Big Paws Little Claws

We have been using BPLC for 5.5 years and are very happy with their service. They are reliable, accountable, great with our dog and extremely flexible — our schedule often changes last minute and BPLC is always amenable to our needs. Our number one priority is our Miniature Pinscher, Frankie, and as long as he is happy/​healthy, getting the attention he deserves on his walks (i.e.: exercise, goes #1 and #2), and is in one piece when we come home everyday, we really can’t ask for more. My husband and I have both been home on occassion when Frankie’s walker has come to get him (some of those times they didn’t even know that we were home), and the greeting that Frankie has received from his walker has always been very loving and enthusiastic.
I’m really surprised at some of the negative reviews because we’ve never had an issue. We have never felt that Frankie was not cared for in the way that he should be. No one on the planet will ever care for Frankie the way that we do… we are his «parents»…but BPLC comes pretty darn close. I’d also like to point out that we live in a building where our doormen and neighbors are quite vocal about those coming and going, and they’ve never said a negative thing about any of the walkers we have had through BPLC. I’ve also checked in w/​our doormen/​neighbors from time to time (as any dog owner would do) and nothing but positive feedback — «walker is polite, engaged, Frankie looks happy, walks are 30 min. long, etc.»
To sum it all up, I am totally a «crazy» dog owner who is completely obsessed with my dog and wants nothing more than to provide him with the best life possible. I’m absolutely anal about all things that have to do with Frankie’s well being but I also am fair and reasonable. BPLC has provided excellent service over the past 5.5 years and we will continue to be their clients for as long as we can. We feel very lucky to have them and we consider Rodney and BPLC family. I would recommend them to anyone.

I will give them the benefit of the doubt by saying «One bad apple spoils the barrel,» meaning that maybe there is only one bad apple in this barrel, perhaps not every apple in this barrel is bad, but, needless to say, one is all it takes… My experience of their services comes from suffering many negative encounters and observing countless wrongs done… And I’m not just talking about what I think is wrong or right, but actual legitimate facts… I work from home, fortunately and unfortunately, so whenever I need fresh air or whenever my dog looks bored then we just head outside. Plus whenever my friends and neighbors are sick or out of town or stuck at work or going to dinner, since I love animals infinitely, and I engage basically every dog and every owner I see, I am always available and asked to help, so I am almost always outside walking with dogs, and I couldn’t be happier, I like to look around, I like to see everything, this is my time to escape emails and texts and calls and social media, and there is always a ton of activity to watch, yet, surprisingly, even though there are so many buildings and so many offices and so many tourists, there is always a small cast of characters that pop up again and again… One of these is the aforementioned bad apple. I watch her ignore dogs for 10 and 15 and 20 minutes at a time while she talks on the phone or sends and receives messages, otherwise she just yanks them around and doesn’t let them be dogs, rather than helping socialize them and train them with positive energy and pleasant encounters, they look trapped and sad… Dog walks are typically 30 minutes for $ 15 or $ 20 or $ 25 or even $ 30 each, so when I have honestly seen the same person quite literally getting paid for doing services which are quite literally not being delivered, and one of these neglected-​abused dogs was my neighbors’ whom I absolutely adore, and it’s my friends who are getting duped, I felt absolutely obligated to say something… And then it just got worse and worse and worse and worse from there. More and more encounters, more and more instances. It’s just been an absolute mess, a nightmare, all because of one bad apple. It’s been months and months now, nothing has changed, nothing has improved, and things have actually become pretty damn miserable. All because of that one bad apple, who for some reason isn’t being removed from the barrel. So, I do not recommend partaking of these apples, as the whole barrel is ruined.

Big Paws Little Claws has been walking Buster for over 4 years: they are reliable, affordable, and really love dogs (at least I know they love my dog). Sometimes when I need a last minute walk due to being swamped they come through in a pinch. In the last 4 years I have also moved a few times and they have never had an issue with my locations (Fidi/​Battery Park to Midtown and back). I recommend them.

I’ve been using Big Paws Little Claws for years and never had an issue, although I don’t think they are as communicative as they could be. This is minor compared to the issue I had after my last trip: they did not show up at all. It was a short trip — we were only supposed to have someone come in three times during our five day vacation (we fed them before we left Day 1 and got home in the afternoon of Day 5). Luckily it wasn’t any longer, because the big bowl of water we left them was completely empty and the litterbox was over-​flowing. We have a continuous dry feeder so they were able to eat, but if we’d been gone for a day or two longer, the cats could have been seriously sickened or died from thirst. Upon getting home I immediately sent an email to BPLC, and did not receive a response.
A pet sitter who doesn’t show up is unacceptable. They confirmed two days before our visit, so I don’t know how this could have happened. For the safety of your pets, I would highly recommend using a different service. They completely disregarded the safety and well being of my cats, and I will never trust them again.

