of the stay, Brendan REALLY knew Jip and his proactive sending of photos to us halfway across the globe put us at ease. THANK YOU BRENDAN! read more

Happy Tails is a great dog walking service. Brendan is very reliable and flexible when needed. We have two dogs but recently one of them diagnosed with cancer and he has been very understanding of the situation. We did use happy tails when the old owners were there and our small dog did come home one day with stitches due to a fight at the park which was odd but no issues since Brendan took over. read more

Brendan is the best! He's been walking our sweet mini poodle, Stevie, since she was just 12 weeks old, and we are all so happy we found him. Ever since Brendan started walking our pup, her separation anxiety has calmed way, way down -- she's much more at ease when we leave the apartment because she knows Brendan and his pack will be coming to get her soon, and in the evening we come home to a happy, tuckered out pup. Brendan has also boarded Stevie when we've had to leave town, and we trust her with him completely. She loves hanging out with him, he sends us regular updates and photos, and again we always come home to a happy, excited puppy with no signs of stress while we were away. Thank you, Brendan! We truly don't know what we would do without you. read more

I don't know what I would do without Brendan. He has literally been the best thing to happen to our family since arriving in San Francisco. I interviewed quite a few dog walkers before entrusting the center of my universe, Maya my chow, to a stranger. I knew Brendan was the one when he said hello to Maya before introducing himself to me. He takes Maya 5 days a week for her daily walk...and by walk I mean three hour excursion. She comes home happy, safe and exhausted...Brendan sends emails when there is something we should be aware of, for instance fox tail season or a dead seal on the beach. He even took Maya for a bath of his on volition when she rolled in something dead and smelly. When I tried to pay him for it, he refused the money, saying she should come home the same way she left and it was his responsibility. Sometimes, when I'm home sick from work, I hear Brendan picking up or dropping Maya off. He TALKS to her...tells her to have a good weekend, calls her sweetheart, gives her treats, and asks if she had a good day. Anyone who loves their dog like I do would practically tear up to hear someone else being so sweet to their baby...when they thought they were alone. Brendan is amazing. He is worth all the money in the world and then some, but somehow charges the same as all the other half rate walkers out there. We're so lucky to have him. read more

Gabrielle and Cynthya take the houndies out at least once a week, rain or shine. Every time they knock on the door the pups can't get down the stairs, out the door and into their car fast enough because they know they are on their way to doggie playtime heaven. Not just any old walk around the block, G & C take them to fun places like Fort Funston, where they can run, fetch and play their little hearts out. read more

Are there such things as Angels for pets?? I believe there is. There names are Gabrielle, Cynthia, and Debbie! My little Tabasco sleeps with a smile on his face ever since returning from Happy Tails! I think he dreams about all the fun he had with caretaker Debbie :) Such beautiful and gentle ladies...Tabasco would prefer no other but the angels at Happy Tails Dog Walking! They were very accomondating to my situation. They were there for me and Tabasco! Very responsible, very Professional!! I recommend Happy Tails for those owners who are weary about leaving their furry babies with sitters for the first time. Gabrielle, Cynthia, and Debbie put me to ease. I recommend Happy Tails Dog Walking 200%!! read more

For some reason I feel compelled to interrupt my Yelp hiatus with a review of Happy Tails. First and foremost, as others have pointed out, Brendan has fully taken over the business from the previous owners. I think this is crucial to mention as the negative reviews of Happy Tails seem primarily concerned with those former owners, and not Brendan. Our rescue dog has always been a pretty happy pup, but upon moving to a new office about 6 months ago, it became pretty obvious that he was bored with the "come to work and sit around" routine. Enter Happy Tails. I spoke with Brendan and he came to our place to meet Astro (very important in determining that only socialized, non-aggressive dogs are going on walks with your dog). Astro used to be very timid around unknown men, and so predictably alternately skittered away from and sniffed Brendan. I was fairly sure that his shyness would wear off once he met Brendan a few more times, and Brendan was even more confident on the matter. It's now been about 6 months since we started using Happy Tails, and I could not be more happy with the service. Whereas Astro was so scared that he hid in his kennel the first time Brendan came to pick him up, he now practically mauls him with delight when he sees him (even my neighbors have commented on how much he loves Brendan). He gets out 4 times a week to different offleash locations and returns happily exhausted, and it's absolutely true that a tired dog is a good dog...not only have I noticed that he is generally more happy and more obedient (not to mention more socialized with other dogs), he has lost most of his rescue dog timidity (strange men and parked motorcycles, among other things, are no longer objects of paralyzing fear). Brendan also clearly keeps an eagle eye on him, periodically updating us on his exploits, and letting us know if anything seems amiss (as was the case when he got into the cat food and his tummy paid the price). I would highly recommend Happy Tails to anyone looking for a reliable, caring, and thorough dogwalker. read more

