Bark Around The Block

Josie, our golden is so happy and in incredible shape because she’s taken out every day for an off-​leash pack walk by Christi, Bark Around The Block’s owner. She’s no longer destructive around the house and we come home to a happy, loved and well socialized dog. Christi also lets out our lazy weiner dog for a backyard potty break every day so she doesn’t have to hold it for 12+ hours while we’re at work.
Christi has been looking after both our dogs for over a year now. She always texts lots of photos and keeps us updated on every detail. She’s so flexible around our crazy work schedules and has kept Josie late for us on several occasions. I would feel totally comfortable having Christi housesit or look after Josie for a longer period of time. I trust her completely. She’s also very reasonably priced.

I truly have nothing but good things to say about Bark Around the Block! I recently went back to work and was very nervous to leave my dog, who is a rescue, at home, as he has a bit of separation anxiety. (Okay… maybe I’M the one with the separation anxiety…) I sent him on his trial run, expecting him to hate it and never send him again… I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Not only did Martin happily go with Christi (he sometimes fights my husband if I am not going on the walk!), but when he came home, he was the happiest I’ve ever seen him! He zoomed in the door, so excited, ran back out to Christi, and was smiling from ear to ear!
Not only does Christi take excellent care of him every time he goes for a walk (and sends some adorable updates of Martin and his pack!), but the pack walks have been amazing for his development. He’s become so comfortable, confident, and is clearly finally learning how to be a dog.
I’m so happy with Christi and Bark Around The Block, and can’t recommend them enough! If you’re looking for someone to take care of your baby, she’s the right person for the job :)
–Aleena

She had my dog for a weekend and came home to a happy clean dog. Not even a year old yet and she gave home structure that he needed which I totally liked the most about her business. I had a wild energetic pitbull mix and after being with her for a weekend I would definitely recommend this company for daycare and group play dates. Thank you Christi for taking care of my baby.

My experience with Christi was positive on an interpersonal level. I entrusted her company «Bark Around the Block» to take care of my animals (walking and feeding) with a live in pet sitter during the week, when I traveled. Things slowly became very suspicious to me. There was always a foul stench in the house when I returned. She washed two merino wool blankets from Italy in the washing machine and the dried them both (???) (there went 250.00 for each blanket). Finally after a month my neighbor informed me as soon as I left they brought a toddler into my house and that they never saw the dogs walked. I had cameras put up outside of the house one weekend and low and behold did I ever get an eye full (for the first day there was NO dog walking). I wont go on in detail but I did NOT receive the service I paid for and I had several expensive household items ruined. Maybe she is acceptable with walking the dogs and having NO other responsibilities… I am posting about my experience with her. I was not offered reimbursement and got a defensive attitude when I questioned her. I ran into her a few times and she always promised to get back to me but never ever followed through.
I want to be clear. Despite what Christi is claiming… the negligence happened when Bark Around the Block was providing a service, PERIOD. I am posting my experience with Bark around the Block ONLY.

This review is long overdue, but still applies!
Our boy Iggy was part of the BATB family for a year (see Photo «Iggy learning to share the ball!») and loved his daily romp with Christi and Co.
Sadly, we moved. But Christi is absolutely the best dog walker/​pet sitter you could ever hope to find.

Christie and Syth are awesome. Christie did an initial visit to meet Charlie and was so thorough,; that in itself was reassuring. They sent me pictures of charlies experience and text all the time. I never wait more than a couple minutes for a return text. I was home twice to see charlies response when Syth picked her up, and she was so excited, it almost hurt my feelings, because she’s only ever that excited to see me, or so I thought! I’m so happy that the most precious thing in my life is that happy when when I can’t be with her.

I have never come home to a happier dog! Christi and her team are very dependable, my dog is happy and tired when he gets home from his walks. Having someone who can pick him up and walk him M-​F has made a big difference in both his life and mine. Thank you so much Christi!

