Canine Crew
Categories: Pets Pet Services Dog Walkers Pets Pet Services Pet Boarding/Pet Sitting Dog Walkers, Pet Boarding/Pet Sitting [Edit]
PO Box 112San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 563-2739
Julie H. said: "Some might say that I'm a bit of an overprotective dog mom. And to those people I say: "Yes I am. Thank you very much." Never did I imagine that I would board my precious baby, Olive. For years, she only stayed with family or her…" read more »
10 reviews for Canine Crew
10 reviews in English
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Review from Lucy S.
San Francisco, CA
9/21/2011
"I love you more than cheese Kristina!" If somehow our Old English Bulldog, G.O.B. could figure out how to type (let alone, turn on a computer) this is how he might start his love letter to Canine Crew, and more importantly, Kristina. G.O.B. however does know how to use his good looks to convince me to do anything for him...hence, I am writing my first Yelp review.
Last spring, we noticed that G.O.B. (now 2) was becoming aggressive towards other dogs. We were frustrated, clueless, and feeling like bad pet parents. A friend suggested Canine Crew, and we checked it out. Kristina came for a home visit to meet us and G.O.B. She was friendly, professional, understanding, and determined to help ALL of us out.
Over these last few months, she has gone above and beyond in working with us. Not only does G.O.B. look forward to her training walks, I look forward to reading her lengthy and informative notes she leaves for us. If I was ever home when they returned from walks, she was willing to chat with me about how things were going with training G.O.B. and suggest even more ideas. Did I mention she was patient (with stubborn dogs and their owners)? As a teacher, I can't "make it rain", but I've found their prices worth every penny and reasonable.
Kristina works closely with her staff (our occasional other walker Malinda is equally great with G.O.B. and knows what we are working on with him). During the summer, Kristina recommended a dog training class with Beverly Kingsbury (Oh man, if you have a dog with aggression issues, check her out!). This class was extremely beneficial in our training, was limited to 6 dogs, and we made huge gains with G.O.B. and his attitude. Kristina took time out of her day to attend most of the classes with us (!!!!) just to help us out and make sure we were all on the same page. Her time and devotion was extremely generous. We (including G.O.B.) can not recommend Canine Crew and Kristina enough! -
Review from J D.
San Francisco, CA
9/27/2011
There are some very nice people who work for Canine Crew I will say that. But overall I was very disappointed with the lack of professionalism. I would have to remind the lady who runs this business multiple times of days I would be out of town and to not come to my apartment. I would email her about 2 - 3 times verifying my dates I would be gone and still someone would show up to my place! And when they were scheduled to come get my dog they usually didn't show up at the same time. Every day would be a different time.
They would take my dog to the closest park to my apartment and they did that pretty consistently. There was no variety in his outings. They sent over 6 different people at different times to my apartment to get my dog, my dog would hide because he was unfamiliar with all the strangers entering my home.
Another thing that bothered me was one day one of the walkers came to my home to get my dog and didn't see him anywhere, so he decided to continue on with his day, taking the other dogs to the park. When he was at the park he then called me to tell me he couldn't find my dog!!! Call me when you are at my home, my dog is my baby, let me know if you don't see him! After that I pulled my dog out and enrolled him with another dog walking service. Best of luck in finding a service that works for you. -
Review from queensf c.
San Francisco, CA
8/20/2011
What happened to this service? I read the Canine Crew's 5-star reviews (albeit from 2009-10) and signed up.
Unfortunately, I became a customer around the same time the Crew appointed Kristina as the new General Manager. In confidence the walkers will tell you she's a "handful" and much better at training dogs than dealing with clients.
The walkers at Canine Crew are the gems of the company. Loving our dogs the way we do instincts are sharp when it comes to who trust and these walkers deserve continued praise.
As far as management oversight it's a NIGHTMARE. They use some free software for invoices that is comical...they can't keep accounts accurate. It took weeks to clarify a supposed missed monthly payment even after Kristina was provided the actual cashed check # and date for reference. The Crew also recently added a training service, led by Kristina, at a supposed discount and strongly recommended for all clients. Beware of the drama if you tell her you've opted for a cost-effective alternative.
If you become a Canine Crew client make sure you monitor your bills, and prepare yourself for some erratic management practices. Look elsewhere.Comment from Cara B. of Canine Crew 8/28/2011
We're sorry that you and your neighbor (dude p.) have… More » -
Review from dude p.
San Francisco, CA
8/15/2011
It's a shame I have to write this, but I'd hate for those who need a capable dog walking service to not know who the Canine Crew is. Bottom line: if you care for your animal, be way of using a company that is run by a money-first, uncompromising organization.
The dog walkers themselves are great. Solid people, seem to care for the pups they pick up, basically what you'd want from walkers taking your dog out while you're not around.
Then there is the general manager, Kristina. She lacks the fundamental people skills that should be required for her position along with the basic customer service baseline. The Canine Crew accounting service is horribly flawed; make sure you track your payments because they'll randomly claim you didn't pay for a month when the error is on their end. Kristina is quick to blame you until you simply track your payments and prove it, showing their financial system is a joke. This didn't happen with just me, but other people in my dog walking group. If you have to use them, watch their invoices like a hawk.
Then there is Kristina herself, someone who is a horrible representative of what should be a good service. My dog was injured (badly injured) and not only did she not own up to it happening on their watch, but she then demanded an increase in his hourly walk charge because he struggled to walk. When asked why a dog who could only walk less than 5 minutes a day should be charged 15 dollars a day, her response was "we feel this is fair." In short: we injure your dog, we increase your rate.
