These folks are amazing. I called them to get urgent help for me door-eating dog, and they came…read moreover that same day to meet him. By the end of the week they had him on a schedule, walking 3 times a week for a half hour, to train him to walk on a leash. Once he can do that (which may take a while, he's hard-headed :)) he is going to go on adventure walks with them, which are basically long hikes with 2-3 dogs at a time, that completely tire your pooch out. I have two walkers that work with my dog, and they are both awesome. They send me an email after every walk, with pictures of my dog and a progress report of how he's doing. They also are bonded and insured, and offer to keep keys to the house so they can come in while you are at work and exercise the pooch. And get this- it's $20 for the walk... and $5 for every extra 15 mins! And that is for one or two dogs... very reasonable. So much so that I can definitely afford the 3 days a week walking, and seeing my puppy so happy at the end of the day is worth it. Love these guys.

UPDATE: 7/23/17: I'm…read morewriting an update to this review 7 years later, still as a loyal client of Canine Adventure. Unfortunately, my 3 boys (Ozzy, Tyler, and Bono) have since passed away, but my 2 new pups (Cannon and Hollywood) are still regular adventurers. They get to go hiking and swimming with Marti every couple of weeks - with Cannon generally finding some enormous stick or piece of trash to keep him entertained and Holly swimming laps in the river and playing chase with other dogs. They always come home happy and tired. There is a review posted from someone named "Matin" (which I assume is made up as it is a brand new account and contains false information) that says someone from Richmond Boxer Rescue steered him away from CA. I am the founder and president of RBR and a loyal client for almost 10 years now. Many of my fosters and volunteers use them and love them as well. NO ONE from my organization knows who this person is or said anything negative about CA, so that is a blatant lie. Review from 2010: I cannot say enough good things about Josh and Canine Adventure! Aside from actually being able to sometimes make my boxer, Ozzy, slightly tired (a nearly impossible feat), Josh was always reliable, responsible and ended up being a good friend! My own dogs (Ozzy, Tyler and Bono) were lucky to get Adventure Walks with him every week! The highlight of their week was seeing Josh pull up in front of the house! In addition to working with my own dogs, Josh graciously worked with my many fosters through Richmond Boxer Rescue. He donates his time to several other local rescue groups as well. The walks and training were an invaluable asset to the foster dogs as were the AMAZING photos he would take on the walks! We moved to the west coast but would still be loyal clients if we were in Richmond! I so wish there were a service like this available here!

Wonderful, reliable service. Came upon this company when we really needed help with cleaning up our…read morebackyard with two dogs while both of us working full time. A real life saver! The backyard never smelled better and no more flies! You can easily arrange for weekly service, or bi-weekly. Very reasonable rates too.

I don't like picking up poop. So I called these guys. They are excellent…read more I have used them for two years and have nothing but positive things to say.

I can't say enough good things about the folks at Barksley. I have a very large Malamute/Husky mix…read morewho is very opinionated and only likes some people. He is hard to manage and I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to find care for him. Lindsey and Olivia have become his very best friends, and I trust them completely to take the best care of him. I recommended Barksley to my Veterinary office as well as my friends. I highly recommend that you check them out! (photos of my happy boy with his Barksley besties)

You know the cliche trope of "when you're looking for love you don't find it but when you're not…read morelooking it finds you"? Well, that's how I feel about Barksley. I don't like asking friends to pet sit for my 4 cats when I'm out of town since they won't let me pay them, and I feel that I'm burdening them. Another pet sitter we tried was good but not always available when we needed. I had given up on finding a perfect fit for us, since most of the time I searched online for pet sitters, they were dog-centric. Then one day someone from Barksley left a flyer in my mailbox. It seemed like the exact service I was needing. They offer variable length visits (30,45,60 minutes), are available on holidays, evenings, and weekends, and love cats as much as dogs! They scheduled a meet and greet before the first visit where I showed them how to care for our babies step by step, and they took notes. They seemed like they actually liked our cats instead of it being just a chore. They were friendly and I felt comfortable with them in my home. They have a great website where you can log in to request visits, pay invoices, leave notes and messages for sitters. It's so great to have it all in one place and electronic. They went above and beyond during their service for us. -They brought in packages (including a really big one). -They cleaned the dishes after each meal!! Which I really appreciate, since the babies like to eat on clean plates each time and it's healthier for them, and some sitters historically haven't cared to bother doing that and instead just put new food down onto crusty old food -They provide a VERY DETAILED update after each visit, right down to how many poops and pees were in the litter box. And there's never too many details when you're away from and missing your beloved pets!! And they include lots of pictures -I promise we didn't creepily spy on them through ring cameras, but a couple times when we got notifications and looked on the video, we felt the people of Barksley really did ENJOY the time with our cats, like they were happy to be there. -one of the cats vomited (as cats do) on the couch at one point, and Emma cleaned it up!! Never had a sitter do that before. So impressed! Overall the team did such a great job taking care of our clowder that we will use them for as long as they service our area. I'm glad to have finally found the perfect sitters for us!

