I have been working with Doggy Llama's trainer Vero Chavez Rojo for almost a year and she is…read moreoutstanding! Archie, my big rescue shepherd lab mix, is a sweet heart, however, he had a really hard first year of his life and I needed a lot of help with his sensitivity and reactivity. I tried several trainers and Vero's special touch has done the trick! What is special/unique about Vero: - Vero is very knowledgeable about all things dog-related and really takes the time to understand what is going on specifically for you and your dog - She is very kind and practical with her training and makes it simple so that it's easy to follow and be consistent - Vero is encouraging and supportive to help me feel more confident in what I am doing with Archie which is as important as anything else - Vero follows up and is very curious about how things are going and is eager to work with me to adjust as needed - She cares about the whole dog (and person : ) and helps to figure out what is going on health-wise since it is likely contributing to behaviors - We have been able to address a number of things with Vero that I was not able to make much progress on with other trainers - Vero continues to build on what we have learned whereas with other trainers I felt we kept working on the same thing and/or often regressed without much continual progress - Vero is very positive and clear in her communication which is incredibly helpful along the way

I have a parrot and contacted several pet sitting companies looking for someone with bird…read moreexperience. Doggy Lama was the only company that responded that they had staff experienced with birds. Dani came by to meet my bird before my trip and did a wonderful job taking the time to get to know her and understand her needs. Unfortunately, my travel plans changed and I ended up not needing pet sitting services this summer. Even so, I wanted to leave a review because I was so impressed with the company. They were responsive, professional, and genuinely seemed to care about both their clients and their pets. Communication was excellent, and their website made scheduling and payment incredibly easy.

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 would highly recommend Critter Pet Care to any pet guardian/owner (even guinea pigs!) Their love…read moreof all animals shows from the lush inside arrangements where cats and dogs stay (separately, of course) to updating the yard with new astroturf for dogs to have more fun playing outside. I am sure my dog would agree as shown by him literally starting to whine with anticipation when we get close to the freeway exit. Pam has also been incredibly helpful and understanding while I continue to learn how to raise my very first dog. I also consider her a bit of a cat saint for all the cats she has helped.

Members of the Fetch Team picked up my two dogs, twice a day, and took them to Briones for…read moreoff-leash adventures. My dogs loved it and it so eased my conscious as my work schedule at the time was very long hours. I have also used them on an "emergency basis" when I took sick and a Fetch team member came to my house and exercised a new puppy who needed a great deal of attention. They are wonderful!

Fantastic web app to manage the account. The sitter that has been assigned to me, Autum, is…read morefantastic. On the walk through before our first sitting, she understood right away what needed to be done. Every day she sends a report with photos. It really is so nice to see the pics of my kitties every day when I'm away. Autumn thus far has been available short notice which my previous sitter needed at lest 2-3 weeks advance notice. On top of that, she is cool with coming every other day which saves me a ton of money. I suspect I will be using Fetch! Pet Care's services for a long long time.

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!

Michelle was the most amazing host / care taker for Jerome our hamster, who spent an entire month…read moreat her home while we were traveling overseas. We highly appreciated all the care and attention she gave him during the time as well as the regular updates, sending news and photos on a regular basis. Michelle was also super responsive to all our communications.

Michelle is a paragon of pet care. She is professional, both throughout the online process via her…read moreexcellent platform and communication skills, to her in-person rapport, precise note taking, and germane questions. Additionally, she was sure to learn all about our home's upkeep such as the garbage schedule and mail location to cover those kinds of above-and-beyond duties as well. When we return home, our pets are happy, healthy, and clean -- and so is our house! Pet dishes cleaned and neatly stacked, even our faucet and dish sponge were oriented squarely and neatly: this is attention to detail! As some icing on the cake, her photos are exceptional! She clearly has an eye for photographic composition, angle, and lighting to deliver pet photos that are better than what we take ourselves! Michelle is what every pet care business should aspire to be. 100% Recommended.

Karen is awesome and takes wonderful care of our dog when we are on vacation - she hikes her every…read moreday and my dog is so happy when we show up at Karen's door - we recommend Piedmont Pet whole heartedly!

