Kathleen has been walking my two dogs now for a few weeks and I have no idea how we survived…read morewithout her! My 2yo lab / hound mix has (had!) horrendous anxiety! Since Kathleen has been working with him, walks are such a pleasure now. He is checking in and managing his anxiety instead of freaking out and reacting. He loves his trips to Pine Banks to see the ducks and you can really tell they have a routine as he and my older dog practically drag me over there to do their own thing. Kathleen is truly wonderful and we love having her!!

I feel so lucky and grateful to have Kathleen taking care of Benny while I am away. Benny loved…read moreher! My first impression was she loved animals so much! I met her four years ago while walking my dog on the street. I could immediately tell she knew well how to communicate with dogs and she treated them with love, care and patience. I did not realize she was a dog walker at the very beginning but as soon as she told me, I knew she is the one I can trust. For the years followed, I had Kathleen taking care of benny a few times, each time a one or two week long vacation. She never let me down! She was on time, paying attention and very professional. She kept records in detail on Benny's behavior. She had a checklist of her duties and Benny's routine. She had yummy treats (they are even organic!) at her own cost for benny. She gave Benny plenty of exercise time. Recently we moved to Woburn which was about 8 miles away. I was wondering if Kathleen would still come to walk Benny. She did! She still offered me the same low rate which never changed for the past four years and she came with a pot of beautiful flowers as a gift to our new house! That was so nice of her! I am very happy to write my review here (my first review on Yelp) for Kathleen to show my appreciation for her superb service. She is the one who knows animals and loves them. Your pets will love her, and you will, too!

Jen watches my beloved cat, Boo, when I travel out of town. She is courteous and professional in…read morethe home and has a great system for invoicing, status updates, and messages. Could not ask for a better catsitter!

After several attempts to find a reliable and trustworthy sitter for Bushel & Peck, our two senior…read morecats, another highly rated but fully booked sitter recommended Jennifer. Jennifer made a great impression at the introductory visit during which--in her personable, calm and mature manner--she paid careful attention to an avalanche of explanations and caveats (self-avowed control freak here!). Subsequently, we used Jennifer's services on short day excursions as well as two-week overseas trips, sometimes on relatively short notice. Our girls have some digestive and other health issues and are on a complex schedule of oral medications and supplements, so it was very comforting to know that Jennifer was able to spread her three daily visits well over the day to ensure even spacing between meals and meds. She reliably provided us with updates and was always very responsive to questions or comments from our end. Her photos allowed us to see in real time how our shy girls became more and more relaxed and comfortable in her presence. We are relocating out of state next month and I very much hope that we will be able to find a cat sitter as reliable and caring as Jennifer. I recommend her wholeheartedly!

I couldn't possibly let my little old lady sit home alone all day without a bathroom break while…read moreI'm at work. Fortunately she gets to see her friends from Gone With the Dogs every afternoon for a walk. My Tally's a little feisty when it comes to other dogs so she sticks with just the solo walks, not the field trips or other fun adventures that Gone With the Dogs offers their clients. For three years I have been nothing but thrilled with the service and care that Tally has received from Cami and the rest of the walkers. From last minute schedule changes to dealing with all my dog's idiosyncrasies and health issues, they have consistently been understanding and accommodating. Recently Tally had to miss several walks because she was in the hospital. When I finally picked her up in the hospital, we came home to a get well card and a new toy from GWTD. These people care and it shows. Even now that I'm planning to move out of my current home, I refuse to move very far because there's no way I would trust any other walker the way I trust GWTD.

If you're looking for personal attention to your dog when you're not available, Gone With The Dogs…read moreis the next best thing to leaving your pet with a loving family member. Until recently, I had only left my dog Max with family when I was out of town - I knew for sure that he was being treated well. Unfortunately for me, that meant driving 2.5 hours to leave him with that family member. This year I again tried to find a local dog sitter/walker - I had done a similar search a few years earlier and was unsuccessful. This time, I was very pleased to come across Gone With The Dogs on one of the professional dog sitting websites. I met with Cami, found her to be sincerely fond of dogs and decided to try leaving Max under her care. I was pleased with the results and Max seemed extremely happy with his new care-giver. Gone With The Dogs is now the first place I call when I need to leave Max for a long weekend. I feel very comfortable that he is getting the personal attention and care that he receives at home.

