I completed the online contact form to inquire about setting up cat sitting services three weeks ago and no one from the business ever responded. I also tried calling the phone number on their website & that calls a number that's not associated with this business. If they can't bother to respond to potential customers, they don't know how to run a business properly & indicates they don't care. Very unprofessional & irresponsible. read more

Of my 265 reviews, I've only given 3 one-star reviews. So you can trust that I am usually very forgiving of businesses making mistakes. But my recent experience with Philapets (and the fact that there are no recent reviews) is forcing me to warn others about this business. I have used Philapets since 2009 to take care of my cat. Back in 2009-2010, they were great. Absolutely wonderful. The pet sitter assigned to us would personally email us every day when they arrived at the house. And we could get in touch with them directly. I would see our sitter out in South Philly and say hello to her. Since then, Philapets has come under new ownership and it has gone downhill. Earlier this year, we sent an email requesting a visit for two days- Saturday and Sunday. We got a confirmation email stating we were on the schedule. Great. The weekend of our trip comes and we didn't hear anything from them confirming our appointments, but we didn't think anything of it. Over the entire weekend, we didn't get any type of confirmation email stating they were able to enter our home and feed/water the cat, but again, we didn't think anything of it. Upon arriving home, we noticed that his food bowl was LICKED clean (which never happens with him- he always has a few kernels in there). Also, they leave these "while you were away" notes for each day they visit and we only had one for Saturday. I thought it was odd, but figured she/he just didn't leave one on Sunday. A few days later, I get the invoice for the visit and they only charged us for Saturday. Very very odd. At this point, I am starting to get worried they missed our Sunday appointment I call the office to inquire and they inform me that we WERE on the schedule for both days, but they need to check with the sitter. Later, I receive a call from Philapets and they tell me there was a mixup because they were "changing computer systems" and the sitter only came Saturday because she had the "wrong schedule". First of all, my email requesting service had both days mentioned, so I don't know how our visits got on "two different schedules". Also, I wrote a note and left it on our kitchen table next to the cat treats and toys (where they left the "while you were away" note--- so it was obviously out in the open for them to read) that gave separate instructions for Saturday and Sunday. So obviously the sitter either a) didn't bother to read my note b) read the note and didn't catch the Sunday part of it or c) read the note, read my reference to Sunday and just didn't care to follow up with management about the schedule. The manager apologizes to me and offered a free visit in the future. I accepted her apology but asked to have our keys back because I cannot trust this will not happen in the future. A few days later, I get the keys back in the mail. I also should note that I never received an apology from either of the owners. Also, they went ahead and charged my credit card for Saturday. They couldn't have comped that day to make up for the fact that my cat went hungry on Sunday? Long story short, Philapets used to be a great service but they are severely lacking right now. To be fair, my experience may have been a fluke, but do you really want to chance your pets safety? I sure don't. read more

My experience with this company has been horrible to say the least. There prices started out reasonable but than they raised there rates significantly for no apparent reason. I spoke with the Philapets dog walker assigned to me I asked him if the rate increase meant that he would get more money. He told me that the new rate increase ($18 for a half hour walk!) simply went in the pocket of the owners/management. Besides there insanely high rate I have experienced VERY poor communication with this company. They seldom answer the company phone (during biz hours) and have often taken days to reply back to my emails. The impression I always got was that I was 1 client in 100's and was not very important to them. This is the type of service I would expect at Burger King, not from a dog walking company! I quit using Philapets and found a very nice Temple University student to take care of my pooch. She is friendly, loves my dog and charges me nearly half of what Philapets did for the same service (she charged $10 for a half hour walk vs. Philapets $18!). Plus I know the money is going to directly to her. For those looking for a dog walker or cat sitter I would definitely avoid this company. There are better company's in the city with lower rates that offer a more friendly, personal service. Or you could do what I did and find someone who works independently. Stay away from Philapets! read more

