Pet Sitting near San Leandro

“I'm so pleased to be able to update this review from 2010. How time flies! 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.“

“Fabby took care of our 13 yr old ragdoll cat, who was on medication and wet food. She was consistent, caring, and thorough. All the things you would want in a pet care professional.Fabby also came by ahead of time to ask questions. She is part of the family now!“

“Doggy Lama and their staff are *the best* and Emily in particular has been a lifesaver. We have an elderly cat with health issues, and she recently became ill while we were out of the country. Emily got her to an urgent vet appointment, picked up meds, administered them twice a day, and scheduled extra visits to make sure she was recovering -- it could have been a nightmare but Emily made it totally manageable and reassured us with texts and (beautiful!) photos throughout the process. She truly cares for our cat, and we know when we're away she's in excellent hands. We've been using Doggy Lama for three years and have had nothing but lovely experiences.“

“Scott has been a loyal friend to my cats the last ten years. He emails daily and takes care of litter et al. Unfortunately I am moving to Alameda soon where he doesn't service. I hope I'm able to find someone as caring and thorough there.“

“When we relocated to Berkeley, California, finding a reliable dog walker service for our rescue Aussie Pan was paramount. A quick ‘dog walker Berkeley’ Google search led us to this gem - Pal of the Paw. Not only do they provide exceptional dog walking, but they also offer pet sitting services for those unexpected trips. Pans tail wags at the sight of her walker—she’s made a new best friend! It’s a joy to witness. Don’t hesitate, tap on their Google My Business page now for peace of mind knowing your pup is in good hands.“

“The groomer is also a vet tech! She found a mass on my dog that was cancer without her knowledge I wouldn’t have known.“

“Our dog has been boarded at Dog Balancing owned by Terry twice now, each time for over 2 weeks. We couldn't be happier with the experience and will continue boarding our dog with Terry and are grateful for Terry providing great care to our dog and sharing with us science-backed evidence and advice for dog care 1. Communicating and coordinating with Terry is super easy and straightforward. With years in dog care business, Terry has established a routine that works for everyone and he does leave room for the unexpected and give you enough flexibility 2. Terry takes really nice mugshots of all the dogs and posts on the dog balancing Facebook page here: facebook.com/p/Dog-Balan… so you get to see your baby when you are away (not daily posts, but honestly, you don't want to leave your baby at a place that you had to check on him/her all the time)3. Terry regularly posts scientific papers and educational reads about dog care on the Facebook page. We find this information incredibly useful and have implemented some changes into our dog's daily routine. Terry's extensive experience as a certified dog trainer and behaviorist shines through. 4. Dog care is getting really expensive and unaffordable in the Bay Area. Terry, with years of experience in the business and presumably many returning customers, could have asked for higher rates, but that is not the case. In fact, Terry has kept the rate very reasonable. This is a huge relief for us since we typically had to board our dog for a longer period of time (typically 3-4 weeks) when visiting extended families oversees, which means the rates accumulate quickly to an amount that you start regretting having a dog. We were so happy and again relieved that our dog can stay at a comfortable, safe and affordable place without the stress of traveling. 5. Most importantly, our dog has always returned from Terry's place happy and unchanged, which reassures us of the excellent care provided. Note for dog parents concerned about crates: We have seen a couple of dog trainers as our dog grow up - they all told us the same thing - a crate is and should be used as a safe place for dogs. Terry does call that out before boarding to make sure you and your dog are comfortable with the dog staying in a crate when they are not active“

“We had been planning a trip of a lifetime - 7 weeks abroad - and one of the most important things was also one of the hardest things to do and that was to ensure our 1-year old sibling cats, Daisy & Spunky, would be in a secure and caring environment while we were away from home.We found there are many places that board cats in “2’Wx2D’x2H’” stainless steel kennels with 1 or possibly 2 hours of daily “out of the kennel” play time. Although they may be clean and secure, that type of a “confined” environment would have been difficult for our cats to endure even if just for a weekend (especially for Spunky who is very sociable and inquisitive); 7 weeks would have been grueling for them. They would probably be wondering, “what did we do to be abandoned like this?”.Thank goodness we found Pam & Critter Pet Care! The design of the cat house is wonderful and the size and multi-level layout of the kennels, some of which could also be expanded to double wide for bonded pairs like ours, allows cats to “hunker in” and feel secluded, or to peek out through their window for watching birds at the bird feeders outdoors. Cats also get to explore and commingle or just chill in the common areas, or they can trek/jump up to the many perches mounted high along the walls of the cat house.We missed our cats to pieces but really appreciated how Pam automatically kept us updated with photos and info about what they were doing throughout our 7-week trip. It gave us great peace of mind and our reunion confirmed how well they were cared for during their stay. We will not hesitate to leave our beloved Daisy and Spunky in Pam’s care the next time we plan a vacation or require boarding services. Thank you very much, Pam, for providing such an important service, a cozy and engaging boarding environment, and for truly caring about the well-being of our pets. . . you’re the best!“