How were we lucky enough to find Kate? She took such wonderful care of our senior cat when we went…read moreaway on vacation for 10 days (she also tended to our haphazard indoor plant jungle). Meg the cat is at the very end of her life. Kate gave her meds in bone broth, fed her, and let us know how she was doing. But most importantly, Kate gave her so much love. We are so grateful--Kate is such a gift.

After my dog walker relocated, I was introduced to Libby for weekly group hikes / adventures for my…read morepup. She was so accommodating to a range of needs for my dog -- food allergies, scheduling, lower pace as a result of an injury. And Libby was so gentle and kind in her interactions with my girl -- exactly the kind of care that you hope for in someone looking after your pet!

Chris is amazing. My dog Dillon picked her one day many years ago. She walked Dillon for decades,…read moretook him as a border hundreds of times. I was also lucky to be part of her extended family.. She knows how to treat any dog with love and respect. Please dis regard my negative review.

We've been using Chris's dog walking services, and sometimes boarding, for about 12 years now…read more Chris will work with you to find a schedule that fits for all involved. She is very honest and hardworking. She has a key to our house and our alarm code so that she can pick up our dog while we are at work and we've never had any issues with this arrangement. Chris mostly takes her pack of dogs to Point Isabel regional park so they can run around like crazy animals and expend all that energy. Our dog comes home worn out and sleeps the rest of the day, which is nice. Sometimes he rolls in poop or dead fish or whatever and Chris will spray him off with the hose before dropping him at home. She also will text us if this happens so that we have some warning and then my husband and I can negotiate about who will get home first to deal with the dog washing. Chris is excellent at pairing dogs with the appropriate pack so that personalities mesh well and the dogs have a good experience together. We've never had any problems with injury to our pet or negative emotional health. Our dog LOVES Chris to the point where we sometimes feel jealous that he has this bond with another person outside of our family, LOL. Our dog has this whole other life we know nothing about, haha. Chris accepts cash or check only and you have to call or text her to make arrangements, so no fancy computer appointments or billing. Everything is very simple and old-school.

As a first-time dog mom (and a proud Type-A), finding a daycare that truly put me at ease was…read moreincredibly important to me. I was actually referred to Dog Social Club by another daycare when I was frantically calling around, and I'm so grateful I was. From the very beginning, the team has been exceptionally kind, warm, and responsive. The intake and greeting process was thoughtful and thorough, not just a quick observation. Suzy took the time to answer all of my questions and shared genuinely helpful information, which immediately put me at ease. I felt confident and reassured that my puppy was in the right hands. Dog Social Club is extremely well-structured, with clear procedures and a level of care that really stands out. Every single person I've encountered, from Katie, the CEO, to the handlers, to Jenn who keeps everything running smoothly, to the front desk team who greet both pups and parents, has been friendly, attentive, and welcoming. I wish I knew everyone's name because they all deserve recognition. My pup absolutely loves going! He knows the smells and sounds as we get closer and I have to make sure he doesn't jump out of the car when I open the door. Also the care he received after being neutered... gosh I can go on and on about how wonderful our time has been with DSC. Most importantly, I truly feel that they care for and love my little Barnaby as if he were their own. As a first-time dog mom, that peace of mind is everything, and I honestly couldn't ask for more.

After 3 visits, we were completely hooked. Our 1.5ish year old, 15-lb terrier mix absolutely loves…read moregoing and comes home a much happier and chiller dog. It's so nice to see him happy and tuckered out! He has also been less reactive on walks which is AMAZING. Especially as a first time dog owner, I am so grateful to find a community where everyone is so kind to both the dogs and their humans. I really appreciate the staff's integrity and expertise, and the transparency around pricing and policies is so helpful.

I don't have a pet, but I saw a dude from this company pick up a dog poop bag that wasn't his and…read morethrow it away. For me that's 5-star behavior.

