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.

Puptown actually did my dog Hans and I a huge favor. I had previously scheduled boarding for Hans…read moreat a competing facility back in January in preparation for a trip to Japan in May. However, when we arrived at the facility the day before my flight to Japan, that facility told me that Hans boarding was being denied due to him having a heart murmur condition. Even though I had been a loyal customer to this facility for over 10 years, and that my flight to Japan was less than 24 hours away, and that they waited until I was at the checkin desk in order to inform me of the denial, representatives of this facility stated that there was nothing they could do and that they were simply following company policy. So me saying that Puptown literally saved my trip is a huge understatement. With no paperwork, and no pre-qualifying evaluation, Puptown took in Hans, heart murmur and all, and treated him like a prince. As a result, I'll always be grateful to Puptown, Hans' new found home away from home for the remainder of his life. Thank you Puptown!

We have been clients of PupTown for several years. it is the only place we feel safe enough to…read moreboard our Poodle, Oliver. The daily photos and videos of him playing, smiling, and on walks nourishing us while we are away. Shasta, the owner, is a true gem. She truly understands the workings of dogs' psyches and ensures each pet is placed in the right environment. When medication or special dietary needs are required, they are administered flawlessly. PupTown is truly a wonderful, caring place for your beloved dog.

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.

Pam has walked & cared for our senior Brussels Griffon for 4 years. She is a wonderful pet care…read moretaker, and has even become a friend. :) She is a truly experienced professional who really cares about each animal and their well being. We highly recommend Pam and Run with the Big Dog for all your pet care needs!

Pam and Jerry are amazing…read more Our wonderful German Shepherd before we found Run with The Big Dog, Charlie has been with a couple of walkers but none were as educated about his breed then Jerry, which made a world of difference. Jerry is a dog whisperer and has a lot of experience with the big dogs. Charlie adores Jerry so much, and they worked together to take Charlie from on-leash walks to fully integrating Charlie into the pack, a process which has been absolutely great for Charlie. My only wish was that I have found them earlier :( we are moving now and I just don't know if we will ever find this kind of fit again for Charlie. If you are in their service area, CALL THEM. You won't regret it.

We've had Imari come to our home as a pet sitter for several trips over the last year and I wish we…read morehad found her sooner! She cares for our two kitties like they are her own and is so professional. There's always a check in a couple days before our scheduled visits and each day we receive multiple photos and/or videos. You can tell she takes pride in her work and I love being able to support local business owners. Highly recommend Imari to anyone looking for a pet sitter in the East Bay!

We absolutely adore Imari. She is so dependable and great with our two cats, Fitz and Luna…read more When she checks on them we can tell she takes the time to give them each a little love and attention, even our Fitz (who can be surly at times). Would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a good pet sitter in the East Bay!

We have been bringing our dogs to Dogtime for close to 10 years for both daycare play and overnight…read moreboarding, and we truly could not imagine going anywhere else. The professionalism and structure they bring is unmatched. They manage their facility much like a children's daycare, every dog is carefully evaluated before being welcomed into the community, vaccinations must be up to date, and safety is clearly their top priority. The facility is incredibly clean, organized, and thoughtfully run. We also love all the extras they offer. From different levels of boarding (the highest tier even includes a special tuck-in and Kong treat!) to dog training, bathing, nail trimming, and their fully engaging playrooms, complete with Dog TV, play structures, bubbles, pool days, and themed activities, it's clear they go above and beyond to make every stay fun and enriching. They even include webcams for us parents to check in on them from time to time! Our doggie Herkules absolutely LOVES his Dogtime family. It is truly his home away from home, and he gets so excited every time we pull into the parking lot. As very particular dog parents, trust means everything to us -- and there is no place we trust more than Dogtime. Tony and Krista have done an incredible job since taking over the business. They've created something really special, and we are forever grateful to them for caring for our dog kids as if they were their own.

Very clean and friendly pet stays Our furry friend loves…read morethere and by the end of the day he is so worked out it took him 2 hours to recover from playing all day There's a dog care in every room monitoring the activity of dogs and they do enforce good behaviors and you can leave your dog at peace while you are at work or away

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.

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!

I used Earth Girl Dog Walker for years for boarding and walking services. My dog was well taken…read morecare of. Reliable, timely and expert services. My old dog was picked up from our home went on many different walking adventures. I could go out of town with ease knowing that she was boarded in good hands; plus got to play with other dogs. My dog passed from health problems, but if I bring another dog into the family, will definitely use Earth Girl services.

Kira has been walking and boarding my two pups for going on two years and they absolutely adore…read moreher. My lab is older and when we adopted her she was obese and completely untrained, she's now a perfect weight with great recall and couldn't be happier. My other dog is shy and mopes whenever we have to board her, so Kira gives her extra snuggles and treats whenever she's with her. I've honestly never met anyone with a more sincere love of dogs and it really shows in the way she cares for her pack. She's very careful with the dogs she takes into her group, making sure every pup's temperaments are a good fit and they go on amazing adventures all over the east bay.

Lyla of Dang Dawg is the best daily dog walker ever! She handles our "spirited" doberman Daisy with…read moreease and gentle compassion. We have had a few dog walkers over the years and Lyla is tops. She's responsive, caring and reliable. In addition to regular dog walks, she is available to dog sit or do drop-in visits whenever we're out of town. It's so nice to have peace of mind knowing that Daisy is in such capable hands. Thank you Lyla, we're so very lucky to have found you!

Lyla of Dang Dawg is incredible. My wife and I have a 9 year old chihuahua who is very barky and…read morefinicky about humans and Lyla totally welcomed her to the group and now our pup absolutely loves her pack walks! Lyla came over and spent time with us and our pup before the first walk and we could really feel how great she is with pups. Our dog looks so visibly happy on walk days now, we are so super grateful to Dang Dawg!