Melissa is simply the best. Loves our dog Wally as her own, has an awesome crew of pups to keep him entertained, is super reliable and communicative and even is able to board Wally for us. On the rare occasion she wasn't available for boarding Melissa has found other wonderful standins for us and taken care of the coordination. We've been with her for over 5 years and couldn't recommend her highly enough. read more

Pups to the Park - Wally at Upper Douglass - Dog Walkers Near Me

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Due to poor planning on my part, I realized that I hadn't made arrangements for my two lovely cats just one week before leaving for a Thanksgiving trip. A friend referred me to Melissa, who cheerfully squeezed me into her holiday schedule with very little notice. I was worried about leaving my babies in the care of a complete stranger, but all of that anxiety dissipated when Melissa walked in the door. My friends often ask, "You have TWO cats!?" because my one 12-year-old-furball is so incredibly stranger-averse that he immediately hides when he hears a strange voice. Oddly enough, when Melissa came to meet them, he didn't run and hide. Rather, he let her walk right up to him and pet him. I was amazed. Cat whisperer, perhaps? After seeing her interact with my little guys, I knew that they would be in great hands. She's very calming, respectful, and very perceptive when it comes to feline behavioral patterns. She asked me a lot of questions about that cats that showed her interest not only in getting the job done, but caring for their health and happiness. She even offered up some advice that was very helpful. I returned to find my cats healthy, happy, and acting as if they didn't even notice I was gone (sniffle sniffle). I will definitely use Melissa again, and recommend that you do the same! read more

Bottom line: There is no way that I can recommend Melissa/Pups to the Park enough. She is extraordinarily trustworthy, extremely skilled, and loves her dogs. A few years ago, I adopted a miniature pinscher with some pretty severe leash reactivity issues and was near the end of my rope when I first talked to Melissa. She immediately established a great rapport with my dog and helped make her a much happier, balanced animal. To be honest, I tear up a little bit thinking about how far she's come thanks to Melissa's work with her. Other things I really appreciate about Melissa: - She will be totally honest with you. If anything happens with your dog, you will know about it. - She refuses to take out more dogs than she can handle. In fact, she was a major supporter of the limits on the number of dogs a single walker can take out at once in SF. - She is fiercely protective of her dogs. There was at least one situation where she had to defend my dog from an unbalanced woman swinging a purse at her in the park. - Her rates are actually affordable. - She's a super cool chick. Very straightforward, down-to-earth and friendly. read more

Melissa is amazing! My dog Nutmeg has been walking with her 3 days a week for the last 8 months and loves her (seriously, we ran into Melissa walking down the street one evening and Nutmeg was beside herself with delight). My dog is a mini Australian Shepherd and needs her exercise, so I love that Melissa takes the dogs off-leash. She guarantees an hour, but the couple of times I've been working from home when Melissa comes by, Nutmeg is out for a few hours. It's great to know she's having fun while I'm at work, and it means the 2 days a week I bring her to the office, she's calm enough to chill out while I'm working. Her prices are great, but more importantly, I feel like I can trust her - for example, she called me one day to let me know Nutmeg might be limping after an over-zealous sprint down a hill, even though she was fine by the time I got home. She also went above and beyond the call of duty by helping me out when I was in a bind with keys lost in the mail and my parents visiting from out of town (long story). I'd recommend her to any dog owner - five stars for sure! read more

A lot of the reviews here discuss Melissa's awesomeness in the cat department. Take note that she's just as incredible when it comes to dogs! When I was recently going on a day trip on the weekend, I needed a walker for letting Otis out to potty and for some mid-afternoon exercise. Our regular walker, Marie at Kite Hill Canines (who also rocks!), wasn't available and referred me to Melissa. I couldn't have been more pleased! She was very professional and even made a special trip to our place to pick up our spare set of keys. You can tell that she has a natural connection to animals - my pup had a huge doggie grin on his face when Melissa showed up that evening to get the keys and was attached to her at the hip! I definitely recommend Melissa for your pet-sitting needs - whenever our regular walker isn't available for something beyond our normal walking schedule, we absolutely plan to work with Melissa again. read more

