Running With Rover

I’ve been a client of Joustin’s and RWR since May 2012. I moved my two dogs from the suburban life in Houston to a condo in SF. Joustin and his team have been incredibly helpful in assisting my dogs to adapt to city life. My older dog, Rufus began having difficulties with his walks and Joustin and RWR worked their schedule so that he could always have an outing mid-​day when I was at work– even if it was to take him to the curb for a quick potty break and back into the condo. I think the RWR crew was as sad as I was when Rufus died at the age of 15 and they made special efforts to ensure that my younger dog stayed active and engaged to help her cope. Viola loves her group walks and she’s in so much better shape than when she moved here. I love how there are twitter updates and photos so I know how the walks went and Joustin and his team are willing to add extra walks when work gets crazy. They’ll even stay in your home so your dogs don’t have to be boarded if that works for you and your pet.
I love my dog more than some of my relatives — I would highly recommend RWR to anyone who is looking for quality care of their furry family member

I have been a client of Joustin’s since 2011. He and his staff are very professional, truly care about the dogs and most importantly, are 100% reliable! My favorite part of his service are the daily updates on the group’s twitter page of what they did today… I live for those! I was a full time client with 2 dogs for the first 3.5 years. Since then, I had a child and decided not to go back to work. I am now a part time client. Joustin and his team have always been there on days when I need them and are great at last minute requests! I have referred a handful of people to him already and would do so again in a heartbeat!

Joustin has been our dog walker for 4 years now and we have nothing but great things to say about him! He’s reliable, trust worthy and most importantly always available when we need him. We try to give him notice of when we need him to walk our dog but occasionally there are times when we unexpectedly have to work late and have a last minute request. He never hesitates to try to rearrange his schedule to help us out and fit her in. We rely on him more than he knows! Thanks again Joustin for your years of great service!

I don’t know what I would do without Joustin and Running with Rover! Joustin has been super helpful even before we got our Frenchy George. Joustin came over to our house and help me figure out which type of crate to get and basically coached me through the whole process.
Once we got George he helped me with leash training and was very accommodating, taking him out a couple times a day while we were at work. After about 3 months George joined the presidio walking group. We absolutely love the twitter updates and pictures they post.
We’ve had a couple of Rovers since we got George and they all have been fantastic! They are all also very accommodating. I’ve had last minute work trips or would have to work late and Joustin is always ready and willing to help out.
We’ve also had them watch George over weekends or when we would be away on vacation. It’s so nice knowing he is in great hands and we never have to worry. I HIGHLY recommend Running with Rover!

We love Running with Rover! They are very responsible and truly take care of your dog like they are their own pet. We have used them for dog walking and dog overnight boarding. Joustin is very helpful and a pleasure to work with. When we moved to the city we looked at several dog walkers and I couldn’t be happier with our choice of using RWR.

Called and no one ever got back to me.

Best dog walking /​services company in San Francisco! Great prices for the monthly walking packages and amazing in-​home boarding services with amazing people when you go out of town. Our pup loves her walker and we always feel like she is well taken care of. We will never use any other service!

It may seem unbelievable that Running with Rover has so many 5 star reviews but it is well deserving of it’s superior rating.
I have been using Running with Rover for the past two months for my puppy. What attracted me to them in the first place was not only their rave reviews but also the variety of services available for all ages/​temperaments. They have a great stop and drop service that is perfect for puppies. Plus Joustin was so great about providing great advice for puppy rearing and training.
Now my pup is fully vaccinated and can start walking with a group. Joustin was super helpful when it came to transitioning our puppy to a walking group and helping to reinforce all the leash training work we have been doing with her.
Overall I could not be happier with Running with Rover. Joustin and his Rovers are amazing and I highly recommend them!

My dog doesn’t take to «just anyone» and I can honestly say that she is excited when she spots Joustin or his employee Colm. I trust them and know that Maude is in great hands!!!

I will happily add to the deserving kudos Joustin gets here. He has a wonderful business that’s deservedly expanding because of how he has set himself apart as a trustworthy, kind, genuine and overall great person and businessman.
Our pup was happy with him from day one and, as he does with other owners, Joustin gave us great tips and tricks about how to deal with a few of his behaviors that we wish weren’t so prominent. Add to that the personal touches Joustin takes — homemade treats, gifts for the holidays, Twitter feeds for just your dog’s walking group — and you know that your pup is in uniquely good hands.
We wish him all the best and even greater success. You can’t find a better service in the city for dogs.

I wanted to update my review now that I have used the boarding and dog walking services at Running with Rover. Every experience has been perfect. Joustin and his team are very communicative, and I never have to worry about my dog when I’m away, because she always has a blast with Running with Rover. Their flexibility means I can be flexible if a crisis happens at work, or if I want to make last minute plans to go for happy hour or out of town for the weekend. Having such reliable professionals helping me care for my dog has changed my life and given me much more freedom!