Buyer BEWARE!
I used Christi for a couple of short weekends over the last year and everything was fine, until I had her pet/​house sitting for 2 weeks during the holidays. Her employee (boyfriend?) Syth stayed in our house, along with herself.
The house was a mess when we got home. Furniture was rearranged, there was a hole in the wall, the neighbors reported a party going on as well as 2 other dogs living at the house. The trash was piled up, way more than my boyfriend and I would have in 2 weeks. They had been given a nice spare bedroom to sleep in and instructed to keep our bedroom door closed so the cats didn’t go in there — they actually slept in our bed as well as ruined our sheets with stains. There was cat pee next to the bed when we got home, on some xmas presents we had bought. My electricity bill was $ 150 over normal useage for this time of year. Our bathroom hand towel was shredded in half and in the back yard, one of my plants was completely wilted, and on the floor dumped over with dirt spilling out… and the list goes on…
Having known Christi, I was shocked by the unprofessionalism of how Christi handled the situation, we explained everything to her and just asked her to pay for fixing damages to the house and replacing the sheets/​towel. At first she agreed, but then begged us not to put a review on Unilocal of what happened. We agreed but asked for a full refund for the services and instead, she stopped responding to all communications, but sent a certified letter with my contract and no reimbursement for any damages.
I realize I’m the first negative review for this business, but that doesn’t surprise me since Christi did everything she could to bribe me not to talk about what happened.
Do NOT TRUST this person!

I usually don’t do Unilocal!reviews but I feel like it’s my animal loving duty to tell you about Bark Around The Block. I found Bark Around The Block here on Unilocal!and after reading the reviews, I decided to give them a try and wow am I glad I did. I emailed Bark Around The Block about a month ago after moving to Alameda and being in dire need of a dog walker due to my work day becoming much longer due to commute time. Christi, who walks my angel is an angel herself. When we met for a consultation she was very thorough with her questioning and really wanted to know everything about my dog. Since my dog does not get along with other dogs, I opted for the private walks. Christi walks my baby every day and sends me the most adorable photos which put the biggest smiles on my face. Knowing that my sweet girl is being well taken care of and given love and affection while I am away at work is a huge relief. I am forever grateful for everything Christi does — she is a saint. Bark Around The Block is the best and should be your first choice when looking for a trusted, reliable friend for your pets!

Bark around the Block is great! I have used Christi a couple times for drop-​ins while away on vacation or just needing a drop-​in. Christi is trustworthy, responsive, and most importantly loves the dogs! My little dog (chihuahua/​terrier) can be a difficult at times, but Christi worked with him to gain her trust. She is also super flexible. The first time I used her I called about a week before I was going out of town for an extended weekend and she was happily available AND she continues to be available and very very flexible with my erratic schedule! I would recommend Bark Around the Block to all my friends with pets and I will continue to use her regularly!
Thanks Christi!

This is my very first Unilocal!review, and I feel compelled to write about Christi because she is not just the best dog walker and caretaker we’ve ever had — she’s one of the best service providers we’ve ever had period. She has been so good to our dog Milo (a long-​haired mini dachshund), and often goes beyond the call of duty to make sure he’s well taken care of. For example, when a faulty lock would not allow her to get our door to open, she promptly called me about the issue and asked if there was ANYTHING she could do to get our poor dog out of the house, to which I proceeded to tell her, «Short of hopping our fence, I honestly don’t know.» Needless to say, Milo made his walk that day .

She has completely earned our trust with her constant communication and responsiveness. We absolutely love how she always texts us pictures of Milo when he’s on his walks with the other dogs, and how quick she is so quick to respond to questions or issues whenever we have had them. When Christi started taking care of Milo, my wife and I had recently moved to the Bay Area and had so many questions about getting Milo (who was just a puppy at that time) acclimated to the area. Additionally, I was a first-​time dog owner, so had even MORE questions about taking care of Milo in general. She was so helpful with getting Milo comfortable with all types of dogs, and with her advice on how to best keep him healthy and happy. Milo has been a joy to us, and we have Christi to thank in big part for that.
As someone that often deals with clients of my own on a daily basis, I truly appreciate her diligence and passion for her work. I can tell that Christi truly cares for my dog, and Milo is SO happy around her as a result. That gave my wife and I such a peace of mind about our how our dog was doing every single day.
We had to move from the East Bay, which is the ONLY reason we’re now former clients of Christi’s (if it were possible, I’d move Christi with us!!). And you can bet that we’ll use her again any chance we get. I give her the very highest recommendation, and can safely say that anyone reading this review will NOT be disappointed if they decide to hire Christi and Bark Around the Block. She’s just the best!