I used PhilaPets for cat sitting. The main reason I need a cat sitter is to clean the litter box daily. After a week of vacation, I came home to find that they had not scooped the clumped cat litter from our 3 litter boxes. This is totally unacceptable. How do you run a business where you purport to take care of cats but have employees who are clueless about cleaning a litter box? Is clumping cat litter a recent invention? I think not. The frill of receiving emails telling me that the cat was purring does not compensate for the failure to perform the job they were hired to perform. I called and complained and they insisted that the boxes were thoroughly cleaned daily. They were not. Do not use them! read more

I used PhilaPets regularly for about 2 years, and was totally satisfied with their service. I always felt that my dog was well taken care of, and I came home to a nice note from the walker. Services are super easy to schedule online, although you're going to pay a premium for last minute scheduling or holidays. Prices have steadily increased too, but you can depend on reliable service. read more

I love PhilaPets. It's sorta pricey for the time commitment they give you, but you can count on them to show up and take good care of your critters. The sitter will also leave you a note (often really boring) each day about what Fido's been up to in your absence. One complaint: I wish they'd give their sitters notepads or something so I wouldn't come home to find 8-10 of my own Post-Its filled up with the mundane doings of my rabbit. I don't care much, obviously, but they're a big enough operation to provide such things these days. Miriam F. is my sitter. Highly recommended. read more

Absolutely love PhilaPets! They have been providing daily walks for our pups for 4 years during the day while we are at work. The walkers are always super-friendly and you can tell they really love dogs. We get a nice report via email after each walk telling us how our pets are doing, and whether they went #1 or 2 which is super helpful. They also scan in & out so you know exactly what time they are there. The office manager Bonney is responsive, professional and accommodating with schedule changes or special needs. Honestly, they are part of the family and provide great peace of mind knowing that our babies are taken care of until we get home each day. read more

Recently under new management, this company is proving to be incredibly professional, helpful, caring and friendly! Their use of technology to improve service includes digital notification for check-in and detailed email messages about the pet visit. We could not be happier with our experience so far and highly recommend them for reliability. read more

What a wonderful service PhilaPets provides! I have 2 cats and travel frequently for business, and it's much easier knowing that my cats are well cared for while I am gone. They are very reliable, great customer service, and their pet sitters love animals. I work with Cindy and she's fabulous. I know that she plays with them; I've seen a difference in their behavior when I return. It's easy to set up (via phone on their website), reasonably priced. Moreover, they are flexible and accomodating; I recently called to asked them to check on my cats (one had been sick earlier that day) and they flexed the schedule to check in on my cat. I can't say enough great things about PhilaPets, highly recommend them...it's just a wonderful service!! read more

I have been using PhilaPets for over six months and have found them to be a huge asset in my life. My dog Barley needs regular exercise and walks to stay healthy and keep her energy level "normal" and using PhilaPets gives me the ability to make sure she gets them. They are responsive via email and phone, proactive - making sure you don't need services on days like Labor Day or other national holidays. My walker, Robert, has even gone above and beyond in his responsibilities as he as helped me ease Barley out of crate life to being home alone and having access to the apartment. For a while she would chew things and Robert not only cleaned up after the events, but varied his times of arrival and worked with me to ensure Barley was well taken care of, loved and put at ease. I'm happy to report we haven't had any issues since the transition. PhilaPets - while not the cheapest option for dog walking services, provides top quality service. They even worked with me when I had an unpaid balance and issues with PayPal. They were polite, professional and understanding. read more

I wanted to go away for a bit, but did not want to board my dogs. Philapets made that possible by fulfilling in the gaps when a friend could not pet sit. On the last day, my 13 year old dog apparently stepped on a bee and had it embedded i his paw. (Who DOES that?) Our petsitter stayed with him to make sure he didn't have an allergic reaction. She was successful in getting the bee and stinger out and soaking his foot, even though he was very protective of it. She went above and beyond the call of duty and she is very appreciated. The service is very reasonable extremely flexible. It is perfect for pet owners in the city! read more

