I get asked quite a bit about who I recommend for other pet related needs. Since I get asked so often, I decided to post a list!
Pet Sitting and Dog Walking
Jeremy Waugh, one of my associate trainers, offers quaility pet sitting in his home. He also is able to provide training at an additional fee. Space is limited as he only takes 3 pet sitting dogs at a time. Rate starts at $60 a night. Email: jeremy.tailoreddogtraining@gmail.com
Leeann Hutchings does pet sitting house calls through her business House Calls 4 Pets. This means she does visits to your home to care for any animals you may have and also does dog walking. Her website is http://housecalls4pet.com/house-calls-pet-sitting-leeann-hutchings/. Pricing depends but is roughly $22 per visit.
I cannot say I personally recommend ANY boarding kennel in the area. I do have clients that give OK reviews for Camp 4 Paws in Clayton. The other places, I have only heard negative reviews.
The reason why I am not a boarding kennel fan is because I have toured a few and worked at a few in Oregon. The dogs may not be treated badly, but the vast majority are very very stressed. Many don't eat well while there. The sound of the dogs in their kennels barking is deafening to us and much worse for the dog. The odors are high and you never know how an employee will deal with your pet. There are generally two types; the type where dogs are simply "warehoused" in kennels to urinate and defecate in and given two potty walks a day for 5 minutes a piece and 2 meals a day and a clean kennel at the end of the day and the type that caters to doggie mosh pit where dogs are loose together which can create it's own set of problems. Most dogs simply shut-down. The few that enjoy these places are usually adolescent dogs, sporting or hunting breeds that have high tolerance for stress.
Veterinary
I personally use two different vet clinics. I use Geary Veterinary on Geary Rd. for things like vaccines, if my dog has an acute illness, teeth cleaning, blood draws, well checks and recommend them highly to my clients. They have 3 fantastic vets that are all very different (holistic, modern and "old school") which means you can get very quality care from a range of professionals that can give each other different opinions and make a solid plan for an illness. Dr. Bjork, the senior vet, can pretty much recognize common illness from a mile away since he has so much experience and is very straight forward with payment and prognosis. For my holistic needs I see Dr. Garrow at Cottage Vet in Walnut Creek. Lucy gets her chiropractic treatments there and Lex is a patient there for his allergies since I wanted to avoid steroids. I am happy to say he is looking the best he has ever looked with a natural diet and Chinese herbal meds prescribed by Dr. Garrow. I don't go here for acute illness or straight forward things because they have very very high pricing due to their geographic area. They also tend to be very slow with the visits and want to up-sell which is something I really like about Geary Vet NOT doing.
Another great vet is Hillcrest in Martinez. I have tons of happy clients that go there, low pressure on up-selling, great care. Bishop Ranch in San Ramon and Mueller in Walnut Creek are also client favorites.
Two more fantastic vets to add to the list: Dr. Troy with Mueller vet (whom we now see for physical therapy for Lucy) and the fine Drs. at Oasis Vet Clinic.
Grooming
I don't need a groomer as I do it all myself at home. However, I took a poll of my Facebook fans for TDT and quite a few recommending Happy Dog Lucky Dog in Walnut Creek. I can't endorse from my own prospective. Groomers seem to get varied reviews most often because they can have many different employees and high turn over rates. Some of my clients swear by Clip N Clean, but others had bad experiences. I personally think their pricing is high for what you get. Kerri's Mobile Grooming is a good one, but sometimes she isn't taking in any new clients.
Doggie Day Care
While I am not a huge fan of this choice (see my post about Doggie Day Care), I have heard some good things about the All Breed Day Care on Treat Blvd in Concord near Clayton Rd. I have some client dogs that go there. I have been welcomed by the owner to tour since she heard about my negative tour at her competitor and I need to get out there and take a look.
Jeremy also runs a doggie day care out of his home and it is based on our "Cycle" with a highly structured routine for the dogs to prevent common overstimulation seen in daycares.