Molly, our little Boston Terrier absolutely LOVES Brendan! She hangs out by the door and waits for him around the time he comes to pick her up. Brendan is great with Molly. He's super nice and really cares for the dogs. He went out of his way to stop at a pet store to buy Molly a new collar before bringing her home because her collar broke during playtime at Fort Funston. Thank you Brendan. I don't know what Molly would do without you! read more

FANTASTIC!!! I love these hard working, rain or shine, dog comes first women! I can't say enough GREAT things about their work ethic. The dogs always have an excellent time in a SAFE enviroment, never more than 6 dogs in a group which I REALLY LOVE, and they are such good people. VERY PROFESSIONAL, came highly recommended and I would recommend them to anyone with small animals. THE BEST and WORTH EVERY PENNY! read more

Can't say enough good things about Brendan! He did an outstanding job cat sitting for us, highly recommended!

Brendan is terrific. He was great with my frenchie Biggie and his sister Zoe. He is very professional and the dogs seem to love him. Brendan is very communicative and always let me know if there was any possible issues with my lil best friend. Feel confident that your dog is in good hands with Brendan. Unfortunately, when i moved a couple miles away Brendan was no longer able to walk my dog. We both miss him! read more

Brendan is amazing with our two cats. Such a relief to know that he is taking care of them when we are gone. Highly recommended!

Brendan is awesome. My little guy (not so little...55 pounds) is pretty quirky and enjoys herding little dogs, and he also has very selective hearing when he doesn't want to come back. He's been noticeably better since Brendan started walking him a month ago. He's less aggressive towards small dogs, he comes when called much better, and he's always niiiiice and mellow when I get home on the days Brendan walks him. Brendan's great, friendly, and clearly gets dogs. I recommend him very highly. read more

I'm with Raskolnikov on this one. I've seen them. They show up with more dogs per person than they are supposed to according to Animal Care and Control and then they don't pay attention to their charges. They are always on their cell phones. I am actually surprised they are still in business. I saw one of their dogs get hurt due to their negligence. Animal Care and Control was there at the time and was talking to people in the park about the incident. Which is why I know they are chronically over the limit of number of dogs per person at "dog parks". Animal Care and Control has a ratio of dogs per person they ask commercial dog walkers to adhere to. They also spoke to them about the fact that they did not have enough crates in the van they transported the animals in, so the dogs were all rolling around in the back of the van. If you use them and you have never had a problem, I think you are lucky. Personally I think they are a danger and the fact that they still haven't mended their ways bothers me. read more

Gabrielle has been awesome with Kola! Taking her for 2 hour outings 3 times a week is exactly what Kola needed with our busy schedules. She comes home every time exhausted from their latest adventure. I don't think there could possibly be a better dog walking service in the city!!! read more

As much as we hate to admit, our dog's best friend is probably Brendan. She runs to the door the minute she hears his footsteps come down the stairs. Brendan is trust worthy and amazing with her. Like everyone else we couldn't be happier with his service. He has walked her for over a year now. We have boarded her with him many times. He will sometimes email us with updates about how she is doing if we request it. Everyone's dog would be lucky to have a dog walker like Brendan. read more

Our dog, Trixie, used to shake with DELIGHT AND JOY and happiness when she would hear Brendan walking closer with his keys jangling. Brendan is the best! read more

We have boarded our dog with Brendan several times, and he is great, I trust him completely. My dog is young, extremely hyperactive and can be disobedient sometimes, but Brendan is good with dogs, really bonded with her and has her full attention whenever she is with him. She needs a lot of exercise, and he takes her out on long walks at Fort Funston when he boards her. When we run into him at Fort Funston, my dog always bounds joyously towards him and tries to follow him around. I highly recommend him for dog walks and dog sitting. read more

Gabrielle, Cynthia and Debbie are the BEST!! My dog has never been happier and more relaxed than when he's been out with the Happy Tails gals. These girls have a true love of dogs and really know what is best for pooches of all temperaments and personalities. They pay attention to the safety of my dog and report back to me about how he interacts with other dogs and humans. They also understand the juggling act that working folks face when it comes to caring for their animals. They are non-judgmental and all around good people. Highly recommended!!! read more

I have had Happy Tails walking my dog for about 2 years now. Last Oct/Nov the former owners (Cynthia/Gabrielle) sold the business to Brendan who now is running it on his own. I have nothing but absolute praise for Brendan and my dog loves him. In a typical week he spends about 4 days with him from morning to afternoon and every time we meet up my dog showers him with love. Brendan has also been very supportive to accept last minute boarding needs as well as tailoring pick-ups and drops so it works well for me. Besides being a great caretaker I also appreciate that Brendan avoids the horrible fenced in dog parks (like the one in GGP at 36th Ave). All-in-all I can highly recommend Brendan to look after your pup! read more