I moved to Philadelphia recently and needed a dog walker ASAP; easier said than done. Out of the twenty or so places I reached out to, PhilaPets was one of the three services that got back to me immediately, and the only one that was able to accommodate my immediate need. My dog was a little scared of the person he met at first (he has trouble with women) so they coordinated with me to be around when new dog walkers came and have been able to send only men. I liked getting to meet the walkers, all of whom I liked and felt comfortable with instantly. Since I was there with them the first couple of times, my dog got sad watching me leave, and the dog-walker took such good care of him while he was freaking out! My job is pretty hectic, and I've had to change my schedule at least once (sometimes twice) a week. Every single time this has happened they have responded immediately (literally, within minutes) and have been able to accommodate the request. As an added bonus, every day I get an email with a note from the dog walker about the walk. read more

We used PhilaPets to watch our pup while we were away recently and everything was great! Scheduling was easy, and the reports we received from them were thorough and helpful in putting our minds at ease while we were away. We plan to continue using their services for our regular dog walking needs. read more

This is a great service I've used for a few years now. They take great care of my Pittbull mix, Ramses. I have a very odd schedule and I am able to schedule my whole month online and they take care of the rest leaving a detailed note every walk and overnight. My "pet care specialist," Dan, is top notch. I think my dog thinks he's part of the family. I have complete peace of mind using this service. My only suggestion I've given are to re-examine the overnight rates to compete more with "doggy camps" for when one has a longer span of time out of town. read more

Philapets has been great for a dog walking service! The ease of scheduling online, once a week billing, and email updates when they arrive and leave from walks ensure that working with Philapets is easy and reliable. I have been using them for over a year now for the here and there dog walk along with several times a day check ins while traveling. read more

I friggin love Philapets. I feel comfortable knowing that they're coming to take care of my dog while I'm out. The sitter leaves a note every visit letting me know how it went.* Online scheduling/billing is simple to use(and I'm pretty lazy). They're friendly and patient even when I know I'm worrying too much and being paranoid about my dog. Strongly recommended. Did my research about other walkers in the area, and some are alright. But go with Philapets, you'll feel better about being away. * I saw another reviewer's comment, and I don't know if its a new thing or what, but they have Philapets notepads that they leave the doggie diary on. read more

We are such HUGE fans of Philapets. Dan Rosen is Lucy's walker, and he gives her the right type of attention given she is 14 years old. He is kind and gentle with her, and understands how her age impacts her walks. He takes the time to adjust her walk to suit her speed & her limitations. Dan is incredibly thorough in his notes to us about Lucy's visit. We love coming home to his notes. After a long day, those notes on Lucy's walk make me smile!!! He is absolutely spectacular, and takes his job very seriously. We can't thank him enough. We are absolutely willing to pay for top quality service, and that's what we get w/ Dan & the Philapets team. They are worth every penny!! They have earned our trust & loyalty through their top notch work over the years. We trust them in our home, and with our beloved Lucy!!! Additionally, the team running the office at Philapets go above & beyond to help whenever an issue arises. They are polite, professional, and high tech ... I love the site. It's easy to navigate!! You will not be disappointed w/ Dan or Philapets. read more

I have tried to get services a few different times this summer and now I am done with them. Every time I call, it's someone new answering the phone. Then it's a bunch of umms and ahhs as the various people obviously type into the computer. Eventually I just wanted to scream, "no I didn't email- I called!" Next, I get this explanation that since I only want visits for my vacation and a couple weekends it might be more than one person! Not for nearly twenty bucks a visit it won't be! read more

I would not recommend using PhilaPets. They are dishonest and do not value customer service. The quality of their pet sitters is very inconsistent. We have had bad experiences with sitters being uninformative and leaving earlier than they were supposed to. I reached out to them about some issues we had with their services in a very kind and non confrontational manner, and they continued to gaslight me and respond very rudely. read more

Philapets is the most awesome service ever. I use them for watching my 2 cats when traveling. Robert is our pet sitter and he writes these daily notes about where the cats were and what he did while he was there. They will text and email you if you like... the peace of mind of knowing that my animals are safe and happy and being cared for while I'm away is so nice. read more