Don and Linda take great care of the dogs under their care. My Springer, K.D., LOVES her walks…read morewith Don and company. Don is very dependable and responsible. My dog K.D. especially likes to see her friend, Riley. Don's family adopted Riley from the rescue I coordinate, Golden Gate Springer Rescue, in 2011 and he has just the BEST home he could wish for! Don and Classic Critter Care are the best!!

We adopted a 2 year old kitty from Hopalong at Woodland Pet in Bon Air Center. We had just recently…read moresaid goodbye to our beloved cat who was 20 years old and had been the best companion for us. We weren't looking to get a new kitty so soon, but Dharma was in the back of the store and she was very sweet. They let us play with her and our dog was with us, so we took turns being near Dharma and allowing our dog (who loves our cats) to see her from a distance. All went well. We learned that she had been in the store for a while and had a rough life before she was taken to the shelter. Fast forward to today--she cuddles with my husband who has been very ill and she is his best friend. She learned how to win over the resident cat (with lots of time and some help), and she and our Husky and best friends. She's earned the nickname Drama because she's very good at getting into mischief. The support information from Hopalong was useful. We've had cats our entire lives and still each cat is unique. Having resources at hand is great! The people at Woodland Pet were very helpful in vetting us to make certain that we would be a good, safe home for Dharma and that she would be happy with us. They sent us home with supplies and toys. Because of their continued interest, our dog and I go back to show them photos of Drama earning her nickname.

What a great experience with Marin Humane + Hopalong. My partner and I lost our pug earlier this…read moreyear in January. We adopted her from the shelter when she was two and she lived all the way to fifteen. She was everything to us. After she passed, we waited a while before feeling ready to adopt again. In the meantime, I followed a ton of Bay Area rescue groups on Instagram and checked the Petfinder app regularly. We knew we were drawn to flat-faced breeds, but the most important thing was finding a dog that could get along with our two cats. We actually found a Frenchie through another rescue and even went to meet him at an adoption event. Unfortunately, his foster parent said he didn't do well with other dogs and probably not with cats either. That was a dealbreaker for us. About a month later, during the week of July 4, I came across Sally Sitwell (now renamed Winnie) on Petfinder. Her profile mentioned that she was good with cats, and she sounded perfect for us. I applied right away but didn't hear back for a few days, so I was worried she might have already been adopted. But I totally understood since it was a holiday week and I'm sure they received a ton of applications. Eventually, I got an email from Ruthie, a volunteer, to schedule a 1:1 phone interview. She was really warm and easy to talk to. She explained that she usually handles phone interviews for people interested in brachycephalic breeds since she has experience with them. I shared our story about our late pug and everything we went through with her including surgeries, seizures, and IVDD, and Ruthie could tell we were familiar with the breed's needs. She planned to coordinate a meeting with us, the dog, and the foster parent, but she was going to be out of town. So she looped in Alex from Hopalong and Francesca, the foster mom, so we could set something up directly. We coordinated a visit to meet Winnie at Hopalong in Oakland. I really appreciated how flexible and communicative everyone was. It felt like everyone genuinely wanted the best for this dog. When I first met Francesca and Winnie, I lit up. Winnie was even more adorable in person and so much smaller than I expected. Francesca was such a kind person. She already had a Frenchie and cats, so you could tell she really loves animals. She walked us through all of Winnie's little quirks and her daily routine. A few minutes later my partner arrived and I ran out to get him. I told him right away, "You're going to love her, she's so adorable." The moment he walked in and saw her, he was smiling ear to ear. We ended up spending about 30 minutes with Francesca, chatting and also sharing more about ourselves so she'd feel reassured that Winnie would be going to a loving home. Toward the end of our visit, Alex, the program manager, came out to meet us. She was super bubbly and also a Frenchie owner. We let her know we were all in and wanted to move forward with the adoption. We asked if we could pick Winnie up the next day since we had a bunch of supplies being delivered like her crate, food, and bowls. Francesca was so accommodating and let us come to her house the next day to get her. The whole experience was amazing. Everyone was so friendly and helpful. There were no awkward moments and we felt supported from start to finish. I would recommend this rescue to anyone. Now Winnie is completely spoiled. We originally planned to have her sleep in her crate but that lasted exactly one night. She's now in the bed with us. She's been to the dog park, joined us on restaurant patios, come to work with me, and even had a few spa days. After hearing about her rough start to life, being used for breeding and then dropped off at the Hayward animal shelter, we knew we wanted to give her the best life possible. She is truly the sweetest, most loving dog we could have asked for. We're so grateful to everyone at Marin Humane + Hopalong for bringing her into our lives.

