We have now known Sen, Alex, & team for about a decade, and they have helped SO much with our…read moretraumatized found on the streets chihuahua mix. When I had our kids and they suddenly started toddling around, our dog got really scared and Sen helped me develop a plan to keep the dog and toddlers safe without having to rehome our dog. Now our kids are older and through using tips from Sen they have built trust with our dog, and I think that she is having just about the best life she can possibly have. After some bad experiences at other places and trying to trim her nails ourselves, we now drive 40 mins each way every other month to have Sen file/trim our dog's nails - and we wouldn't trust anyone else to treat her with such care and respect. Everyone we meet while waiting there also has nothing but praise for Mister Beever's team, and we have gotten to know several other members of the team who my children (big horse fans) have now come to admire and trust. I always recommend Sen to anyone looking for a dog behaviorist or trainer or anyone who is at the end of their rope with their dog or cat - he's just the best, and his team is amazing. I also want to mention that when we had a family medical emergency a few years ago I asked if we could board our dog with Sen & Alex. Our dog is safe and loved and actually calm & happy sometimes now, which is a miracle, AND I wouldn't leave her with most people because she is still a reactive traumatized chihuahua mix who doesn't do well with change. Sen & Alex didn't have space but said they would work with me to figure something out since they'd known us for so long and I was so panicked about figuring out details. We ended up not having to board her at the last minute, but I was so grateful that despite having PACKED schedules and lives they were willing to help me troubleshoot. Oh, and one more thing - Sen takes the BEST photos! This is our beloved pup - and Sen took this photo during a training session years ago. It remains one of my favorites of her because it captures her personality - intense, food-focused, smart, and a bit of a goofball. Thanks, Mr. Beever's Paws & Claws!

Sen and Alex and the crew have taken care of our sweet and high-ish needs pup for 7 years. Their…read morecare of our dog, and also the human end of the equation, is exemplary. We've had moments of emergency needs and the team has bent over backwards to support the whole family through some tough moments. They've also been a second home to our doggo when her humans are out of town, and the pep in her step when she gets to run into the MBPC home is a testament to the dogs in their care. The humans who work here are big-hearted, and their thoughtfulness and love of what they do is matched by the high levels of expertise and the high standards they set for pet care. Is it possible to say enough about how great the whole team is? Probably not... but here are some highlights: Training: Sen worked with us on our dog's fear/anxiety response to other dogs when on leash -- mostly helping us understand how to change our behaviors to better support our doggo. The clarity, understanding, patience, and support Sen offered were hugely helpful to us all! Boarding/Day Care: What a joy to be able to leave our beloved doggo someplace where we never worry or wonder if she's ok. Does she come back exhausted and clearly well-socialized and well-taken care of? Hell yes. Do we get tons of glamour shots AND action shots of our doggo while she's with MBPC? Double hell yeah. Truly, their care is exceptional, as is their communication with the humans involved. Nails/Ears: Our dog loves her "spa days," even when she's a little fussy about her ear cleanings. It's never a real challenge for the MBPC team, and she loves to see the whole crew. If you're lucky enough to be in the MBPC family, you are truly in with the best. We moved out of the area recently and have not been able to find anyone else even close to meeting the high bar Alex and Sen have set.

Rene has been looking after our cat since she was a kitten and we really now wouldn't want anyone…read moreelse! She is extremely caring, professional, reliable and organised. Always sends multiple pictures and updates so that we know all is well. Our cat was sick (not serious sick!) a little while ago but we didn't have to time to pick up meds from the vet so Rene went for us. I completely trust her and our cat loves her! We have had pet sitters in the past for our previous cat and we used the usual apps but I feel there's a bit if hit and miss and not as much real care. Rene is by far the best pet sitter we have had and I can't recommend her highly enough.

Rene takes such good care of my dogs while I am on vacation, sending me photos every morning and…read moreevery evening. She gives them plenty of playtime and sleeps over, keeping the house safe and sound. She also feeds my wild birds and my pond goldfish. I know that my dogs are perfectly happy with her as they could care less when I get home apart from a nice initial greeting.

Dear Pam and the entire Critter Pet Care team,…read more Thank you so much for taking such wonderful care of our family kitty, Dr. Robinson, during his stay. We truly appreciated the regular updates and loved seeing photos of him enjoying himself it gave us so much peace of mind while we were away. Our family had been searching for the right cat boarding facility for quite some time, and after reading the excellent reviews for Critter Pet Care, choosing you was an easy decision. From the moment I arrived, I was impressed by your beautiful facility, the attentive staff, and the genuine care you show every pet. Thank you again for making Dr. Robinson feel so comfortable and well cared for. We couldn't have asked for a better experience, and we'll definitely be back the next time we need boarding. With gratitude, The Robinson Family

We took our 3 month old kitten here while we when to Tahoe…read more Let me just tell you, the facility is top notch. Super impressive operation. The owner Pam is super professional and sent us daily updates of our kitty. This is definitely going to be the place we used to board our pets.

I used Earth Girl Dog Walker for years for boarding and walking services. My dog was well taken…read morecare of. Reliable, timely and expert services. My old dog was picked up from our home went on many different walking adventures. I could go out of town with ease knowing that she was boarded in good hands; plus got to play with other dogs. My dog passed from health problems, but if I bring another dog into the family, will definitely use Earth Girl services.