Worried about getting a pet sitter, I set up a nanny cam like any super paranoid mommy would do. Lo and behold, I discovered that my sitter did not show up on days assigned and was only in my apartment for about 10 minutes tops on days he did show up. Great job, PhilaPets. I did not complain to them formally because I didn't want them to take wrath on the sitter who probably is looking to earn an income as much as the rest of us. I do think, however, that PhilaPets should be sure that who they hire actually cares about animals (and if they suffer/are left alone for a long time). Also, my encounters with the management led me to conclude that they lack a personable, friendly face to go along with their strict guidelines and copy and paste email responses. read more

I have been using PhilaPets for a few years now and, like others, wish I could give more than 5 stars. My PCS, Angie, is amazingly flexible with scheduling and truly loves my pets. She is amazing with my particularly timid rescue dog. Recently, one of my girls (who had progressive heart failure) exhibited early symptoms of respiratory distress at the mid-day visit. Angie called me to let me know and, thanks to her, I was able to get home in time to be with her at her passing. I have found Angie, and the other PCS's I've used at Philapets to truly love and care about animals. It is not just a job to them. I can't say enough good things. read more

Their service has been reliable and satisfactory. We've used them many times for our cats. This trip we had Maxx Cuore for almost all the visits. She's great. She truly cares about our cats and provides comprehensive and reassuring visit updates. read more

I found PhilaPets through a web search. PhilaPets will come to your house and take care of your pets when you are out of town. Setting up service is terrific. Go to their website and create an account. Then select the date of your service and the type of service you want: Pet Visit (30 Minutes) Pet Visit (1 Hour) Medication Insulin or Injectable Sub Q Fluids Overnight Pet Companion You can specify the time of day that you want the visit(s) to occur, in 2 hour windows. After scheduling a visit, you will be contacted by the PhilaPets caretaker assigned to you. This person will come over to meet with you and your pet to get acquainted and to receive any specific instructions, particularly with respect to any medication. When you return from your trip, you'll find notes from your caretaker with details from each and every visit your made. More importantly, you'll find a very happy pet! Payment is very simple: you can pay online with a credit card or via PayPal. A typical 30 minute visit is only $16! Scheduling service in the future is a breeze. Just log onto the website, select the service and receive email confirmation in 24-48 hours. I recommend PhilaPets to anyone who needs a reliable pet care service. read more

Philapets is awesome. I love that they cover further west, West Philly. They communicate quickly and clearly about visits and scheduling. I trust them to care for our cats, and feel comforted knowing they'll be there. read more

PhilaPets is amazing. We have had PhilaPets taking care of our dog's afternoon walk/companionship needs for 2 years and have been 100% satisfied with their service. - It's very easy to schedule walks online, and to set up payment directly from a credit card. - Our Pet Care Specialists have been amazing, and they always make sure that there is a back up PCS who knows our house and our dog in case our regular visitor is sick or away. - Even in poor weather, they are 100% reliable, and spend time playing with my dog indoors, taking care of his social needs as well as his bathroom needs. Whenever we have had a question, the Philapets staff has been very responsive, and has always made us feel like a valued customer. read more

If I could give Philapets 50 stars, I would. They are so good. I have been using Philapets for several years and each and every person that I have dealt with (from my regular pet sitters, to fill in pet sitters, to the people who help with scheduling) have been as pleasant as can be. Here is an example of the level of service they provide: I returned from vacation one day to find that the locks on my apartment building had been changed while I was gone. Of course, I panicked. I was obviously worried that my PCS would not have been able to access my apartment while I was gone. When I got in and up to my apartment, I found my cats just as fat and happy as I had left them. there was a note from the pet sitter explaining that upon arriving and seeing that the locks had been changed, she contacted my landlord, gained a new set of keys, and went on about her business. The level of comfort that one instance gave me will keep me a customer for many years to come. If I had one complaint, it would be that neither of my pets have ever been chosen for the philapets calendar....(le sigh)....but I guess there is always next year. :-) read more

I absolutely LOVE Philapets. I have been with them for about a year now, and every pet care specialist I've met has gone above and beyond anything I anticipated. When I began pet services I was nervous about leaving my dog with a stranger, but Philapets made me (and Bugsy, my pup) extremely comfortable. My walkers leave a note every day letting me know how Bugsy did. Everyone from Philapets tries to establish personal connections with their clients and it shows! I 100% encourage anyone with a pet to use this service!! read more