Fetch has done a tremendous job with our elderly dog. He has particulars and our sitter took care…read moreof him perfectly! We are so thankful to have such great service.

Fetch!! I can't say enough good things!! I have used 3 times a week for over 3 months! Every visit…read morethey give me an update, and pics of my babies. Which I love and look forward to seeing! They're reliable, trust worthy and consistent. I will keep using them regularly for a very long time. It's worth the $$ to have peace of mind.

So glad I called Zach to help me establish a solid relationship with my cane corso/pit bull mix…read more Zach was beyond helpful during our month together, and my dog quickly became his biggest fan. We did training sessions at the park, the dog park and the farmers market together to work on training in real world scenarios. Since working with Zach I'm much more confident in my role as my dog's owner and I'm more confident in handling different situations that come up. As promised, Zach has remained available as questions have come up since our month wrapped up, and it feels great to know that I have an expert in my corner as Bodhi grows and continues to change. The things Bodhi and I learned from Zach continues to help us today and I know they will help for many years to come! I continue to teach Bodhi new things using techniques that Zach taught me. I highly recommend Zach for a training approach customized to your family and your dog, rather than some cookie cutter approach from a bigger company.

Zach is exactly what we were looking for! Most trainers were pushing board & train and/or using…read moree-collars, and we'd just adopted a 3-month-old puppy. We're not using an e-collar on a puppy and honestly, we didn't need her disciplined. We needed to establish a relationship and be given proper communication skills. Enter Zach! He gave us this and more! He has given us skills that we will carry with us all our lives and has transformed our relationship with our puppy. We will forever be grateful to him.

Sherry has been taking loving care of my elderly cats for the last 7 years (whenever I need to…read moretravel.) My cats are so comfortable with her...my shy cat lets her rub his belly! One of the things I like best is that she provides a journal that she takes notes in about each cat visit, about how they ate, activities, etc. Since my cats are elderly it's important for me to know how they are reacting to their medications while I'm away (1 cat has megacolon, a dangerous condition if he doesn't poop enough!) She takes time to visit with each cat, pet & play with them, as well as the feeding & litter box duties. Sherry is a sweet, loving soul & I absolutely trust her with my pets!

DO NOT TRUST!!!! I…read moretried to make an appointment with Sherry and Pet Partners to take care of some basic cat sitting while I am away the end of May. I contacted her on the 1st and asked if she could come in on 4 days while I am away to scoop and give fresh water (they have an automatic feeder). After agreeing that she could watch them those days, we set a date and time for her to come in and meet the cats. She was a no show: no call, no email until 2 hours after the appointed time, and only after I emailed her. I agreed to reschedule to today (despite my hesitation about how good the care could be, I mean she totally just "let time slip away"), and waited again. I called the line 15 minutes before to verify (after she gave me the time slot for the reschedule) out appointment, left a message and again waited. 10 minutes past the appointed time I received a brief email: "I am sorry but I will have to pass on this. I have just gotten too busy." Really? No alternatives, no suggestions, nothing? Just leave a home owner in the lurch less than 2 weeks before they are supposed to depart?!?!? Man, I would not trust this woman to do anything, if this is how she treats a commitment!!!! If you hire her, I would check in quite often while you are away!!!