We are very thankful for Karen and Piedmont Pet! We have entrusted our animals to Karen for…read moreseveral years and have only ever had great experiences. Piedmont Pet is an excellent in-home boarding and daycare provider for small dogs. Nervous pet owners like me will appreciate the genuine care, attention to detail, and communication Karen brings to every pet care interaction. Our little 17-lb terrier mix has a few health issues and is on a special diet and meds, and needs to be in an environment where he will be handled gently. We never, ever worry with Karen! She was extremely thorough when we first started working with her, making time to ask lots of good questions and answer all of ours. She is a confident and very experienced animal lover who organizes and handles small-dog pack walks like the pro she is. We get daily photos of his adventures when our dog is with Piedmont Pet which we really, really appreciate. Karen takes care of him like one of her own (little sweaters in the winter, no-pull harnesses, comfy beds and blankets, etc.), and we can tell he feels secure and comfortable with her and his "vacation pack". His time there is a great mix of snuggles and downtime and walks and enrichment time. Karen also provides drop-in visits for our cat when we're away which we really appreciate. Our cat doesn't like anyone and she actually plays with Karen and allows pets (we get pics and videos of this too)! We feel secure knowing our sweet little dog buddy is in great hands and our less-sweet but still loved cat buddy is getting wet food and playtime when we can't be there. Strongly recommend Piedmont Pet, especially to anyone with small dogs in the East Bay in search of secure, loving home boarding or daycare!

Great! She looked after my kitten and gave me plenty of updates to ease my anxiety. I would use her…read moreagain!

Awesome service and wonderful communication a great option that I would highly recommend to anyone.read more

Citizen Canine is the best. That's it. That's the whole truth. They aren't just voted the best by…read morethe community every year. They treat my dog like royalty. They offer training and special care packages. One on one care options and boarding. I could sit here until I reach the maximum character limit glazing their services and the care that they provide. They are also very close to the 880 fwy gas stations and food options so when you pick up your fur baby you can grab gas and dinner on those days you're too tired after work to think. Their fenced in play area has large umbrellas and misters that spray fine mist when it's hot. They love love love dogs here. I have not met one apathetic employee in the years my dog had been coming here. Everyone here is as amazing as these reviews imply. I owe my dog's health and happiness to her weekday daily routine of several walks and play times, baths and other spa day services when she is here. My work lets me bring my dog to work and I still bring her here. They are that beneficial to her wellbeing. All hail Muñeca, queen of chugs!

I can not thank Citizen Canine and Juju the dog trainer enough. Evie, our two year old Sheppard…read morelearned so much attending the academy. She grew leaps and bounds in her confidence. She is so well behaved! We continue to work on her new skills, and are so proud of her growth in such a short time. We highly recommend CC. Thank you!

I was recommended to Lucia because she truly cares. Lucia cares for my little girl as if she were…read moreher own. Every time I drop her off she always goes running to her, that alone shows her true character. She has a huge back yard that is perfect for sun bathing and has snacks on snacks on snacks! She keeps the area clean and always does what she can to make my dot feel comfortable while I am away. I especially love when she sends me picture updates. Here are a few!

