Abby On Argyle

Abby on Argyle is great. I’ve used their service for about a year now and couldn’t be happier. They are very responsive to requests and provide that personal touch. One summer day I forgot to turn on the AC. I sent them an email requesting that they send someone over before the day heated up, and before noon I received a response email stating they sent someone over and turned on the AC. Overheating averted!
Within an hour of walking the dogs, they give reports on the walk so I know all is taken care of.

AoA nickels and dimes you too much. After being charged extra the for the day after thanksgiving and on some other random day «because there weren’t other dogs around to walk with her» I tried to discuss it with them and they were pleasant enough about it, but stuck to their guns. So I ditched AoA.
Check out Ditmas Paws. Kena is amazing.

I have gone back and forth on whether to write this for a long, long time. But ultimately, I’m still seeing the effects of this over a year later and I feel compelled to make a review.
I adopted a fearful dog just over a year ago. I wanted to get him started with a walker right away so that he could gradually get used to trusting a small circle of people. At the time he was suspicious of new people, but warmed up with treats and gentle treatment.
We had an initial meeting with the (female) manager of AoA. My dog warmed up to her, and even fell asleep during the initial visit, indicating that he felt safe with her. We were under the impression that she would be his walker.
Once we schedule the walks, however, we received reports from a male walker. The first walk went OK. The following four or five walks went from bad to worse. On the last walk, I received a text message from the walker stating that he couldn’t catch my dog to put him on leash. He said he «tried grabbing him but he kept hiding under furniture and snapping/​growling.» This was the FIRST indication I had received that the walker had apparently been grabbing my fearful dog and wrangling him into his collar and leash for walks.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME? This is the LAST thing a walker should do with a fearful dog! If I had known AT ALL that my dog was displaying this level of fear with his walker, and that the walker was forcing him into his collar/​leash, I would never have allowed the walks to continue.
It’s a year later and my dog is still absolutely terrified of everyone who enters the apartment. I have been rehabilitating him with the help of a behaviorist, medications, and consistent training. But unfortunately this extremely negative experience in his formative first few weeks at home left a deep, deep scar.
Here are the things that I wish had not happened:
1. First, my dog had never met the walker before their first walk. AoA had given us the impression that the session with the manager was a meet and greet so he would know the walker, and that she would be walking him.
2. We had specifically requested a female walker with experience with fearful dogs. The walker they sent was over six feet tall, a big, imposing guy, with a deep voice, and apparently no knowledge of how to handle fearful dogs (spoiler alert: you don’t chase them around the apartment trying to grab them!) We were given no advance warning of this switch.
3. We were not adequately informed of how poorly our dog was responding to the male walker. It took until the text messages about him chasing the dog around the apartment for us to learn of what the walker was doing in order to leash our dog.

Abby on Argyle has been walking my dog most days of the week for over a year. I trust them completely and there have been times they have gone absolutely above and beyond the call of duty, including picking up my dog from a vet appointment in the neighborhood. They are highly responsive and quick with scheduling. I appreciate their responsiveness. The walkers are kind and loving with my dog. I highly recommend AoA and couldn’t get by without them!

We have been using AoA for over a year to get three times a week walks for our 18lb terrier mutt. He walks in a pack of other small dogs and he is so much happier and better behaved since before having him walked!
We really love Brent, our walker– who always remembers to wipe our guy’s paws when he comes in and was really contentious when he sprained his wrist (who knew dogs could do that?) a couple weeks ago.
Also, really appreciate that Lauren and Nell are generally very available via email.

My husband and I used Abby on Argyle for several years for our cats. At first things went fine, but that was before the cats, one of whom is 18, started to have medical problems requiring the sitters to administer pills. My sense is that the sitters mean well, but there are many of them coming in and out — sometimes as many as four or five over a weeklong vacation – and although some of them were great and attentive, others made some errors with medication that caused us concern.
My hunch is that cats are viewed by some as a quick, easy stop between dog walks; while it’s true that most younger and healthy cats really don’t have complicated needs, older ones often do, and most cats get older eventually. If you’re thinking of using a sitter for cats requiring more than basic attention, I would not use Abby on Argyle.

We hired Abby on Argyle to pop in on our cats for a few days while we were travelling during the holidays. Before we left, they sent over their main cat sitter to meet us in-​person and get to know our cats as well as my wife and me. Meeting the sitter – and discovering how warm, friendly, and professional she was – definitely put our minds at ease since we had never used a pet care service before and were feeling a little funny about the idea of strangers in our apartment. In the first five minutes of meeting Kena, however, we felt totally comfortable.
To make us feel even more comfortable, Kena sent us daily emails while we were away, updating us on her visits. She even vacuumed around the litter box before we came home and cleaned up the occasional hairball. It was such a great feeling coming home to an apartment that looked (and smelled) as good as we had left it.
Thank you, Abby on Argyle! We will definitely use you again!

Nell and Lauren are super quick responders even outside of office hours! I love the updates we get from our walker midday. I would 100% recommend these folks to dog owners in the neighborhood!

Nell, one of the owners is extremely rude and lacks any concept of customer service. She will send you a 2 page email to complain about anything that bugs her. They charge for every little thing, and make you feel as if they are doing you a favor.
I would stay away from this service, today was my last day as a customer, THANK GOD !!!

I recently learned that the only bad part about not having roommates is not having roommates to pet sit when I go away on vacation. I spent about an hour researching local services that would visit my cat in Kensington and quickly noticed that most pet sitting websites are relics of the GeoCities era. Luckily, I came across Abby on Argyle’s website and was happy to see it was designed sometime in the last decade. It also has a great interface for new clients to request follow up. Extra points for being technologically current!
Their communication was top-​notch and I never waited long for replies. When I was away I received daily text or email updates letting me know how the visit went and a few pictures that really made my day. Aside from feeding, refilling water and scooping the litter box, they also spent some quality time giving my lonely cat some attention and play time. I think my cat may actually miss them now that I am home.
Completely professional and courteous. I will absolutely use them again and also recommend without reservation.

We have used Abby on Argyle for our 18 year old Springer Spaniel, Lucy, and our cat, Ricky for years, they have exceeded our expectation in every way. Both of our pets have special needs which have been attended to by Nell, Lauren and the team. As our dog began to age, we engaged them for sleep-​overs, in addition to the routine walks and feedings. Upon our return we found our pets and our home in perfect condition, and during our absence we received daily email updates.
Their professionalism is unparalleled in the pet sitting and dog walking world (of which we have had our share of experience), i recommend them without reservation.
They are a real boon to pet owners seeking top notch services!

I can personally attest to the first class treatment these guys showed my little man. Brooklyn’s finest!

After using their service for about a year, we were moving away and I requested they return my key to me. They said they would for a $ 5 fee. Something about that really bothered me and left me with a very bad taste in my mouth. The last note they chose to leave things on – after I paid them hundreds and hundreds of dollars – is me being nickeled and dimed. And when I wrote them to say as much, they just ignored my email and never replied. Stuart, our primary dog walker, was fantastic. Nell and Lauren… let’s just say I’m disappointed and would not go back to Abby on Argyle if we returned to the area.