River dog is amazing. My dog looooooves it here. He literally knows when we're in the car that…read morewe're going to day care and he runs towards the door - he hears his friends barking and is eager to join them to play! The staff are all amazing and do so well with the dogs - you can tell they are passionate about taking care of the pups. They're also extremely nice and accommodating. I can tell they really love my pup. My dog is a little guy and he loves playing with the big dogs, and I trust he is safe in river dogs hands. He plays the entire time he is there, he comes home exhausted which I appreciate added a long busy day I love that they're open 6 am- 7pm - it's handy for my long days at work. There's always street parking available too. Definitely recommend River dogs if you are looking for a day care for your pup! The price is also pretty good compared to other day cares in the area/cambridge!

Finding a daycare for your furbaby that FEELS right is tough: some are too expensive, some are too…read moremuch like a kennel, some have facilities that you don't like, some do a lot of crating, some are poorly staffed, the list is endless... Dogs for Days is none of these things. It checks all the boxes you need: clean, affordable, safe, staff that loves your baby like they're one of their own pups, 24/7 staffing, and CAGE FREE -this one is really important because there are a lot of places that advertise hotel suites for your dogs but honestly those are just fancy-looking kennels... great if your pup is into that and is comfortable sleeping alone, not so great if your pup is used to snuggling with you in bed - ANYWAY, I digress. We started at Dogs for Days when our puppy was about 9 months old, and when it was still Paws Up - our doggie loved it, we liked it but we weren't thrilled. We were thinking about switching to another daycare when Nick and Michelle took over. Katie, one of the staff, told us that these new owners (whom we hadn't met yet) were amazing and truly dog lovers. Okay we thought, let's stick around and see how this turns out. THANK GOD THAT WE DID. In the last 4-5 months, Nick and Michelle have created a place that we honest to God would be lost without. They, and their staff, go above and beyond to make sure that you feel 200% comfortable leaving your dog with them for a few hours to a few days (or more!). They will text you pictures, give you updates, email you, facetime you, whatever you need when you're away from your baby. Unfortunately this year our puppy Mila turned 1 the same weekend we had to be out of town. What did Dogs for Days do? Well I'll let you look at the pictures and see for yourself - birthday bandana, a handmade birthday sign, and constant updates to let us know that she was having a wonderful time. These are the types of little things they'll do that are truly wonderful. They didn't need to do this but they did it because they knew how much it meant to us - probably more than it meant to Mila haha I've personally seen Michelle work with a family who had a dog with a disability to help them socialize the pup and make sure he (or maybe she) has a happy and well-socialized doggie life. Could they have just turned the family away as so many other daycares would do? Probably, but they didn't and that's what matters. When a dog in the area that they knew went missing, Nick was out there every day helping to find him (don't worry they found him so it's a happy ending!). My point is that it's very hard to find people who understand your connection to your dog(s). Dogs, cats, other pets...they're family. And when you have to leave them for work or a weekend or for whatever reason, you want to feel like they'll be treated like family. We leave Mila during the week week knowing that she is going to have a great time, that if something happens she'll be in good hands, and that she's happy - which makes us happy. We leave her for longer periods - weekends - knowing that she can sprawl out on a couch or bed surrounded by other dogs and most importantly, A PERSON. We know that she won't be scared in a kennel all by herself, and that if something goes wrong there is always someone there for her. Although full disclosure I still cry every time we have to leave her. If you're anything like us (and I suspect you are if you've read this very long review about a doggy daycare), then your dog is like your baby and Dogs for Days is the best for your baby.

Big Daddy's is really an amazing service owned by amazing people! We learned about them from a…read moreflyer posted at a local park. When my husband's job changed and he could no longer take our cockapoo, Vivi, to work with him, we reached out to the owner, Billy. We have nothing but good things to say! They pick her up in the morning and Vivi runs down the stairs to see them. And when they drop her off in the afternoon, she's exhausted but happy, and never smells bad (a problem we had with another local doggy daycare). They post videos/pictures on their facebook page, and it seriously brings a smile to your face when you see your dog having fun. She hasn't seemed to pick up any bad habits, either, which was something we worried about. You can tell Billy and Eric really care about dogs and their business. Highly recommend!!

My husband and I cannot say Thank you enough to Bill and his staff for taking care of our 2 babies,…read moreSydney and Ripley! We were going on vacation and we sent them there for 10 days and I was so worried Because they have never been to daycare/boarding or even a dog park. A lot of people don't like the breed of our amazing dogs so we were always hesitant to bring them anywhere. Bill took them in with open arms! And they were always together which we liked.. they hate to be separated. Haha. Although they were happy to be home, I think they were a little depressed Because they missed all their new "doggie friends" lol. Big Daddy doggie Daycare will now be in our weekly routine! Absolutely 100% recommend this amazing place!

