Kelly is truly amazing. She has been walking our dogs Frankie and Ranger for a couple of years…read morenow. Our dogs are so excited to see her and come back very happy. Kelly is on time, consciences, kind and truly is the best Dog Walker we have ever had. We also have had Kelly house sit many times when we have traveled. She always keeps us updated and takes great care of our home! I can't recommend her enough! Bob

I'm out of her service area, so couldn't use her. Great communication though and that's a plusread more

THIS PLACE IS NOT FOR ME OR MY DOG…read more Let me start by saying that Hillary and her team of dog trainers are very nice people. I have nothing personal against them. However, I have a very serious concern about what happened to my dog during her time in this program. I brought my German Shorthaired Pointer, Nuala, to Hillary's program at the request of my parents so they could better understand how to work with her. I got Nuala at exactly eight weeks old from a very reputable gun dog breeder, as she is being raised to become a hunting dog. From day one, I worked closely with her on basic training and early socialization with both people and animals, and everything was going great. An important detail: I bring my dog to the beach almost every other day. She is constantly around people, crowds, noise, and other dogs, and this has never been an issue. She has always been confident, friendly, and well-adjusted. She has no problems with other dogs at all. My parents had same experience until recently. Fast-forward about 2 1/2 weeks into her program--she is now 17 weeks old--and suddenly she is showing fear-based behavior toward people. She started barking and growling at strangers, running toward me for protection, and hiding from people. Again, she has no issues with dogs, only people. This behavior is completely out of character and not at all the dog I brought into this program. I don't know what goes on behind closed doors at this facility, but something clearly went wrong. My dog came in confident and social, and she left fearful of people. Because of this, I will absolutely not be bringing her back. Before spending $2,500, I strongly recommend doing extensive research on where you bring your puppy. Personally, I have had far more success training my dog on my own by watching trainers who specialize in my specific breed on YouTube--something I've been doing successfully since day one. Training takes time, patience, and consistency, and the best part is that those resources are free. In summary, while I don't dislike Hillary or her team on a personal level, I am deeply unhappy with what happened to my dog while she was in their care. I paid $2,500 to help my puppy grow into a confident, well-behaved dog, and instead she came back scared of people. Because of this experience, I will not be returning and would not recommend this facility to others. I am extremely upset and disappointed.

Fabulous!!! my puppy Coco Valentina loves going wonderful programs and staff. Puppies are so calm…read moreand happy to be there to learn,

If we could give Mark Peña ten stars, we would! We originally reached out to Mark during a very…read morestressful time. After living together in relative peace, our two three-year-old dogs suddenly started viciously attacking one another. We were desperate for help. We consulted with several trainers, but Mark immediately stood out from the crowd. Even though he was going out of town and wouldn't be available for two weeks, we felt a strong intuitive connection to him that we decided to wait for his return. Looking back, that was the absolute best decision we could have made for our furry family. From the moment he stepped into our home for our initial "getting-to-know-you" appointment, we knew we were in expert hands. He spent a couple of generous hours patiently meeting and greeting us and our entire menagerie of animals. He shared his heart-centered training philosophy, and his deep wisdom and incredible talent were obvious right from the start. Mark is the perfect combination of professional and deeply personable. He is always punctual, bursting with positive energy, and possesses a truly rare, loving magic with animals. Our dogs absolutely adore him--their tails start wagging the moment he arrives, and they don't want to say goodbye when it's time for him to leave. We just completed our initial six-session course, and the results are stunning. Since we began incorporating his techniques, our dogs have not had a single issue with one another (except once when it was our fault with bones - so we learned our people lesson). Harmony has been restored to our household. Beyond the behavioral issues, Mark's vast knowledge even helped us successfully tackle a stubborn car sickness issue with one of our pups! What also appreciate the incredible value and ongoing support Mark provides. Included in our original package are three more sessions to use whenever we need them, because Mark truly understands that training is an ongoing journey. He is incredibly generous with his time and support--whether it's a quick phone consultation for simple questions, a Zoom check-in, or coming out in person, he is always there for us. Mark is not just a profoundly talented trainer; he is one of the nicest, genuine human beings you will ever meet. We highly recommend him to anyone looking to transform their relationship with their pets. In fact, we are already planning to have him train one of our dogs as a service dog next! Thank you, Mark, for bringing peace back to our home!

