Your Dog Smiles Pet Services

Requests are answered promptly and efficiently. I have found their service to be thorough and compassionate — clearly, animal lovers work here. My dogs seem calm and happy whenever we return. I am very thankful to have found YDS.
Amelia, Rooney, and Marlee LOVE Marta! :)

If you are looking for someone to care for your family member, these are the folks you can rely on. Through thick and thin. They are flexible and reliable. True additions to your family. Can’t say enough good things about them, and have absolutely zero bad things to say.
Colleen, Maria, and Maggie (and everyone else we’ve encountered or not) make Your Dog Smiles so special. They have been a part of our lives for almost two years. Charlie, who just passed, was in love with each and every one them.
Maggie, Charlie’s walker from almost the beginning, felt every bit a part of his life — as if he were hers. Four days a week before and after the birth of her beautiful baby girl, Maggie and Charlie hung out in the rain, sleet, snow, heat, and gorgeous days. Through good times and bad. Thank you so much for being a special part of Charlie’s life, and ours!
Maria is the most responsive and helpful person I know. I recently screwed up a weekend schedule, and she stopped what she was doing on a Sunday to check in on Charlie and the kitties. No hesitation. Wanted to help in any way she could. She did that and much more, and in so many instances that I could spend an hour writing about it. Thank you so much for being there every time I needed you!
Colleen, is an amazing owner of this loving and caring institution. She hires, retains, and cares for proven pet lovers. That is no easy task. You keep doing what you are doing, because it’s working!
Comforted to know that Your Dog Smiles will still be in our lives caring for our crazy kitties while we are away. Love you all!

I have been using YDS since I first got my dog. I picked up my puppy on a Saturday, called YDS to set up an appointment on Sunday and they started walking her on Tuesday. Since that first walk almost 2 years ago, the same sitter has been taking my dog out every day. They are incredibly reliable and flexible. I get daily reports on my dog and they always show up when scheduled. In addition to my regular daily service, I have used them for weekends and evenings when needed, and they always find a sitter for me, even at the last minute. I also have my friend’s dog stay with me on occasion and they always take great care of her as well. I have a camera set up so I can see my dog during the day and so I can see every day the care that my dog gets from YDS. I have never had an issue with any of the sitters. They all treat my dog with the same care that I would myself. I recommend them to everyone I know who is looking for a sitter.

I was a huge fan of one of their dog walkers, Lee. He was friendly and our dog got along well with him. His daily notes would describe our dog habits/​quirks that we observe on a day to day basis, which made me feel comfortable he was being honest. I’ve had dog walkers that would leave notes about things I’ve never observed in my dog, which makes me question their honesty. I never had that issue with Lee.
In terms of the company, I felt really overwhelmed by the constant communication and emails. While I understand they are trying to outstanding service, it was a bit much at times.
They’re great, organized, etc. However, they are not as flexible on a day to day basis, so it wasn’t as easy to add/​cancel service for someone who works a flex schedule.

We’ve been using Your Dog Smiles to walk our dog every weekday for the last 6 months. While the dog walker has turned over a few times they’ve consistently shown up and left us a note afterward. Our goldendoodle is still a pup so we wanted to make sure he got some exercise in during the day. All the walkers have seemed nice when we’ve met them and our dog is there when we return (as are our things) so that’s a bonus. Reasonably priced. No complaints.

I don’t actually know what we’d do without Your Dog Smiles.
Our guy is finicky, but this time, he really warmed up to Ashley.
He comes with a lot of instructions, and Ashley followed them to the letter, respecting all directions we’d left her.
Her notes were thorough, she texted when we needed to her, and most important, Fergus was REALLY happy.

Sara Hammer and the team at YDS are very attentive and loves what they do! I left Mickey in good hands when I went on extended vacation for 5 weeks. They are very communicative about the services and what’s going on with your dog. The dog walkers left me notes about Mickey’s walks. They always let you know when there’s an issue with weather or lateness right away! The billing method is easy and convenient. I fully recommend YDS for daily services or dog-​sitting.

