Dog Tales Walking & Sitting Service

For nearly the past two years, we’ve engaged Deborah and notably, Bruce, from SF Dog Tales to care for our lovely boy, Chuck. This is an extremely responsive, professional, attentive and wonderful group to work with; this coming from a set of over-​protective parents and an elder statesman, fussy, adopted Chocolate Lab. Deborah is delightful to interact with and great to do business with; Bruce is simply wonderful. He has now taken permanent fixture in our family and is part of our holiday, vacation, getaway planning. Bruce’s calming and relaxing demeanor, caring touch, approach and attention to detail is bar none. Chuck adores his chill time with Bruce, and we are so appreciative and lucky to know that he and our home are safe on Bruce’s watch (while we are away). I cannot recommend this team highly enough, and want to steal Bruce all to our own! Chuck gives big paws up and a huge lick as well!

I’ve reached out to Deborah twice for dog sitting help and she came through both times, emailing me back very promptly with names of potential sitters. Most recently Deborah introduced us to Ashley, who was absolutely fantastic. Ashley dog-​sat for us at our house and I know my cockapoo Winnie just loved her. Ashley was very responsive, asked all the right questions and also sent me cute updates (with pictures) of Winnie while we were away. I would absolutely recommend Deborah and Ashley for dog sitting services!

We’ve used Dog Tales to cat sit the last few times we’ve been away, and we couldn’t be happier. It makes being away from the little one that bit easier, and we’d highly recommend Deborah for your cat sitting needs!

We used Dog Tales boarding services twice while we were traveling (both 5 days). I’m so happy I found Deborah. She is great with all the dogs she is boarding and my dog (Hemi) loved her. Deborah is very accommodating; First time we board Hemi; he was still crate training and sleeping in our bedroom, she made sure that the crate is next to her bed so he feels safe. She sends you pictures of her daily activities with the pups. They all have so much fun with her. When we had a late flight back home, she stayed up for us to pick up Hemi since we had the drive to Livermore (where we lived). She is so caring. The first time we met with her; I told her that Hemi is going through training with us and that I will be taking him to a trainer soon. She researched the 2 trainers I had in mind and gave me feedback about the services and guided me to choose the best one. It’s kind of sad to write this review because we moved to San Diego and Hemi and I really miss Deborah.

Deborah and team (Jennie, Katie and Gilbert) have done a tremendous job caring for our puppy French Bulldog Momo and he absolutely loves them. Dog Tales team are very dedicated, responsive, trustworthy and we could not have been happier to know that Momo is taken care off by a group of loving and responsible staff.
Aside from walking and keeping Momo busy, they implemented positive reinforcement training and Momo’s recall and overall obidience have greatly improved. We highly recommend their services without hesitation.

You might not guess it from the business name, but Deborah is an AWESOME cat-​sitter! Last fall we needed someone in a pinch (over the holidays, no less) to come and feed our cat. Now, our kitty is like a mini guard dog — loyal and cuddly with us, but very averse to strangers. Most pet sitters advertise that they will come and spend 30+ minutes playing with your cat every day. That would be totally pointless with our cat (because she would be hiding the entire time) What’s great about Deborah is that she understood the situation right away and accepted our cat for who she is — hissing and all :) Deborah is super-​reliable, available & responsive, and has a great sense of humor. We feel really relaxed going out of town and knowing that our cat will be cared for by her.

We used Dog Tales house sitting service while we were traveling over Christmas and couldn’t be happier with their service. We met with Deborah and Ashley prior to our departure so that they could meet our dog, Huey, and go over any special requests. They were very thorough and professional.
While on our trip, Ashley sent us frequent updates with pictures and reassured us that Huey was in good hands. When we returned, Huey was relaxed and happy and the house was spotless. To top it all off, Ashley made us an adorable Christmas ornament with the imprint of Huey’s paw:)
We will definitely be considering Dog Tales while on future travels.

Deborah + team are amazing. They’ve walked my pup for a year and half, since she was a baby. They care so much about their doggies, and go out of their way to accommodate. They are true animal lovers and lovely people.

I’m very excited to write this review because I had such a good experience with this business. I was in a unique and stressful situation — my young dog had major surgery and was in this in-​between stage of her recovery where she needed to gradually increase her daily exercise but wasn’t ready to go back to her regular dog walker, who takes the dogs on 2-​hour hikes at Ft. Funston. All but one business I contacted told me they didn’t have space for my dog, but I think they were just trying to make a smart business decision and not take on a temporary customer (and a part-​time one at that — three days per week).
Deborah at Dog Tales accepted our business without hesitation. She helped us create a schedule of different services to help my dog increase her activity over time. I had the pleasure of working with both Bruce and Renee and was impressed with their good communication and the way they treated my dog. I really felt like my dog was being cared for and that her limitations were understood and respected. I also appreciate that paying in cash garners you a small discount. My dog is headed back to her regular walker this week, and part of the reason she’s healthy again is that Dog Tales did a great job helping with her recovery (and alleviating much of my anxiety!). I would not hesitate to recommend this business to you if you are as invested in your dog’s well being as I am.