When I'm out of commission, Melissa takes on my rascals reliably and with great patience. As a fellow dog wrangler, I admire her dog-reading abilities and appreciate her sense of humor. I like Waffle too. read more

Pups to the Park - Waffle - Dog Walkers Near Me

As a pet-care professional, I can recommend Melissa without reservations. She is thoughtful, organized, professional, and truly does this because she loves animals. I have known her for many years, and I would trust her with my keys, or those of my own clients if need be, and I don't trust just ANYONE. She has great integrity, and I know she will go out of her way to provide the level of care that I'd expect. read more

I would give her 10 stars if it were possible. Melissa is everything you could ask for in a kitty sitter - professional, personable, capable and kind. She truly goes above and beyond with my old, sick kitty cat, Miss Ed. I've used her many times and have no reservations about leaving my kitty in her care. read more

I arrived home early to find two bags of cat feces (scooped from the litter box) sitting on the floor in my kitchen and my back door unlocked. This was my 5th time hiring Melissa for cat-sitting and the first time something like this has happened. She graciously returned my check and apologized when I called her to complain. read more

Melissa offers a superb service and stellar attitude. I only call on her once or twice a year, but she is always ready to take on looking after my sometimes mischievous kitty with a smile. Leaving your loved one and apartment in the care of another can be stressful situation, but with Melissa I know that everything will be fine and I will return home to a happy and safe kitty. read more

I adopted my 11 year old cat from the SPCA, forgetting how often I travel! I originally found Melissa's services on Craigslist but was I was so nervous leaving my cat alone the first time as she was painfully shy. Melissa came over to meet us and though my cat never came out from under the bed (she was like that for the first year), Melissa put me at ease immediately. That was over two years ago and now when I return home, I can tell from her attitude and the pile of fur on the couch, that my cat was subject to some good rub downs while I was gone! I would highly recommened Melissa's pet sitting services to anyone - except that if she becomes overbooked, I'll be really upset! She even waters my plants and brings in the mail. There is nothing better than going on vacation when you KNOW that you have left your furry loved ones, and the entire contents of your home with a reliable, competient, animal loving individual! Thanks Melissa. read more

She's taken excellent care of our two somewhat demented cats every time we've used her. We always come back to happy, well-adjusted kitties and reports of how they were while we were gone. She keeps the key with her and has been willing to work with us even at super last-minute notice. Highly recommended! read more

Moved to the city and needed a trustworthy person to look after my furry sweetheart while out of town. I found Melissa here on Yelp. She's been sweet & flexible with my sometimes wavering plans, and has now cared for kitty during two of my trips. Kitty hardly acknowledges I've been gone! Thanks Melissa! read more

I have known Melissa for a long time. I have always been impressed with the connection she has with animals. She cares for them in such a gentle, loving, responsible way. I have 2 cats and I would always trust Melissa with... my 2 angel babies. If Melissa says she is going to do something, she is there and she does it with love and care. I appreciate her and recommend her completely. read more

It's been 5 years already when I first hired Melissa to take care of our indoor kitties. Incredibly professional, certified, and very trustworthy. We come home after being away and our cats are comfortable and no damage done to the furniture. Melissa is top notch animal lover and professional who we will continue to be a customer as long as she stays in San Francisco. Thank you Melissa - we are grateful to have you take care of our furry family when we are on holiday. read more

I had just gotten my cats as kittens and I was looking for a cat sitter for my first time away from home. I was very nervous at the idea of leaving them with a stranger, especially since they were so shy. I am absolutely crazy about cats. Melissa came highly recommended to me through colleagues at work so I decided to meet her. She came to visit (the cats stayed under the bed) but she was so clearly a cat person that I didn't hesitate. One of my cat is still very shy (with everyone) but the other now absolutely loves Melissa!! Melissa is extremely trustworthy - she is extremely reliable, open, communicates and deals with issues as they arise in a very responsible manner. She goes out of her way to make sure her clients' needs are met and she has shown extreme flexibility. She even knows so much about cats that I get behavioral tips from her!! Her personality is also warm and gracious, so she gets along with the owners pretty well too ;-) Now I never hesitate to leave town as I know that my cats will be in extremely caring and capable hands. I never worry and I would recommend Melissa to anyone with pets! read more