Linda took care of our senior (17 y.o.) cat while we were on a trip. She (the cat) needs a little…read moreextra attention and we worry about her because of her age, and Linda did a wonderful job with her care and feeding and kept us up-to-date on how she was. Good rates and very responsible; highly recommended.

Linda has been walking my dog for about 2 years now and she is just the best! First, she loves my…read morepup as much as I do! She has always been really flexible with scheduling (last-minute work from home days or a soon-to-be much more variable schedule). She always makes sure to let me know well in advance if there are days she won't be available so that I can make other accommodations. She also just goes the extra mile to let me know if there is anything "off" with my dog (or even with my apartment). She even bought a bag of my dog's favorite treats just because she happened to be at a store where they had them for a good price! I could not ask for a better care-taker for my pooch. I highly recommend Linda for any pet care.

Sue and Sol of Furry Friendz offer a fantastic service. We have a cat who is diabetic and requires…read moreinsulin injections twice a day, so it was difficult for my wife and I to find someone to take care of him if we wanted to take a vacation or leave for extended periods...until we found Furry Friendz. The other 2 reviews really hit the nail on the head in terms of describing the great care and attention to detail that Sue and Sol offer. Also, Sue takes great pictures that are always comforting to see when away from your pet for a long time. They have gone above and beyond every time we've utilized their services. Our cat sheds A LOT due to his medical condition, so they vacuumed the apartment even though we never asked or expected them to. Sue also made a homemade cat toy for him, which he loves. I highly recommend Furry Friendz.

Sol and Sue, the husband and wife team behind Furry Friendz, offer such a comprehensive, caring and…read moretrustworthy service for pets. Our pets are like our children, and it's important for us to have them well cared for when we're at work or away. With Furry Friendz, we knew they were going to receive the most excellent care. As soon as Sol and Sue came to our apartment to meet our cats and dogs, we knew they were something special. They put our sometimes skittish animals at ease immediately. They asked us so many questions and were interested in every tiny detail about our animals' likes and dislikes. We have a lot of complications with our animals- a dog who is fussy about his food, a cat with a brain tumor, medicine that has to be administered... the list goes on and on. Furry Friendz took in all the information and got up to speed quickly on exactly what our animals need to feel happy and comfortable. They put our minds at ease and we felt confident knowing they would be caring for our pets. Our pets love Furry Friendz and they have so much fun spending time with them. Sol and Sue give us a full report about the visit and send us pictures of the animals playing and on their walks. We've noticed that they always seem to go the extra mile on their visits-- spending extra time and doing little things to make sure the visit is as fun for our pets as possible. We've had experiences with many pet sitting services and have often felt people were going through the motions and didn't really care about our pets. With Furry Friendz, we're confident that we have a team that loves animals, is really good working with them and always over-delivers on our expectations. This is a truly excellent service!

We got our puppy Harry when he was eight weeks old. When he was ten weeks he started getting walks…read moreby Neighborhood Paws. He's now six months old and everything has worked out perfectly. They're really easy to deal with and communicate really well. Schedule changes are not a problem. We get text updates after each walk with a little feedback about Harry's development and behavior. We also get a lot of pointers regarding how to deal with certain behaviors. They're not just walking him passively, they're engaging and training him at the same time. The training we do with him is really reinforced by Jordan, Kerry and Melissa and their walks with him and his playgroup. We feel completely secure in leaving Harry with them and he really seems genuinely happy in their company. This service could not have worked out better for us. We would totally recommend these guys for anybody looking for a dog walking service.

Jordan and the whole team are phenomenal. I thought I had had good service with dog walkers before,…read morebut this team has raised the bar to a whole new level. My dog was loved and cared for in all her goofy glory. I can not recommend Neighborhood Paws enough and I am so sad that I am moving and unable to continue services with them. If you chose this pack you are in phenomenal hands!