Stephanie, Dorian, and (previously) Jamila have been taking my darling Chase for off-leash hikes…read morefor about 2 years now and I couldn't be happier. When I was crate training Chase they were always so accommodating with all my special requests and were very flexible when I needed to take him to work and cancel his walks a few days in advance. Steph's IG feed @pupsofthebay gives me LIFE, so whatever photos I don't see in the report card I get my fix from her video feed. Responsible, very reliable, over-communicates and LOVES my blockhead pup, so I couldn't be happier. I'm moving out of state and can only hope my next walker is as great as these folks are.

Dorian and Kat are the most knowledgeable and experienced dog walkers I have ever met. They care…read moreabout their dogs greatly and put a lot of thought into how to make their services better with every client they work with.

If you're looking for a dog walker in Oakland, Emeryville, Berkeley, etc ... LOOK NO FURTHER!!!…read moreThis is the last review you need to read because Michelle is AMAZING and I'm positive we wouldn't have made it through the first six months of life with our 60 lb. rescue pitbull without her! As I'm sure you've discovered, the majority of dog walkers in the East Bay offer off-leash, group walks through the spectacular scenery of luscious Tilden blah blah awesome, great, I'm sure they're lovely. But what if my dog doesn't like other dogs!?! And needs to be walked on-leash, on her own!?! I had no idea finding someone to fit that criteria would be so difficult and we were at wits end when I came across Oaktown Dog. Thank GOODNESS. Not only does Michelle offer solo walks for super reasonable prices, she's also flexible on days/times of the week (some weeks she walks our girl twice, others she walks her every day) and most importantly she truly cares about our pup. When she first started walking our pittie, she asked to come to a session with our trainer so she could reenforce what we were teaching our girl on their walks! Didn't ask to be paid, just showed up! When it's hot out, she takes our girl to a secret beach so she can play off-leash in the ocean without having to worry about other dogs. When it's cool, she has secret fetch spots. And after COVID hit and we hadn't seen her in 6 weeks, our girl FLIPPED OUT WITH EXCITEMENT the first time Michelle showed up to walk her again. So seriously, stop reading reviews. Get in touch with Michelle. You and your dog(s) will LOVE her. Oh, and she does house-sitting too. Pretty sure our dog was sad when we got back because that meant Michelle was leaving.

It's such a relief to have found a walker who is dependable and genuinely affectionate with our…read moredog. Even though we aren't going into the office anymore due to COVID, it's been a big help having Oaktown Dog come by twice a week on days when we have lots of meetings.

Cat is AMAZING!!!!!!! One of the most thoughtful and skilled pros I have come across period (and I…read moream fellow Dog Walker/Sitter Pro). She is so pure of heart and so authentic and honest and trustworthy. She also has soooo much talent when it comes to managing Big Big Doggos with hearts of Gold. I am grateful to have her in my network of dog pro friends. Her quality of service is absolutely unmatched. She has so much patience----she even goes thru an intricate multiple step greeting/pick up process with each dog to slow them down and work on their over stimulation/joy at pick up etc. I am tickled to observe her flourish and grow with every passing year. If you are lucky enough to call Cat/RedWood Trails your dog walker you are in Great hands.

Saw Cat at Point Isabel with a group of dogs. Cat was in-charge and all the dogs in her group…read morefollowed Cat. Cat knows her stuff... My Rotty got along with all of Cat's dogs...