Melissa cat sat for my cats last August and did a great job. I found her through Yelp and chose her based on all the good reviews. While my partner had concerns about giving a stranger a set of keys to our place, his concerns disappeared once we met Melissa. Her professionalism and care for animals was obvious from the start. She immediately bonded with my boys and I knew that they would be safe and well cared for. I highly recommend her services. read more

Let me tell you why I first chose Melissa to take care of my cat, and why I still do. Just days before Thanksgiving a couple years ago, one of my two cats died, leaving both me and my surviving cat feeling very upset. Her death also meant a change in my Thanksgiving plans, along with the need to find a cat-sitter with very little notice. I sent emails to a few people on Craigslist hoping to find one with availability. A few were available, but Melissa's response set her apart, as it was was kind and sympathetic and showed that she knew just how difficult a time it was for both me and my kitty. Unfortunately, this cat does not have a clean bill of health, either - he has an untreatable liver disease. He's on borrowed time, but as long as he keeps eating he's good. I hate leaving him because I know it stresses him out, and stress makes him stop eating. But amazingly, he keeps right on eating when Melissa takes care of him! It's clear that my kitty feels very comfortable with her, and also that it is good for his health. After more than two years of Melissa's services, I wouldn't consider anyone else! read more

Melissa has been known to cross a bridge, in a pinch, to come attend to my dear (now departed) Stretch, and that, while above and beyond what a normal pet-sitter would do, is exactly what makes Melissa so awesome. She knows and loves animals -- ALL animals -- and they all love her right back. She is a professional, her visits and boarders are serious business, and her advice should never be ignored. If you're in SF and need a pet-sitter, I can't recommend her highly enough. read more

our one & only, tried & true, always reliable, always great, catsitter extraordinaire. melissa is a truly wonderful cat caretaker. so many times we've planned trips, packed bags, checked flight schedules, trying to figure out if we've forgotten anything, anything at all, and suddenly mr. orange gently reminds of us his presence (and displeasure at the sight of our luggage), by mewing loudly, i mean calmly, as if to say, hey s**theads, who's going to feed us?! that's when the call to melissa is made and she assures us all is good in the world, and our cats will get fed. and not just fed, but looked after & loved for all their quirks and eccentricities. we always come home to happy furballs. that's why melissa is the best period, otherwise we could not leave town. read more

Pups to the Park - bingo pondering life - Dog Walkers Near Me

Melissa is a fantastic pet sitter - trustworthy, reliable, and most/best of all she really truly cares about my cat! She also took care of our sick/dying cat - administering meds and fluids while we were gone...it was hard to be away from him while he was going through that, but I honestly felt as good as I possibly could about leaving him since he was with Melissa. read more

Melissa is a very responsible and caring pet sitter, and the best part is that my two cats absolutely love her. I get a little jealous as I am pretty sure that they get excited when I leave town. She is quite knowledgeable, spends time getting to know them, and is a true animal person. I would highly recommend her services for any of your animal friends!! read more

Wow is all I can say about Melissa! We went on a vacation for 10 days, and when we returned, our cats acted like we never left. She was incredibly great with our two cats. They instantly loved her so I knew that we were leaving them in good hands. She was very professional and thorough. She even sent us a status email while we were away. I highly recommend her!! I would definitely use her services for any future trips. read more

Our cat Tinka has been notoriously shy around friends we've had cat-sit her in the past. But not with Melissa! She loves her and when we get home from our time away, Tinka is happy, mellow and well-cared for. Melissa is professional and is kind enough to bring in our mail and water the plants too. We lucked out with her - we highly recommend Melissa! read more

Melissa is amazing and loves animals and her business. She makes my life possible and my dog tired and happy. A good dog is a tired dog and a great dog walker is Melissa. I recommend her every chance I get. read more

Melissa is awesome - if you want someone that is really going to love your dog as much (almost ;) as you - i highly recommend her service. Very professional and reliable. read more