WOW! Where to start! We would give Joustin 10 stars if that were possible!
We recently moved from VA to the Bay area needed a sitter for Marley (our 3 year old Labradoodle) kind of last minute. We found Joustin on Unilocal and I knew he would be great fit from all of the wonderful reviews and his website! We called and chatted with Joustin on the phone and he was here the next day to meet Marley. We spent a long time talking about Marley, both his good behaviors and bad… Jousin was immediately giving us advice and tips on how we could work to improve his barking habits. The next day Joustin came by to get Marley and they were off. When Joustin returned with Marley, his report on how things had gone was unbelievable. He had a little food for us (his homemade food), treats (also homemade) and a jar of babyfood so we could try out one of his suggestions! We were totally impressed and could already see a difference in Marleys behavior.
We also needed him to keep Marley later in the week for 3 nights. After returning Jousin had a full report of what he thinks is causing Marleys barking and ways we can work to correct it. I could tell he totally got to know Marley and really worked with him as well as had fun with him!
Joustin is amazing and has the most caring and patient demeanor! We were floored by the service received and would recommend him to everyone! I am so excited to have a trustworthy dog sitter that also helps us with training! Its more than we could have ever asked for!
Thank you SO much Jousin!!!

Running with Rover has a lot of 5 star reviews, and I’m adding another!
Joustin is amazing. We needed to find someone to take our dog for 10 days recently including labor day weekend. Finding boarding for our dog is always stressful because we have to leave him, and because he is an energetic rescue with separation anxiety.
Running with Rover responded promptly to my email inquiring about boarding, and Joustin suggested that we meet in person right away. He came over to our house to meet us after work, and met us and our dog. He stayed for almost an hour getting to know us and hear us ramble on and on about our dog. We really appreciated getting to know Joustin better, and meet him in person. He was professional, intelligent and warm.
We talked to a few other companies and pet sitters but Joustin was by far our favorite choice and we felt comfortable and confident leaving our dog with him.
After our holiday our dog was delivered back to us relaxed and happy. Joustin gave us a full report and I could really tell he had spent a lot of time with our dog, and thought about keeping him safe and happy. Joustin shared observations and stories with us which we really appreciated. We will continue to board our dog with Running with Rover and I’d recommend them to anyone.

I AM OBSESSED WITH RUNNING WITH ROVER!!! if Unilocal had a 10 star option i’d click it.
JOUSTIN (owner) and JILL (my dog’s primary «rover» he sees everyday) are truly the best people in the doggy social world here in SF. i RAVE about Joustin and his services to everybody i meet. if you are reading this, and you currently have a dog walker, sorry, but you’re not with the best dog walker in the city. i can already tell you your silent four legged best friend would have a life changing experience with Running with Rover. give your dog the best of the best! here’s my top reasons i truly LOVE these folks:
1. FLEXIBLE — i’ve given fairly short notice on needing help (an extra walk/​boarding services) and Joustin’s ALWAYS been there. not once has he said «no».
2. EASY TO CHAT WITH — more than once i have talked to joustin for an hour on the phone about our dogs, where to take dogs in the city, dogs on special diets, just plain ol’ dog talk. and after each phone call i have an extra skip in my step knowing i’m with the right people!
3. GREEN GREEN GREEN — my dog previously was thrown around in a red van (i’m sure you haven’t missed it in the city) with his last dog walker. joustin’s philosophy is to skip the van/​car experience and walk where you need to go. love it.
4. LOVE — «all you need is love.» yes sir! and boy do they give it. sweet talkin’ to boy and kisses on the lips. that’s my kinda people!
5. GENUINE — my dog has had some seizures lately and i’ve been working on figuring out what is going on. i always fill joustin in on when my dog has one and joustin responds ASAP with advice, questions, etc. he even called his vet in to help out! that’s a genuine dog loving person. can’t beat that!
6. CHEF JOUSTIN — he makes all of his own treats/​food and has spoiled my dog beyond what i thought was even possible. we even refer to our dog as a «5 star dog» now. he doesn’t really accept anything below that these days.
7. TWITTER!!! — genius! E-​V-​E-​R-​Y D-​A-​Y i check my dog’s twitter group. i never even used twitter before i met Joustin. but i LOVE it! i get a mid day update on my dog everyday! it totally helps me out too because he’ll let you know if he didn’t go #2. perfect for me – i can sneak out of work early to run let him out, or NOT run errands after work knowing he’s crossing his legs at home waiting for me.
should i keep going or are you sold yet? by the way – if you haven’t already scrolled around on this page… it’s all 5 star. not gonna find that on every dog walkers page. i promise.