This is in response to Lucia's comment below…read more 1) He did not have existing scratches. Mickey stayed here for boarding from June 24-July 8. Please look at the newly added picture of his nose just the day before drop-off. Where are the scratches? Don't lie. I also have texts of you admitting you didn't notice the scratches on his nose during his stay or how they formed when we asked about it. Those are new scratches. 2) He recently stayed at another boarding center, Club K9 in Sunol, and he was fine. Zero issues. He came back with all A's on his report card. The handlers handled him fine. Multiple people were able to leash him and take him out without a problem. I highly recommend them for boarding. They have multiple people on site watching the dogs, instead of two. They have a better handle on the dogs and any situations that may arise. Aside from this experience that you claimed, I had zero experience of him showing any aggression to myself or others (including strangers). I'm not saying he didn't bite you or your nephew, I'm saying something or someone must've triggered it cause this has never happened before. NEVER. Since this was my first boarding experience, I went in blindly and trusted her version of what was happening, the biting, the fighting, etc.. After my second boarding experience elsewhere, I am more skeptical than ever about why Mickey was acting the way he was at Lucia's. I find it odd that he was showing aggression. He has stayed with me a total of 5 months now, 1 and a half months when I dropped him off at Lucia's, and was unsure of how he would act there since I've never done this before. After spending 5 months with him, the dog she described does not align with what I've been seeing on a daily basis. He has been in several foster homes and has never had any experience with aggression. Some homes included other dogs and cats. In regards to Lucia's comment "Which part of this are you taking responsibility for?" I should have researched your boarding center more and taken the 1-star reviews on yelp and google reviews more seriously. This was my first ever boarding experience and I wasn't sure what to look for or ask. During the meet and greet, there were no other dogs present but she assured me it was fine and that he would fit right in. Red flag #1 -- Since Lucia was the "expert" I trusted her judgment, although my partner questioned why there weren't any dogs around to be sure Mickey got along with them. Red flag #2 -- One person looking after 6+ dogs? I should've known better. Red flag #3 -- When feeding him the first night, he got into the other dogs' food. He has food allergies, I specifically asked for him to be isolated. She assured me MULTIPLE times that wasn't a problem. The instructions weren't followed and I have the texts to prove it. Red flag #4 -- He is kennel trained. He sleeps and eats in his crate since he went to the rescue and prior with his previous owners. One of the nights you let him out of the crate to feed him a snack in the middle of the night with your senior dog present when you could've just slip it into the crate. I'm not sure why he attacked your dog and I truly apologize if he did, but several of these situations could've been prevented had my instructions been followed. I should have pulled him out, but I had no one there to take care of him. If I could go back, I would've found somewhere else. I take responsibility for not doing more research and asking the proper questions during the meet and greet process. There are reviews of dogs getting loose during their stay and Lucia running down the block and yelling within the boarding facility and she acknowledges it in her replies there. I should've looked at all of this prior to our stay. That was my mistake. I let a lot of the red flags slide and put my dog's health and safety in jeopardy. If you have time, take a look at the reviews on google and dig further in yelp. I stand by my statement that if you have a rescue dog, please take them elsewhere. And based on the tone and replies to negative reviews, you should reconsider letting your dog stay here even if your dog is well-socialized and easy to care for.

I'm so pleased to be able to update this review from 2010. How time flies!…read more Our dear Penny whom Shasta helped us with back then passed away in 2015. We started working with Shasta again in 2017 when we got our new pup, a border collie rescue. He came to us emaciated and poorly socialized, needing love and positive experiences to bring him out of his shell. Shasta gave us much-needed training advice, and from there her staff started walking Hugo on group walks, which he's done once a week since 2018. He enjoys these walks so much; they provide wonderful socialization experiences. All the treats and training in the world can get a dog so far, but a strong adult with a great pack really helps with confidence-building and calm. Hugo walks with Toni, who send us pictures of him each week with his crew. I can tell that Hugo is happy with Toni and his pack: as we release him to the car (to maintain social distancing), our pup who usually does not like to leave my side will happy run down the stairs to greet him and hop in the car! Shasta also runs Puptown for boarding. We've only needed this service once, but having been in there and knowing Shasta for so many years, I know that this would be a great resource as well. It has been a pleasure seeing Shasta grow this business for over a decade, and watch it continue to provide the same excellent service it did in the beginning. If you need training support, especially with difficult dogs, a weekly walking group, or more, Bow Wow is a great choice. Review from 2010 I love Shasta. She has walked our dog for well over a year. She been amazing. We have worked with four dog walking companies, and Shasta is a cut above. As a handler, Shasta knows dogs and dog behavior. We switched to her when we were having some behavioral problems with our dog at home, especially after walks. Shasta worked closely with Penny and we've seen huge improvements in her behavior. Last year our dog needed surgery; Shasta worked with us on her rehab, and continues to be conservative with her play to ensure that she stays strong. As a business person, Shasta has been great. She handled our initial interview, paperwork, and invoicing professionally. We LOVE her daily dog walk "reports"--these little report cards let us know how our dog was feeling, what she did, and (sorry for the detail) even if and how she pooped! Who could ask for more? Our dog loves Shasta, responds well to her, and behaves well at home after a walk with her. That's what matters most.

This crew... where do I start? Shasta and her team have been walking our dogs since they were…read moremonths old. Now they're in their twilight years, we still feel the same. They are a wonderful team that treats these dogs like their furry children. Shasta and her team have been awesome, helping to transform these loving, high energy dogs to obedient and happily exercised ones. One of our dogs is socially awkward -- he's gotten kicked out of almost every doggy day care in the East Bay. o_O The off-leash hikes are must haves for them and our backyard - you should've seen what these two did before we hired Bow Wow Ventures! They're worth every penny. I'm not kidding when I say our dogs love them. When they hear the truck coming, they're raring to go. And they're the only ones we call when we need to board them. I cannot recommend them enough.