Comprehensive pet care at it’s best! I travel a lot and have been using BPLC for over a year now. The service is top notch and I always feel safe and know that Cassie (my Pug) is in good hands.
They are available on short notice and very reasonably priced. Great service, I cannot recommend highly enough.

Beware. This dog walker injured our puppy. People in our building told us the walker wasn’t paying attention to the dogs, and that he acted apathetic on the walks. A worker in our building’s valet thought the guy smelled like weed. We were nervous but had no grounds to fire him until one day we came home and we saw that our puppy had no control over her back legs. Once we took our puppy out of the crate, she collapsed and acted as if she were paralyzed from the waist down. After a very expensive trip to the vet, we found out she had a slipped disc caused by trauma such as being caught in a door, kicked, or falling from a high surface. When we confronted them they denied anything had happened — which was worse than owning up to an accident of some sort. I would never recommend this company.

I see these guys walking dogs all the time, and maybe they’re good at that. But, seriously: worst cat sitter EVER.
I hired BPLC to take care of my cat for an entire month. I had previously used them for short trips, and it was fine, but for a long trip, I really wanted to make sure my cat got some playtime and stimulation. I paid $ 580 for my cat to receive a 30 minute visit every day.
I was asked to leave written instructions. I typed them up and left them near the door, and also emailed a copy to Elizabeth, the coordinator.
Since I knew my cat was shy and might not come out the first few days, I bought a bunch of big, new toys (collapsible cubes and kitty tunnels) and left them near the instructions. I specifically said «If the cat doesn’t want to come out, please put these toys out, and just rearrange them each time you come so she’ll have a new landscape to play with when she’s alone.» I also left a battery powered Bolt laser toy that will run for 15 minutes after its button is pressed, and I suggested, obviously, that the catsitter press the button before leaving.
After I’d been gone 5 – 6 days with no update from the catsitter (I think an email after the first visit is pretty standard, to let the person know the sitter was able to get in, etc.), I emailed and, after waiting nervously for a few days (I was abroad without a phone), I got a reply that didn’t actually mention seeing the cat. After a few more emails, Elizabeth said that, no, the sitter had seen no sign of the cat. I suggested sitting on the couch and reading a magazine for 15 minutes — the cat always comes out once people have been sitting still for awhile. No response.
After a few more days, I got a friend from the neighborhood to stop by. She reported that the food bowl was full, but took a cellphone photo of all the unopened cat toys still in their packages, the Bolt untouched, and of the food and water bowls filled up NOT the way I said in the instructions: the guy had left huge amounts of wet food rather than a tiny plop on top of the dry food (that’s as much as she’ll eat at a time) — the way he was doing it, the wet food would run out wayyyy before I got back. Not cool.
Those cat toys? Would’ve taken two minutes to put them out, and two *seconds* to push them to a new spot on the floor each visit.
Now that I was suspicious, I emailed the building manager. Fortunately, management at my building (20 Exchange — read my review, I am by no means an unpleasable person!) is excellent.
Since the catsitter has to check out the keys from the front desk, the manager was able to look in the computer and tell me how long the sitter had stayed each visit — 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 12 minutes, etc. NEVER all 30, and I NEVER got any confirmation that the sitter played with or petted the cat. Probably because he didn’t follow instructions, and ripped me off by not staying the amount of time he was supposed to.
As a final insult, one service BPLC says it offers on its website is watering your plants. I asked in the instructions that one tiny bamboo plant get watered. Of course, I came back to a dead bamboo plant.
This service will keep your pet alive, but that’s about it. Did they send an illiterate person to my house who couldn’t read instructions? Maybe someone who doesn’t know English? I was afraid my cat would go insane from lack of contact or stimulation, and that made it pretty hard to enjoy my trip. I returned to the country furious.
If you’re a cat sitter, it’s your job to sit on the floor for awhile and try to earn an animal’s trust. If you’re not willing to do that, don’t offer a catsitting service. This guy did about half of what I hired him for. I’ll be happy when they refund half my money, and bring me a new plant.
Next time, I’ll hire someone who actually likes and cares about cats.

I’ve been really pleased with BPLC. I’ve been using them for the past couple of months and they’ve been great. I really like the fact that they are punctual and consistent. My dog loves her walker and has a good time with him. I would totally recommend them. Plus, the prices are reasonable.