Running with Rover is a lifesaver! I primarily use them as a boarding service so this is a review of that only.
i recently rescued an 8 yr old female maltese (a puppymill mama) who is slowly coming out of her shell. Peanut came into my home not knowing how to climb stairs or how to go for a walk. She was not housebroken or even socialized. Given all of her needs, a dilemma developed: would I ever be able to board her when I have to go out town? would anyone be knowledgeable enough to watch her overnight without robbing me blind? would i find someone Peanut is comfortable with (given her finicky nature)?
Joustin and Running with Rover to the rescue!
After a less than a 12hr turn around, Peanut and I met with Joustin. She took to him immediately — to my absolute surprise! Since then, I have boarded Peanut several times and she always comes back happy and healthy. When I leave my mongrel with Running with Rover, I am always fully informed of her daily activities and well being. I know that Peanut is being well cared for just as she would be at home. (HUGE relief!)
Joustin is direct, attentive, intuitive, personable and flexible — all the things i appreciate. His skill with dogs may make him San Francisco’s very own Dog Whisperer! I respect his work ethic, does he ever have a day off?
note: I had wanted to keep Joustin/​Running with Rover my private secret hoping he wouldn’t get too busy (the same way i never recommend hair stylists on Unilocal) but since he was recently featured on daily candy, i guess there goes that!

Joustin and his team are the best, and my french bulldog would definitely agree. I switched to Running With Rover after I was unhappy with my previous dog walking service, and I’m so glad that I did. Joustin posts a tweet on twitter every time he takes my dog for a walk, telling me exactly what time they are out and what she did during the walk. It’s great, I love how much they communicate with us owners and care so much for the dogs. They are always quick to respond to any questions or concerns I may have and are upbeat and positive even when my dog hasn’t had the best day at the park, unlike my previous dog walker. I’ve even noticed that my dog’s behavior has really improved since Running With Rover has come into our lives. I’m so glad I found them.

I have had several bad experiences with past dog walkers and had given up on ever finding a quality person until I met Joustin. On our first meeting he took the time to greet Cosmo and asked all the right questions to establish a rapport. I appreciate that he explained to me all the different safety measures he uses with the dogs. He also understands the different breeds demeanor, and makes sure that the dogs are in a well suited group depending on their energy level and needs. My small Italian Greyhound is in good hands with Running with Rover. It truly is the only professional and reputable dog walking company in the city.

Meeting Joustin and the Running with Rover team is the best thing that happened to my wife, I and especially our puppy since we got him a year ago. Our 14 month onld Heavanese/​Maltese mix can’t wait for his daily play date with the Running with Rover crew, it is the highlight of his day and a real treat. We get pictures, videos, and twitter updates of how he’s doing each day and always know he will be well taken care (and worn out) when he comes back from a RwR play session.
RwR is more then a just a dog walking service, our pup learns new things each day and his behavior has improved dramatically since he started spending time with Joustin and crew 6 months ago. We also leave our pup with Joustin overnight from time to time with 100% confidence that he will be taken care of in every facet.
Do your dog and yourself a favor and introduce him/​her to Joustin and Running with Rover and I assure you that you won’t regret it!

The fact that I can log in to their twitter page and see exactly where my dog is and get real time updates on what’s going on is such a fantastic perk on top of an already fantastic service.
When I hired Running with Rover to come take care of Darko (my Doberman) during a particularly rough project at work that required a lot of overtime I was hoping for a level of professionalism above and beyond the average «broke college student» or «burnout ex hippie» type of pet care service and they’ve met and exceeded my every expectation.
Bravo!

Joustin’s Running With Rover has got to be the most professional dog walking service in San Francisco.
1. Our dog loved him from day one, he was patient and took a lot of time with the introduction.
2. Our dog is like our child, safety is paramount. He is present and is never late picking up or dropping off. Plus we get a twitter or email update on his day.
3. They group dogs that will work well together by size, temperament and area.
4. Check out why this service is so unique compared to the rest.
From their website:
We offer a variety of services that will fit you & your dog’s lifestyle & safely engage them in stimulating activities that reinforce proper urban etiquette.
We do not simply round up your dog in a van, drive them around for an hour, & take them to a random park. Dogs are taxied in luxury SUV’s equipped with air conditioning and sunroofs for ample ventilation.
We partner with local and national non-​profit organizations and pledge a percentage of our profits to give back to our communities.
We employ Rovers that love dogs and abide by a strong code of ethics when taking your dog out.
We value loyalty and created a rewards program that allow our clients to receive additional services at no additional cost.
We believe that communication is key and offer constant updates, allowing you to feel like you take part in their daily activities.
WOW!
Professional, reliable, this dog walking service is awesome, but most importantly my dog is happy and calm when I get home! I will update.