We have no complaints about YDS. We signed up in November 2012 to set up pet-​sitting for our dog and two cats. The process was easy, but involved enough steps (a home visit and some paperwork) to make us feel comfortable that YDS takes its job very seriously. Since November, we’ve used YDS several times, at least once at very short notice (as in, one day between requesting service and service beginning). We’ve never had a problem lining up a sitter, regardless of the amount of notice we give.
Usually Jamie looks after our critters. She’s absolutely great. She sends us texts and pictures throughout, letting us know that they’re ok. She also leaves detailed notes. We always come back to a clean litter box, full food bowls, and relaxed pets.
We also love the reasonable rates and easy online scheduling system.
I highly recommend YDS if you’re looking for pet sitting in the Reston/​Herndon area.

We definitely love YDSPS! They have been reliable, treat our animals great, and even saved us during an emergency or two… If you’re looking for professional pet care you can count on, you’ve found them. We’ve tried a couple other pet sitting services in the area and what makes this place stand out is their organization, and professionalism.

Now that we’ve been using YDS for a few months, my impression is stil just as good as the initial one. During «Hurricane Sandy», YDS was very communicative about whether or not they were keeping scheduled visits (they canceled one day out of concern for the walkers safety, which impressed me that they cared enough about their employees to do something like that). Melissa is super friendly when we’ve crossed paths if I’m working from home, and I can tell that Oscar adores her. He definitely needs help learning to walk on the leash better, but Melissa has never complained once. I suspect that she plays with him inside for a few minutes before leaving, and picks up all of his toys for him — the living room always appears to be a little more toy free than when I leave in the morning, and I’m fairly certain the dog isn’t cleaning up after himself! Highly recommend using YDS!

We’ve been using YDS since our puppy was 8 weeks old. We have a sitter come twice a week for 30 minute midday visits. She’s 5 months now and we are pleased with the service.
I chose YDS because they’re local to our area and because of the good reviews I read here on Unilocal.
The on-​line scheduling system is easy to use. The staff are always friendly.
The sitter, Melissa, leaves detailed notes and is always mindful of things around the house. Toys, leash, etc are neatly put away and the foyer is swept if any dirt or leaves are tracked inside.
Our puppy is always happy when we get home, which gives me great peace of mind.
I would recommend YDS to anyone looking for a reliable, trustworthy service.
The cost is reasonable and I think you get what you pay for. We pay $ 20 for each 30-​minute visit, which at twice a week comes out to $ 160/​month plus tips. If money grew on trees I would increase the number of visits but again I think the price is reasonable.

We couldn’t be more pleased with Your Dog Smiles. We hired YDS during a busy week for daily 30-​minute walks with our high-​energy lab, Daisy. From the initial home visit we had with Lee, we immediately had peace of mind that our pup would be well-​cared for. Daisy was extremely comfortable with Lee and seemed well exercised and happy after work. He left a daily note describing the visit, which usually left us laughing at the way he described Daisy’s antics. I highly recommend.
FYI: We live in Herndon.

I needed someone to watch the dog with only a day or two notice, I found YDS via Unilocal and they really came through!
Everyone on the phone was helpful, friendly and very responsive through a situation that wasn’t ideal (i’ll be honest, I was being a bit of a pain as I couldn’t get paperwork back to them quickly and was sometimes wrong because I was rushing, etc). We got the service set up quickly and without a hitch.
They sent over Shawna, who my dog instantly liked (and, seriously, it takes my dog some time to warm up to just about anyone, so this was fantastic). Shawna was responsive and communicative, overall I am extremely happy!
If I had any complaints, they were extremely minor (wouldn’t mind if it was a bit cheaper, but they are very competitive with other similar services, I looked thoroughly; also the paperwork was a bit hefty, but I appreciate the due diligence on their part)… so actually overall, no real complaints. I highly recommend.

