My Kind of Hound

I found My Kind Of Hound here on Unilocal and they had some positive reviews, so I gave them a shot. The owner, Kate, was very pleasant and professional in all her emails, but unfortunately things did not turn out well and our business relationship lasted less than a week.
We scheduled our initial meeting for 4pm on a Friday. Less than an hour before the meeting, Kate texted me and said she had a last-​minute doctors appointment and would not be able to come over for the meeting, but that her walker Jon would be there. (A little suspicious, but I had no reason to assume she was lying.) Jon was 30 minutes late to the meeting and when he finally arrived offered no explanation and no apology. He didn’t even introduce himself. While he seemed like a nice guy, he was extremely unprofessional. Handing your keys, credit card number, and the care of your pet to a stranger are disconcerting enough. Not to mention I had just filled out all their paperwork, signing away their liability.
I decided not to make a big deal out of Jon being late. I told him I needed 2 walks that weekend and was told to schedule further walks through Kate. Jon performed the 2 walks and texted me both times to let me know everything was ok with my 5 month old puppy. So far so good.
The next scheduled walk was for the following Wednesday at 5pm and I had scheduled it through Kate, as instructed. While at work, I realized it was past 6:30 and I hadn’t heard from Jon. I texted him, «Is everything cool with [my dog]?», too which he responded, «cool as this weather, whens the next walk?» I found this to be an odd response. Why is he asking me when the next walk is, if he was supposed to get his schedule from Kate? I asked him if he had been there that day and he said, «Forgot to feed him. Im around the block. I got it.» And THREE MINUTES LATER, «Done sorry about that» All of this seemed very strange to me. My hunch is that Jon either forgot to walk my dog until I texted him or he was not aware that he was supposed to do it that day. (Maybe Kate forgot to inform him?) When I asked him what time he had been there for the walk, he said 6:10 to 6:40. The walk was scheduled for 5:00. My initial text to him was at 6:37. None of this makes any sense.
Of course, I can’t be sure whether I was being lied to or not, but this just didn’t add up. And I’m not about to let someone have keys to my apartment and be entrusted with the care of my dog if I have any reason to believe they are failing at their duties and being dishonest with me about it.
So I emailed Kate and told her I’d be taking my business elsewhere. She was very nice in her response, but she claimed that she was certain Jon was at my house when he said he was because «all of the walkers text me on a map coordinating app via cell phone as they arrive to walks and when they leave.» I suggested she show me a screen cap of this to prove it and she didn’t respond. Very interesting…
I said I wanted my keys back immediately and Kate was very nice about getting them back to me that day. (Her husband came to my home and dropped them off.) My hunch is that she knows her walker failed to show up for the walk as scheduled and that he lied to me about it and she was trying to save face. It could be the walker’s fault or maybe she forgot to tell him I had scheduled the walk and it was her fault. Either way, somebody screwed it up.
I could be wrong, and maybe Kate will respond if she reads this. A screen cap of that map/​text app from her walker proving he was present when he says he was would go a long way towards making their story more believable. In the mean time, I wouldn’t recommend using them.

Not only does our walker Kyle take great care of our dog but My kind of hound saved our butts when we got locked out.
My dog is always excited to see Kyle. They are always able to deal with our last minute changes. They are always understanding and don’t make us feel like jerks for requesting a last minute walk.
When we got locked out one night Kate had her husband bring us our keys. They could not have been nicer about it. I had totally inconvenienced them and they were so understanding and nice! After that I am a costumer for life! lol

I am very impressed with My Kind of Hound. After moving to Chicago recently they have provided great customer service and have been great with my two dogs. I would highly recommend them!

My dog loves Kate and her staff. We had a couple snafus in the beginning, but I know that my dog is in good hands. Compared to my previous dog walker, it’s obvious that my dog got a good walk. Kate is also very flexible and her packages are very reasonable!
Highly recommend!

I highly recommend My Kind of Hound for anyone looking for pet services! I have a very timid rescue dog who does not trust people easily. I have been through many dog walkers trying to find one my dog feels comfortable with. As soon as Kate walked in the door, I knew I had found someone I could trust with my dog. Kate is so personable and was very patient the first couple of weeks while my dog took her time opening up to someone new. My Kind of Hound is so flexible in scheduling and last minute needs. They leave notes after each walk, offer food delivery services, and so much more. Kate stays overnight at my place with my dog when I am traveling which is a huge relief. I don’t have to worry about my dog being taken care of and it helps reduce my dog’s anxiety since she can stay at home in familiar surroundings. I have recommended My Kind of Hound to friends and coworkers and they have all had the same positive responses!

Kate and Julie are absolutely fantastic and I would highly recommend them. They are flexible, caring and trustworthy. I moved to the city about 6 months ago and do not know what I would have done without them! I can always count on them being there and most of all, my little man Cody absolutely loves them. To anyone who needs pet care provided by people who truly care and love dogs, My Kind Of Hound is it!

My Kind of Hound is awesome. I am a management consultant and my schedule regularly changes at the last minute. I can always count on Kate and Julie to take excellent care of my dog on short notice. My chocolate lab is an energetic handful, but Julie handles her masterfully. Kate and Julie leave detailed notes after every walk so that I know they are giving her the exercise that she needs. They also provide suggestions for keeping her happy and healthy… and bring dog food right to my door whenever I need it. If you’re looking for a dog walker that is reliable, caring, affordable and easy to work with, look no further!

My Kind of Hound has been great for so many reasons. They are flexible with scheduling (which supports our personal work schedules) and they are highly responsive to our individual dogs needs (one has a heart condition and needs to avoid too much exercise, the other is not as friendly with other dogs so walking her in a neighborhood with many other dogs is not as simple). We have utilized their services for 6 months now and I trust Kate and her team completely with our «furry children» and our home.

Kate and her staff at My Kind of Hound have been invaluable to us. They both regularly walk our two dogs and have house-​sat them when we have left for short vacations. The simplest thing I can say is that we trust them completely — and when our dogs (which are family to us) are in their hands, we have no worries.
What separates Kate from other dog walkers or dog boarding places we have tried is somewhat of an intangible: she exudes kindness and care and the dogs pick up on that immediately. And she seems to have chosen staff who share that quality as well. One of our dogs, who can be rather difficult and shy, took to Kate and other staff instantaneously.
As other reviewers have noted, she is super-​flexible and willing to focus on whatever quirks or skills you want to emphasize.

I love My Kind of Hound. Not only do my dogs love Kate and her staff, they are professional, accommodating and very trustworthy. I know that my dogs are in good hands with them. Compared to other services that I have used, the payment options are very convenient, I love the notes that they leave and they are willing to put up with my changing schedule!
I am so happy to have switched to them!

Kate and the crew at My Kind of Hound are great. My husband’s schedule can change at the last minute and Kate has always been there for us and our girl Kinsey. We’ve called the night before and we’ve never had a problem.
They make sure she gets her exercise or if it’s a miserable day out they will hang out with her indoors. Kinsey loves it when she gets to see Aunt Kate. I appreciate the write ups they leave for us letting us know how the day went.

We have been using My Kind of Found for a some time now. Kate, who owns the company is very cooperative. She will go out of her way for you. We use her weekly, on short notice and for when we go away. Our life is a lot easier because of Kate and My Kind of Hound.