They are too expensive for the service that you get. They are impossible to get in touch with. They change your walker so often because they have such high turnover - you can tell a lot about a company by how they treat their employees. I really liked our walker a lot, then she was gone for no reason. When I requested services well in advance I was informed they had no one to perform the service. Will never use this company again. read more

Philapets has been our go-to walker for our 18-month old Australian Labradoodle Maximus. There are many walkers out there who will provide excellent care to your fur-family, but very few who will accommodate the level of neuroticism exhibited by fur-parents. They were exceedingly thorough from the beginning. Amanda from HQ came a did a walkthrough of my apartment, underwent the necessary security measures for our assigned walker, Alissa, to enter our building regularly, and even went on a "practice" walk with me and Maximus so that she could check out our route and commands. She did not even blink when I handed her my multi-page "FAQ" with all of Maximus's ground rules at home, and when I asked that there be a supervised introduction between Maximus and his assigned walker, Amanda returned to the apartment with Alissa to fill her in on everything we discussed. Alissa wrote the most thorough updates after each walk. The pet check technology is a breeze to use, and anytime there's an issue (or even before there is an issue) Amanda from HQ reaches out. The pet check technology is a huge benefit to working with Philapets since 1) I know exactly when the walker is with Maximus and 2) I can schedule/cancel appointments easily online. I've heard from Alissa/Amanda on days when they have a packed schedule (to not worry if the visit is a little later than usual), on days when they find Maximus chewed up something he shouldn't have (to ask if they can check anything else for me or to leave him in the crate for the afternoon), on days when Alissa gets sick (to let me know that Amanda will be walking him instead), and on days when I've asked them to be on the lookout for odd behavior. Lastly, I've come home on random, unplanned occasions to run into Amanda/Maximus on their walk and was pleased with how unfazed and professional she was about it all. Overall, an excellent service. The peace of mind and time saved from coordination is well worth it for us. read more

Philapets is great. On the whole, Philapets walkers and management have been wonderful. We looked forward to hearing from the walkers every day via the automated email, and found two in particular who were so sweet, giving our dog little nicknames and being very descriptive in their reports. Walkers Alissa and Hayley and Ops Mgr Arielle have been particularly fantastic. We did have two issues in the past year. 1. one dog walker who did not walk our pup for long enough one day, then hung out on the couch watching tv and texting during the rest of the appointment (have a video camera in the apartment), and then with the manager who responded to our inquiries about it didn't see the problem with that, but were accommodated when we asked that this walker not walk our dog again, and 2. sometimes our requests for times were not accommodated (on 3-4 occasions, a walker came sooner or later than they should have), but for the most part, Philapets management responded appropriately to these mistakes (sending a walker again later in the day, not charging us, etc). Overall, I would recommend this service. read more

Thanks for the wonderful service we always can count on from Philapets. You were so responsive when we had a change in plans yesterday. And, of course, the service provided by Mary Beth and Tara was outstanding. They know exactly what to do, especially with pets who need meds. I love the notes they leave, and they also always leave the place so neat and clean with the kitty dishes washed, litter box clean, and cat food cans in the recycle bin. You are the best! B read more

After a second full week of using PhilaPets for their 30 minute cat sitting service while on vacation, I feel confident in recommending them to all pet owners. Their sitters were exactly what we needed for our cat, who can't stand to be away from home for even a couple days (so boarding is out of the picture), but still likes to get some love and attention for a little portion of the day lest he get too lonely. They took care of everything we asked of them (feedings, litter box, playtime) and sent plenty of notes on his care and demeanor. The scheduling of care is a breeze and the accountability of the scanner check-in when they arrive in my home is a relief to know they actually show up when they are scheduled. read more