The trainer helped me and my little grandkids work with my rescue pup, who was terrified of small…read morechildren. The protocol really works!

We were so lucky to get to be a client of Katie She has an…read moreamazing way with all pups and with their owners! We have worked in several levels and Katie is patient and never tired of giving me tips and reminders So many friends have asked me for her reference - so happy to share her Her technical knowledge is amazing Highly recommend this gal!!

Katie has been amazing in helping my shelter rescue and I develop as a team and get past my pup's…read morefears so she can be the sweet, joyful girl she deserves to be. We've been working together about four months now and the progress is heartwarming and wonderful. Katie is kind, patient, honest about what's working and what's not working, and fits her session content to what is needed for you and your dog, not a one-size-fits all approach. I feel lucky to have found her. Highly recommend!

Our dog Max started going out with Having a Ball during the 2020 shelter in place. In the early…read moredays, the service was great and Max was happy. Unfortunately, we have had many issues with this company and recently moved Max to another company. Overview of main issues: - Inconsistent schedule, different walkers showing up daily to pick Max up - They use personal cars which are not large enough for 6 dogs to be comfortable. - I regularly saw a dog sitting in the front passenger seat when they would come to pick up Max - this is very unsafe, especially since they are driving from Sausalito to Petaluma on Hwy 101. - Many times on hot days, Max would come home and his fur would be hot to the touch and he would be panting excessively. This made us question whether or not all of the personal vehicles used to transport dogs have functioning AC. - In August, our home alarm was set off twice by the walkers. Both times, Max was in the house with the alarm wailing for an extended period of time. - One day at 6 PM, Max was not home from his walk and we started to get very concerned. Multiple texts and calls went unanswered. Eventually, we learned that a dog had run away earlier that day and all of the walkers were trying to find it. We later learned that our dogs did not get a walk that day- so essentially, Max spent many hours crammed in a car - and we were charged for the walk (!) After this incident, we expected an official communication from the company acknowledging what happened and details on processes being implemented to ensure appropriate communication in the event of a future emergency. Even after discussing this with Richard, no communication was forthcoming. We are left to assume that there is no process in place. - The company stopped offering trail hikes and transitioned to ranch outings as of 10/1/2020. The ranch outings are more expensive and are advertised as being 2 hours. Max wears a GPS - his ranch outings have not been 2 hours (see picture below - at ranch from 1:05 - 1:59). Our estimation is most days in October he spent at least 3 hours in the car for pick up/drop off of other dogs. - The final straw was when a complete stranger showing up to pick up Max on Friday 10/22 - we were not notified that there was a new employee. We have a lockbox - it was highly concerning that we weren't notified and introduced to this new person. To this date, I never received a response to my last email outlining our concerns.

Moxie, our 2 year old Golden has been "having a ball" since December of last year. She loves her…read moretime out with her friends - both human & dog! Live others, she gets so excited when the car pulls up...her whole body wags with joy. She comes home happily tired out & looking forward to the next day's adventures. I can't recommend Having a Ball highly enough. Their staff are wonderful & I can't be happier.