We recently did a board-and-train program with Will at Local Pack and it was LIFE CHANGING! I…read moreabsolutely 100% recommend Local Pack for all of your dog training needs, especially the board-and-train. About Our Dog: Our dog Snufkin is a rescue beagle. He is about 4, and we adopted him 2 years ago. When we first adopted him he had so much separation anxiety -- he tore apart his crate, was terrible on his leash, had so much anxiety that he had repeated vet visits for gastric distress. We eventually got into a tolerable rhythm because he has such a wonderful and loving soul, but weren't able to bring him many places with us because he would get anxious and nauseous in the car, and wouldn't be able to sit still without constantly whining at work. We love snufkin and wanted him to be able to come with us at our dog-friendly work places, and to take him on vacations around new england in the car and using his kennel at night. We found Will on yelp and he graciously offered to come to our home for a free consultation. About the process: the consultation was about 2 hours. Will talked us through his methods/tools/philosophy, and observed snufkin in our home and on a walk. What I instantly appreciated about Will is his attention to Snufkin's specific needs. He worked with snufkin for awhile in the demo and we were able to see his dedication, patience, and commitment to have snufkin succeed. After the consult will explained that he thought snufkin would need 1-2 weeks of boarding to begin to unlearn bad behaviors and learn new ones. He reinforced how this would be a team effort and that we would need to commit to continuing practicing afterwards for at least 6 months. During snufkin's stay he led a structured life 24/7 -- it's like zen camp for dogs! He practiced structured walks, relaxing in 'place' for multiple hours at a time (to prep for what he would need to do at work), learning to love his kennel as a safe quiet space, and learning to control his emotions. IN 2 WEEKS MY DOG LEARNED HOW TO CONTROL HIS OWN EMOTIONS!!! I feel like I need a board-and-train for my own life :) We visited Snufkin twice during his training to learn and practice the training methods ourselves. Each visit was about 2 hours long -- plenty of time to gain comfort in the methods. Will even offered a 3rd week for free to continue working with snufkin's car issues, demonstrating true commitment to snufkin's wellbeing. The results? Both my husband and I have brought snufkin to work and all of our colleagues have remarked how well behaved, kind, and welcome he is. I work in a chaotic and crowded open-office, and snufkin is able to relax in his bed calmly and enjoy life and being with me. It is so life changing! Snufkin can go on off-leash walks, and people come up to me on the street and comment how well-trained he is. I also feel well prepared to continue his training myself and develop new routines that don't add stress or large amounts of time to my day. He is also doing much better in the car! He is able to lay down and rest and not get sick or excessively slobber (which is what he used to do). It still takes work and there are times when we struggle -- the great thing is that Will is available by email or text to help troubleshoot issues and help us work through them. He also offers a total of 6 in-person hours after the training is complete to help us with anything we need. What I love about Will as a dog trainer: He is compassionate about dogs and not at all judgemental about humans. He has years of experience training dogs of all types, and does so with confidence and the dog's best interest at heart. He is truly the dog whisperer of the Boston area! This was the best money I have spent in a long time -- if you are hesitating about doing a board-and-train or about going with Local Pack, I 100% urge you to do it!

Will is your go to guy for any of your dog training needs! We did a board and train program for two…read moreweeks with my 5 month old Pit-bull mix puppy named Rossco. -We started w/ Will's first training session, he introduced Rossco to the prong collar and had so much information to give us! Will has so much information to give you about any question or concern about your dog, he really is very well informed, and knows his stuff. After the first lesson we decided that a two week board and train would be awesome to start Rossco off with a great foundation for training in the future. Will posted videos of Rossco the whole time, showing his progress, and explaining his reasons behind everything he was doing. Will also was in constant contact with me about Rossco's progress and any issue/ concern that came about. When it was time to pick Rossco up we were shocked at how well trained he had become in those short two weeks. Prior to the board and train Rossco was terrible on the leash, he couldn't focus and was always pulling. He had ZERO impulse control ( mostly because he is still a puppy). Rossco hated the crate and would go into panic mode whenever we put him in it. The only commands he knew were sit, laydown, and sometimes stay. Post the board and train Rossco now calmly walks on the leash, right by our side. He doesn't pull, lunge, or try to walk in front of us. Rossco now sleeps/ hangout in his crate all the time, it has become his quiet place. He has become a much easier dog to take on walks and we couldn't be happier. Will really is there to help you through out the training and after it. Will is there to answer any and all questions even after the board and train as you transition your dog back into your home with the new set of rules and boundaries that he has made. Will has really helped us to understand what role we play in our dogs life and how to keep Rossco calm and balanced. Training has to be maintained and Will has been there to help whenever we need it! Will is extremely dedicated to his work, he is passionate, and he forms amazing bonds with the dogs he is training. He is very professional and is there to help you through any issues you may have. I highly recommend him to anyone looking for a dog trainer in the Boston area!!