You can do better than Canine Crew. Pick a service that puts the dog first, not the company, not their financials and not what a misguided GM thinks is best for her personal gain. -
Review from Sally B.
Los Angeles, CA
7/22/2011
I could not recommend these guys more! Kristina is an ultimate professional who knows more about dogs than anyone I've ever met - at a dog daycare/training centre or otherwise. The walkers are incredibly well-trained in caring for dogs, they know the ins-and-outs of different breeds/temperaments entirely. I can't recommend these guys more highly. I have a really difficult dog that cannot be off-leash and they did an amazing job. Daily reviews on her walks were incredibly descriptive. They don't take big groups and everything is very well managed, I chose right with these guys. **RECOMMENDED HIGHLY!**
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Review from Amy M.
Santa Monica, CA
10/1/2010
Jana and her crew of walkers are terrific!
My dear 15 month old pup is a touch anxious (high strung would be a SERIOUS understatement). He loves *his* people but strangers - strangers are to be treated with extreme suspicion and should be presumed armed and dangerous puppy-killers. He eventually warms up (we're generally talking weeks here, not days) but initially his reaction is crouch against my body, bark and peer warily.
My little guy had been romping with another, large dog-walking service for several months but they changed up their staff and the timing of his walks without notice and long story short, I decided to make a change.
Enter Jana. When she came for our initial mtg Mr. Blue greeted her with all the enthusiasm I anticipated (he charmingly alternated between barking and jumping at her to get her to leave and hiding out with me on the sofa). I half expected Jana to be like "no way." But no, Jana readily accepted my (honest) explanation that this is just how he acts with strangers at home, he's just afraid, he's AMAZING in his play skills with other dogs (whatever enthusiasm he lacks for new humans he more than compensates for with the furry set) and he WILL warm up to you).
So we signed up and my pup started going out with the crew daily and seemed to be having a good time from all reports. I had been home a few times when his previous dog walker picked him up and he would always run to me and i'd have to bring him to the dog walker to go (this is pretty standard with him). Last week I was sick and home for the first time for his pick up with Jana. We were hanging on the sofa together and I heard the key in the lock and started stretching in anticipation of having to coax my puppy to her. And then - then - could it be?! MY puppy RAN RIGHT UP TO HER! I would not have been more surprised if he'd opened his mouth and english words had sprung forth!
Canine Crew is not just a bunch of "I like animals and thus I'm going to walk dogs" people. No, these are individuals with training and experience and a demonstrable interest in animal behavior. Any reasonably fit person could wear my pup out romping in a park for a few hours. I knew I'd struck gold, however, when I saw Jana's instant and developed understanding of my special "project" pup and his unabashed, total affection for her.
thank you Canine Crew for being such a wonderful part of my little guy's life! -
Review from Ali G.
San Francisco, CA
10/14/2009
I have a little senior dog with a lot of good energy left. She's worth investing in. With Canine Crew, it's a GREAT investment. Prices are reasonable, and what you get is above and beyond. After the first walk, I received a full review of my little dog, about how she was snoring when the dog-walker came to collect her at my home, and how she had to drag her out of bed, how she interacted with the other dogs, what kind of treats she liked. I received pictures of her scaling sand dunes at the beach.
My dog always seems much happier after a day out with Canine Crew. She likes Jana the best. I can tell she's been out because she sleeps much better at night and she doesn't growl at the other dogs at my local dog park when we go together after work. When she hasn't had enough exercise, she expresses this by growling at other dogs. She's not bright, to be sure.
I will definitely come back for service again. -
Review from Nate C.
San Francisco, CA
9/22/2009
Just spent a long weekend away and needed someone to look in on my cat. When Jana came by to meet the little critter before I left, it was clear that the cat dug her right away. Jana asked lots of questions that showed she knows waaay more about cats than I do. Anyway, upon my return the cat was happy and had clearly enjoyed some quality visits with lots of attention. I wlil definitely be a repeat customer.
Update 10/15: Just back from another long weekend away and used Canine Crew's cat sitting services. Same great quality as the first round... -
Review from Chris C.
San Francisco, CA
4/6/2010
I'd been looking for a trustworthy, flexible dog walking and care service to work with my crazy schedule, budget, quirky lab, proximity and various needs - and I found it all in one!
I've been using Canine Crew for a couple months now, primarily for afternoon outings a few times a week to give me peace of mind while at work. But it's great to know that they can walk him, feed him or even dog sit as needed if I need to be away for a couple of days - love that they'll do it all!
My chocolate lab, Koda, goes a few times a week with Jana or Max, and gets to hit the beaches or parks with his new friends from the neighborhood. Even on the messiest of days or adventures, they're courteous enough to clean him up so he doesn't drag sand or mud through the apartment. They'll often leave notes on the adventures of the day, how Koda behaved and what sort of friends he played with. Awesome.
It's clear that Jana, Max and the Canine Crew know what they're doing, and have a love for dogs beyond the job. Jana even took the time to send me an email with a detailed, and honest report on what my dog's been up to, his quirks and how they're addressing them and some of the things he's into (long walks on the beach of course). I know my dog well, but it's really interesting to hear how he acts with other people and his new canine friends.
I can't say enough good things about Canine Crew, and I'm happy I found a great group to hang with my dog when I can't! -
Review from cassandra b.
San Francisco, CA
3/29/2010 1 photo
My 11 month old beagle joined the crew when he was 6 months old. He goes 5 days a week. Jana and Max are the best and they take him all over the city - to the beach, the parks and probably places i've never even been. It isn't a typical dog walking service where you see the walker with 10 dogs on leashes looking bored. This is actually a play date for dogs where they can run around and have fun with each other in a safe environment.