My partner and I were super excited to hear about PhilaPets and read the positive reviews on Yelp. We immediately called the office last week (Sunday) to set up an initial consultation and spoke to an extremely nice girl who took all of our information and assured us that our walker would be in contact either Sunday night or Monday morning. By Wednesday evening, when we still had not heard anything, we called the office back to find out how we could go about meeting a walker and beginning to use the services. The office manager told us she had just spoken to our walker, Sarah, and she would contact us very shortly. By Friday evening, when we still had not received a phone call, we called the office a final time to inquire what was going on. The office manager, again, was very nice and apologetic and was not sure what had been the disconnect. She assured us, a final time, that she would have the walker call us. Finally, Sarah, the walker, called us Friday night and left us a not so nice voice mail message (you could clearly hear in her voice that she was pissed off). She didn't give any indication she was sorry for never calling us and she sounded completely unenthusiastic about having the chance to walk our dogs. Needless to say, we will not be returning her phone call and we will find an independent dog walker who appreciates new clients more than PhilaPets did. read more

I had an absolutely terrible experience with PhilaPets and would not recommend them. I believe the previous review is correct when they stated that at one point in time PhilaPets was a great service, but in the more recent years has gone down hill. Their sitters could not follow a simple instruction to keep an inner door closed, so my cats were able to access and eat a Poinsettia plant, which are poisonous to cats. I understand mistakes happen, but as sitters came and went for days none of them noticed that the cats had eaten the plant or thrown up in multiple spots right inside the front door. When I contacted PhilaPets they were apologetic and refunded me my money and also returned my keys, effectively dropping me as a customer. When I contacted them as to why I also received my keys with the refund, they told me that they would need at a minimum 45 minute visits to feed my two cats, which is absolutely ludicrous. read more

This is a very good company to use, I always feel that my animals are well cared for and loved. My pet sitter always leaves notes on each visit and sends picture messages just because she wants to. I had one minor issue a while back and management called me right away and resolved the issue ASAP. I have recommended this service to my friends and they have been just as happy. read more

We have used Philapets for several years and have been very happy with their services. Our dog always enjoys seeing his dog walker (Dan) and heading out in good weather or bad. You might think the walks are a bit pricey for the time spent with the pet, but we have felt the money was worth it for the most part. Dan always leaves a note for us and refreshes our dog's water bowl. If there is anything funky going on - like our dog itching his ear or shaking his head a lot - Dan always makes a note of it, which we really appreciate. I would recommend this service to others. read more

The person who was supposed to do the initial meet and greet of my pets before I went away kept canceling because she was sick. After three attempts I was told that she was the only one who does initial meet and greets. At this point my trip was happening the following week and I had to scramble to get someone else to take care of my pets. For some reason I thought I would try to give them a second chance. The person who answered the phone was extremely rude. I am finished with Philapets ! I would not trust a business with such terrible customer service to take care of my beloved pets! read more

I was hospitalized twice unexpected in the past few weeks. I had previously used PhilaPets for one day to take care of my cat Butterscotch. I emailed them from my hospital bed and they spun into action and I knew from daily reports that Butterscotch was well taken care of. Thank you all at PhilaPets. read more

PhilaPets is AMAZING because they are a group of friendly, trustworthy, and plain ole' goodhearted individuals that truly love ALL animals. The convenience of the whole organization is sweet: You can easily sign up on-line for services and they get right back to you, confirming those dates.You never have to worry that they did not show up; and they do much more than just "show up." There is a special personalization about the whole company because you come home to daily notes (like a little journal) left by the person who took care of your animals. Upon returning from travel, whether it be a weekend or a few weeks, I love reading those cute notes about my kitties and it makes me feel like they were in excellent hands while I was gone. And they ARE. I feel so fortunate to have found this company. So may ppl in the 'burbs ask about reliable pet care while they are away and most of my friends out there don't have anything like PhilaPets to work with. I have always felt 100% comfortable leaving my cats in the care of PhilaPets. They love them and play with them, give them fresh food and water, and change the litter box upon every single visit! When you first sign up, a rep from the company comes to your house to meet you and the animals. It's all very personal and friendly. There is nothing like this in Philly. I recommend PhilaPets to all the Philly pet owners - and there are a lot of us! Thank you to especially to Kat and the entire PhilaPets team - you guys are so awesome!! Lisa Facciolo :) read more