We have used Maria on three separatie occassions for her medical intuitive communication. She has…read morebeen incredible. Our first time using Maria was for our 14 year old cat, Amir who was having some medical problems. Maria met with us to ask questions about our concerns, then "connected" Amir doing a meditation. She gave us valuable information about how to make him more comfortable and signs to look for when he needed more support. We also used Maria to help integrate a newly adopted dog into our pack of 2 dogs and 3 cats. She was invaluable helping "Olive" feel safe and comfortable in her new home. We most recently used Maria to help us navigate the next steps with our 16 year old Terrier. We learned what Trixie needed during her aging years. She suggested an orange toy because she used to have one. Sure enough, she did have one a while back so I went out and bought a new orange toy. She carries it around all day now. While Maria was mediating to connect with Trixie (from a different location), Trixie stood on our deck in the sun, looking so at peace. She also looked like she was meditating! We are not overly whoo whoo people, and we have really benefitted from Maria's guidance.

Maria Perez is an excellent trainer. I was new at being a pet parent, and my adopted adult dog was…read morevery reactive to other dogs. The knowledge she shared, and the skills and games she taught me, really helped build a very strong foundation of commands/obedience for my dog and me. It increased safety and enjoyment for us, and brought me relief from some stressful behaviors he had had. She really zeroes in on what is most needed for your dog, and addresses what is most important to you as a pet parent. She's a delight, and my dog adored working with her. People often compliment my dog saying how well-behaved he is, and this is definitely attributed to the fact that I used what I learned from Maria to teach him. I recommend her.

Kelli is as knowledgeable, wonderful and friendly in person as she is on the phone! When I follow…read moreher advice, looking keenly at the dogs around us in any situation, it increases my awareness of what is going on with the dogs I am with and if I do as Kelli has shown me within a couple of hours or less, I know what they are up to and what could happen next! I now prevent uncomfortable situations with my young Shepard mix who wants to herd dogs even! Kelli is great in all situations and is helping me and my son have a better relationship with our dog. From the first session she is showing me how to have Princess Kitty make friends with other dogs! Kelli is a master dog communicator- from dog body language of all the dogs to subtle and quick changes in the eyes of dogs - and is a phenomenal trainer hands down the best I'm met. She understands what dogs at up to at all moments, and all the possibilities of what could happen next. Kelli may work with puppies but she easily works well with my 50 lb active shepherd as well as my son's friends terrier a 8 lb rescue from the streets of California. Kelly understands dog body language and dogs so well she can predict their next moves easily. Great trainer wonderful lady who truly speaks dog! I would highly recommend her in any situation with any dog, or even if you want to get to know your dog better and make more doggie friends! Sky's the limit with Kelli, expect Miracles!

We actually found Kelli at PuppLuv using the Thumbtack app, but for some reason they keep giving me…read morea "page not found" error every time I try to leave a review there. Hopefully folks look for her on Yelp too! The app didn't really make it clear how far Kelli would have to travel to work with us, but after talking to us she decided to come out and work with us anyway. I can't say enough about Kelli. She really cares deeply about her clients (and their humans). We have a very sweet, large and dominant dog with leash reactivity and dog aggression issues. Kelli was willing to travel a long way to make sure that our pup got the help she needed, and we didn't inadvertently exacerbate our dog's issues trying to correct them. Kelli was kind, patient, and extremely generous with her time and skills. We would definitely recommend her to anyone looking for intuitive, experienced help with doggie behavioral issues.

If there was an option to leave six stars, they would deserve it. Larissa and Sam are two of the…read moresweetest and most competent humans I've ever met. They deeply care about both the dogs they watch and the owners. I have never felt more secure leaving our pup than when he is happily romping into their arms. In addition to the best prices anywhere in Marin, they have a pick up and drop off service during the week that makes life so much easier.

Buyer Beware! A mutual dog lover referred us to them and…read moreeven contacted them after we received NO response from emails, phone calls and texts trying to set up a meet and greet. We finally toured the facility and were told we had a 'handshake deal' to board our critter and the contract would be sent 'next week'. No contract ever arrived and we were left to find an alternative facility less than a week from leaving town! How can you trust these people with your loved pet if they cannot even live up to their basic promise to communicate with a new customer? If there was a negative rating it would be well deserved.