I found YDS after I broke my leg and couldn’t walk my dog. They get five stars, because they not only know their stuff when it comes to dealing with large dogs, but they also take the time to follow the owner’s instructions. I’ve got a dog who has some health problems, and also can’t greet other dogs on leash. They took the time to listen to my concerns and meet my dog ahead of time, so he had a chance to get to know his walker. Best of all, my dog is exhausted when he gets back from his walks.
YDS has always been professional, they take good care of our dogs, and the notes they leave about how the dogs did are great.

YDS has looked after our two cats several times now. We love the service! Colleen is always prompt with replies to any concerns and has seen to it that our requests have been carried out while we’re away. It’s always nice having someone you can trust caring for your pets in your home!

Sara walked our dogs for us while we were out of town over Thanksgiving. I could tell our two labs were immediately comfortable with her at the meet and greet. She also gave me tremendous peace of mind that she could handle our two 60lb beasts who are very poorly leash trained.
YDS was so easy and accommodating to work with — working around my hectic schedule to make a meet and greet work in the tiny window I had open and also being very available for key drop off and pick up.
We also got a note after both walks talking about how the dogs did. We look forward to giving Sara a call the next time we’re out of town!

I am really pleased with Your Dog Smiles. Brooklyn loves Sarah, his walker and she is really great with him. No matter rain, shine, blizzard, heat wave, monsoon… she’s walking him for the full time I contracted. I would highly recommend this service!

Absolutely wonderful service. I am so glad that they left a flyer with my apartment complex 3 years ago when I needed a cat sitter. They took fantastic care of my Imp before he passed, but the care they’ve shown with my new kitten is amazing. I had major surgery, and wound up being readmitted to the hospital. After I was discharged, I had nobody in my home regularly to help me, but couldn’t bend over which meant I couldn’t get to the food dish or the water dish, and forget the litter box! From the beginning, YDS was coming daily to feed and water Mango, and also to play with him. This was very important because between my absence for the hospital stays and the person who had been here taking care of me, Mango was very unhappy. He was extremely skittish and hyper; he went back to his baby kitten behaviors of biting everything that moved. But Ashley and Sara worked through it with him, and he’s getting over this now.
The pet sitters also did some little things I couldn’t do, like helping get the trash out to the dumpster because I couldn’t carry it. They’ve continued to come as I slowly got better, and still come once a month to help with the litter box since I cannot get low enough to change it yet. I’m almost sorry to have bought a house because Mango’s pet sitter Sara does not work in our new location. At least YDS serves the area, since I still need help with the litter box (and will for the foreseeable future).
I rarely give 5-​star reviews, but they really deserve them!

I have used YOUR DOG SMILES for three years, for both daily walks and over night stays for my extended vacations. I do NOT trust my dogs with many people, and my dogs (one is a 17yr old Husky) have been happy and have had no issues upon my return. I’ve used other pet sitting services in the past, one put the Haulti on my Husky and almost choked him, thank God I got home in time before he got more tangled up. At YDS each sitter has been professional and any questions or concerns they may have with my dogs, they have contacted me in a timely manner. I cannot stress the amount of confidence I have in YDS and I certainly can’t tell you how nice it is to go on vacation and not worry about your furry loved ones. I always recommend them to friends for their pet sitting /​dog walking services.

I have used Your Dog Smiles on and off (as I have needed) since their inception. The owner and staff are courteous, kind, helpful and very committed. I can tell through their interactions with my pets that animals’ needs are a top priority. My older pug lost a nail while I was away and not only did they notify me right away, but the walker AND the owner tended to him and took him to a groomer to have a cap put on. They always leave detailed notes and contact me if anything seems out of the ordinary. I have recommended their service to many of my friends. Your Dog Smiles goes above and beyond just pet sitting. They truly care about your pets as they would their very own.