I have used Dog Tales for over two years now and absolutely love working with them! Deborah is so caring with our Golden (Louie) and he is always eager to head out with his pack when she picks him up. My wife and I are moving to the East Bay and the saddest part is that we won’t be able to use their services on a regular basis, but I will absolutely use them for «spot service» and the occasional overnight :)

I use Dog Tales when my husband and I travel and can’t bring our beloved Golden Retriever Pira with us. She was recommended for me by a really good (positive) trainer. Most times we left her with Deborah for 2 – 4 nights. Deborah is just amazing!
Here are 5 reasons why:
1) For boarding she does a test-​drive with your dog first. This is good because you can be relaxed. Your dog is in a place you can trust. And Deborah can trust her dogs and other people’s dogs are also safe.
2) I sent her a text in the last minute about boarding my dog and Deborah made sure things would work out in terms of logistics. She is VERY VERY accommodating. This is just great because sometimes that’s what you need.
3) Her place have different locations/​rooms + backyard so if your dog wants to rest in a more secluded space, she can. When I visited the house was clean and well organized.
4) She sends feedback about how your dog is doing. She sent me some texts and cute pictures of my dog. This seems a small gesture but it makes all the difference! Later she will talk to you about more details about how things went.
5) She makes some really nice outings with the dogs!
I definitely recommend Dog Tales!: o)

Our dogs Kookie & Amir love their dog sitter Crystal and Deborah is nothing but pleasant and professional. What a relief going to work knowing that your pooches are taken care of and have some fun socializing with other dogs under great supervision. We highly recommend them.

We use Dog Tales for our cat-​sitting needs and we’ve been very happy with their services. We had Deborah pay our cat daily visits for feedings over the holidays – the great folks at Dog Tales will also clean litter, check mail, water plants if you need it. Our cat seemed very content when we got back home, I don’t even think she noticed we were gone. Deborah is always very prompt with her communication, it has always been easy for us to make arrangements with her. I would definitely recommend Dog Tales for your cat-​sitting!

I have used a few dog walking services over the past six years and Dog Tales has been the BEST experience — my dog, Lu is lucky enough to have 2 – 3 weekly private walks for over a year now.
Lu is a bit anxious and when Deborah came out and met with us, Lu was pretty drawn in to her easy going nature and bag of treats, of course. Deborah sent Erika from her team which was the best gift ever.
Erika has been able to calm Lu’s high anxiety with her gentle and nurturing style. She sends me emails after every walk– and sometimes includes pictures. Erika lets me know how Lu is feeling and additional things I can do to make sure she is a happy dog– from games that distract her from «dangers» like skateboards, bicycles, and all the other urban mysteries Lu is presented with each day, to using a DAP plug-​in in the house. She is kind, consistent, and I am pretty sure Lu considers her family just as much me.
I highly recommend Dog Tales. Your pet will be happier than you can imagine.

deborah and her team at dog tales are an amazing group of people that will take care of your furry loved ones! kind, professional and knowledgable are just some of the words i would use to describe these amazing people!
what initially sold me on dog tales is that deborah does cage-​free boarding in her home! no need to worry about a kennel here! our dog, splash, has been boarded with deborah 3 times now in the last 18 months and he is always very well taken care of! deborah and her co-​workers keep the doggies busy all day long taking them to fun off and on the leash places in SF!
we always miss our dog while we are away, but knowing that he is with deborah and dog tales always puts us at ease! :)

Deborah is great and amazing! She’s taken the best care of my boy and I couldn’t be more happy with her flexibility and professionalism.
Best of all, when Pedro comes back from a weekend at Deborah’s, we can tell he’s had a lot of exercise and fun.
Dog Tales is very recommended!

We Love Dog Tales!
I was introduced to Deb and Crystal 4 years ago when I adopted my rescue dachshund puppies at 7mos old. The dogs had issues. One dog is disabled, the other got terribly sick within the first months of coming home with me. Deb and Crystal went out of their way to take great care of my dogs while I was traveling or at work. That first year was tough and they never dumped me as a client, despite all of our requirements. Amazing people with huge love for animals. We required a lot of special care and they never faltered.
Crystal, personally, has taken stellar care of these dogs. When I’m traveling and come home they are happy and relaxed. I’ve never worried about her not showing up or a mess in the house. Bruce and Crystal are impeccable when they stay at my house.
We have had a terrific 4 year relationship with Dog Tales and look forward to the future years.

Deborah has walked my dog for over seven years. She is extremely professional, reliable and caring. Her communication is excellent and she is complete in her responsibility for my dog.
She deserves the awards and recognition. You are lucky if you can arrange to have her take your dog.

Deborah of Dog Tales is great with cats too — she was able to care for my slightly deranged Korat when I had a last minute trip, at very reasonable rates compared to competitors, and while I was gone, sent along email updates to let me know Henry was doing well. (Who the hell names a cat «Henry»? I dunno, that’s the name he had when we got him at the shelter. But I digress.) Above all, Henry was totally mellow and cheerful when I got back, which is the best sign of a well-​cared cat. (None of that passive aggressive «I’m ignoring you or possibly pooping on your bed» crap that pets often pull when you return from a long trip.)
You need your cat cared for, go with Deborah I say!

Dog Tales has been great for us and our young dog. So, first off, I’d say this about Deborah’s outfit: reliable, flexible, communicative, and professional. We feel like we’re getting great value.
Dog Tales is actually helping us train a young dog; we work via email and phone to make sure we’re on the same page, in terms of goals and commands.
And if we call or email, we know we’re getting a response pretty quickly. That’s very hard to find in any business these days, and is seems especially hard in the world of dog walking!
We’ve also used Dog Tales for sitting service when we’re out of town, and it’s like putting your dog in a nice B&B, since it’s a very personal venue, the opposite of some of the barn-​like places. Our pup hardly wants to leave when we let her stay with Deborah.
In sum, WE COULD NOT BE HAPPIER.