I absolutely love Christi and Bark around the Block when it comes to my pups attention and exercise needs :) My boyfriend and I have a boxer and a Shar pei. We had first met Christi at the Alameda dog park when we had first moved to Alameda. She was always such a joy to run into and definitely knew how to handle a group of dogs, she was confident and all the dogs loved her. Over this past summer I was leaving town for 3 weeks and my boyfriend was staying home with the dogs. He works full time and we were worried about leaving the boys home alone all day long. So we hired Christi to walk the boys for an hour each day. She would update by with texted pictures, which i loved, and my boyfriend always reported back with great news with his experience. It was great to have the boys get some mid day attention and exercise. It made my trip a lot less stressful. The boys also absolutely adore Christi! In August my boyfriend and I wanted to go back home for a weekend trip so i contacted Christi to board the boys for a couple of days. She took our boxer on her group dog walks, we would get the most adorable pictures from their outings. I could tell that the pups were having an amazing time while being taken care of properly. I always felt comfortable and didn’t worry while they were in Christi’s care. I recommend Christi and Bark around the Block for all your Dog needs. I know i will always turn to her first when We are in need of anything. Highly recommended!

Christi is simply the best! When my beagle puppy was old enough to trade doggy day care for some outdoor adventures, I trusted the Unilocal reviews and contacted Christi at Bark Around the Block. She came over the next day to meet my dog and discuss a schedule that would work best. It was immediately clear that Christi is a pro — she’s knowledgeable and organized but also super casual and easygoing. She gives off a great vibe and my dog absolutely adores her!
When I moved a couple months ago, my new house was off Christi’s normal route but she worked out a plan so my dog could stay with her pack. I know Marlowe has a great time with her pals, not only because she’s wiped out when I get home from work every day, but also because Christi sends pictures of all the dogs hanging out together. Thank you Christi for making Marlowe’s days so much fun and for being great to work with!

I found Christi thru Dog Bone Alley. My usual dog sitter was already booked for a week I needed our dog looked after while we were away for a week. I was a bit nervous counting on this person I had never met to be the right fit. Well that went away the minute I walked in her door! Christi is great! She has a great personality and you can tell she loves what she does and loves animals! All week she sent pictures and checked in and really made us feel at ease that our «baby» was ok. When we picked him up she even sent new toys home with him! I would definately recommend Christi to others and Chico looks forward to our next trip so he can go back and be with her. Thank you Christi for being the home away from home Chico loves.

From one professional dog walker to another… a job well done. Bark Around the Block does a great job of keeping dogs safe while allowing them to be dogs and have a great time by utilizing positive-​reinforcement techniques. I only wish all of my colleges did the same.

Christi is by far the best dog walker around! She is so generous and very flexible with my ever-​changing schedule, and my dog absolutely loves her. Our ‘little’ Buckeye has become so much more well-​behaved, socialized, and happy since she started her walks with Christi, thanks to Christi’s awesome care and her ability to walk her with at least 3 other dogs every time she takes her out.
It is very easy to see her love for animals, and her commitment to happy, healthy dogs (and cats) and I feel completely comfortable trusting her with my pup. I would highly recommend Bark Around the Block!

I cannot say enough good things about Barks Around the Block. We got our 8 week old puppy and realized we would need someone to come let her explore our backyard a few times a day. Christi came through in 6 hours with a schedule that worked for us around her busy «adult» clients. We can’t wait for our puppy to grow up and join Christi in her cool SUV!

Christi and Bark Around the Block took over as my puppy’s walker when he outgrew his first walker (Little Spot Runs — an amazing company but meant for smaller dogs).
My puppy was just over 4 months when he started walking with Christi and has been doing so for almost three months while I’m at work. Christi is obviously a well-​trained dog lover and has a huge SUV that looks like a playground on wheels. My puppy loves gets SO excited when he sees her and knows he’s going out for his walk! They not only give him his exercise but have also taught him to walk better on leash, to walk with a pack, to ride in a car (I don’t own one so it’s extremely helpful to me that he gets to do that daily with Christi) and have reinforced his recall and other skills. He is socializing better, learning faster and getting to release his energy each day.
You can’t beat the price or the customer service. I’ve worked from home a few times so know he goes out for a good 2 – 3 hours and gets at least an hour of walking/​running in addition to the time he plays in the car with his buddies. As a new dog parent, I’ve had a few tense moments and Christi is always there to advise on what to do and when he should see a vet. She lets me know if he’s acting up, feeling down or when he’s just had a great day. I get photos texted to my phone, texts telling me he’s had a good day and she’s even offered to drive me to the vet or bring over upset tummy supplies for him! Way above and beyond what you would expect, and probably receive, from another service.
I recommend this service to all my neighbors and friends! They’re amazing and I’m thrilled we’re a part of the growing family!