Kira has been walking and boarding my two pups for going on two years and they absolutely adore…read moreher. My lab is older and when we adopted her she was obese and completely untrained, she's now a perfect weight with great recall and couldn't be happier. My other dog is shy and mopes whenever we have to board her, so Kira gives her extra snuggles and treats whenever she's with her. I've honestly never met anyone with a more sincere love of dogs and it really shows in the way she cares for her pack. She's very careful with the dogs she takes into her group, making sure every pup's temperaments are a good fit and they go on amazing adventures all over the east bay.

Karen was truly one of the greatest blessings of our time living in Piedmont Pines. She cared for…read moreMaisie with so much warmth, kindness, patience, and genuine love. It never felt like Maisie was simply another dog she walked. Karen treated her like she was her own. Knowing Maisie was with Karen gave us complete peace of mind. She is incredibly trustworthy, attentive, dependable, and caring, and it was always clear how much Maisie adored her. Finding someone you can trust completely with a beloved pet is rare, and we never took for granted how lucky we were to have her. Honestly, leaving Karen is one of the hardest parts of leaving the neighborhood. She became such an important and special part of Maisie's life and ours, and we will miss her tremendously. I would trust Karen wholeheartedly with any dog I loved and would recommend her without hesitation to anyone looking for someone who will care for their pet with the same love and thoughtfulness they would give themselves. She is truly wonderful, and any dog, and family, would be incredibly lucky to have her.

Karen has been walking our dogs regularly for years. She has a house key, we totally trust her, we…read morethink of her as family! The dogs love her too. I couldn't recommend her more. She's a great person and is excellent with animals.

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!

I am super happy with this place!!! My toy poodle Curry is really nervous around groomers due to…read morebad experiences and gets really anxious, but she was doing great after her appointment with Heather!! Heather gave me really good instructions and commentary on how to prepare Curry for a grooming appointment so that she wouldn't be nervous or in pain and was super accommodating and patient with her. The cut is so cute and exactly what I wanted!! Love this place, will definitely come here for future hair cuts :-))

This is a positive review for Heather.  She was very knowledgeable and helpful. She also showed…read moregood character. I had reached out to Heather seeking advice on how to help a stray cat "Miss Kitty".  Miss Kitty comes around 2x a day for food in my backyard. She is a very pretty kitty with medium length black hair who seems to have some matting issues. Miss Kitty is very skittish but I have been slowly building trust with her these past few weeks. So can now pet her. Given she has been outdoors she is not used to being brushed and gets scared when she sees it. I contacted Heather seeking advice for how to best help the cat with her coat. Heather very generously spent 30+ mins talking with me.  We covered all sorts of topics. Including ways to desensitize the cat to brushing, which sort of brush/comb to use, and how to make sure it's also paired with a positive reward (like a treat). HEather also explained that I should first get her used to me brushing/combing her where there are no tangles, just so that cat can get used to the experience. Then as I build comfort with cat, gradually work my way over to the tangles to gently work on them.   She also gave her take suggesting that maybe this was winter undercoat growing out with some tangles. Versus extreme matting that was pulling the skin and causing pain to the cat. Which was a huge relief in itself! We also spoke about the pros/cons of shaving her. She explained it would definitely give her a fresh start for the coat. However, Heather voiced that if it was done now (April) she worried the cat would get cold outside.  So suggested if it was done, either to wait until warmer months or until the cat maybe was more socialized and willing to live indoors afterwards. We also spoke about if eventually the cat was shaved that would also be a good time to bathe her, which type of soap to use, etc. We also spoke about if I did ever get her socialized to that point, how we could make any future appt less stressful for the cat. During the conversation Heather also spoke with me about not rushing things, given strays have a lot of trust issues. So Heather understood how fragile the budding bond is with this cat. (She mentioned her mother in law did feral cat rescue, so was familiar with how to work with these types of cats who generally are not used to human interactions.) If Heather was as different type of person and greedy - she would have just wanted me to bring the cat in for an appt immediately or tried to sell me a bunch of products.  But she really seemed to care about the cat's well being which I really appreciated.  There was zero attempt to sell me on anything which these days is very rare. Heather also declined my offer to pay her for the phone consultation, saying she was happy just to help. Again very rare! If you want someone who is a knowledgeable and experienced groomer, genuinely cares about the animal's well being, and is a wonderful human being to boot - you will be in good hands with Heather.

Updated Review -…read moreSee attached photos. This is about trust. - Our cat (who is actually a girl ) has been cared for many other people in the past including friends and pet sitters before we moved to Pinole (not Hercules) and needed to find a new sitter - Cathie's response was posted 6 months after my original review so not sure if she is thinking of someone else

Cathie is heaven sent. She is a true animal whisperer. Cathie is professional, trustworthy, honest,…read morepatient, efficient, loving and kind. She came to pill my parent's cat, who was in heart failure, for months on end, every morning and evening. She never missed an appointment. She had to give up to 6 different meds in different doses in the am and pm and developed multiple ways to lessen the trauma to our cat. She was with my parents and the precious kitty up to the very end and sat with my parents as they processed their deep grief. She is an incredible and talented person!