Oakland Dog Walker

Rich is one of the few people who I would 100% trust with my dog (s). He’s completely reliable, kind, and responsible.

I am really happy I found Oakland Dog Walker. As much as I love my little girl, she is definitely not an easy dog to deal with! Rich and Damiana constantly update me on how she is doing, and I love the pictures that they send on the walks. My dog’s social skills have definitely improved since she started walks there as well, she’ll actually let strangers approach and pet her, something she never did before. And when I come home from work she is still tired from her day out with them. I could not be more satisfied with ODW.

All I can say is that Rich and his team are amazing dog walkers.
He took time with my pup to get him familiar with the pack, and Cooper responded great. He takes great care of the dogs and knows how to handle them.
Cooper loves Christophe and Rich, he looks forward to his walks and his social skills have improved.
Plus they send photos of your dog with his buddies on their walks!
Very happy and grateful to them.

Rich & Co. Are fantastic. I don’t know what else I can say about them that others haven’t already noted. Beyond the obvious: really caring about our dog, being great walkers, helping with our pups training, etc. I think the biggest bonus is how flexible they have been with us. We have a pretty hectic /​erratic work schedule and they have always worked around us. It is a fantastic piece of mind to know that they are here to make sure our (not so) little lady is happy.

Rich is heaven sent. We have a lovable, playful 120 pound dog. The problem with a big dog is that it’s hard to find someone who would want to handle 120 pound of loves and licks. Prior to Rich coming into our lives, we did not take long vacations and if we took any, it was just a day away with us bringing her along. Then we found Rich. Not only is Naiobi happier and healthier hanging out with her pack, we now are able to go away for a weekend here and there with no worries. One of the best parts of having Rich take care of her is that we don’t have to worry about her being crated or needing to go down for an afternoon «nap» in a crate like other dog hotels or pet sitting services.
Here is why Rich gets 5 stars and then some for the outstanding service he provides:
1. He LOVES dogs.
2. Always calls if something is out of the norm whether it’s the schedule or whether my baby girl isn’t feeling well
3. Pictures — he sends these cute pictures of the pack and it’s wonderful to see them happy!
4. Flexible — we’ve had to make changes to our schedule due to our baby girl not feeling well or our work schedule and Rich is always there for us.
5. No crating — I never did understand why other dog services do this so I am VERY thankful Rich always has the dogs with them!
We adore Rich. He is an extension to our family. He provides professional services that gives us peace of mind and a quality of life not only for our dog but for us as well. Thank you Rich!

Rich is outstanding with our playful, high energy dog – as is the rest of his crew. He’s also a cool guy and a strong communicator. He runs a great business, and you’ll get top quality care and happy pictures of your dog’s daily adventures with the Oakland Dog Walker. We highly recommend him!

Yeah Rich and Damina are the dog whisperers! Awesome service and great caring walkers. Highly recommend. We had another highly recommended walker for 20 months in SF and were nervous about hiring someone in Oakland after we moved. Rich is fabulous and his team is awesome.

Rich Henry and his crew are friendly, honest, reliable, all around awesome dog walkers. I agree with Melissa C. that he is the real Dog Whisperer. Rich gave my dog the love and attention he needed while we were traveling abroad for a month. I think Ziggy still dreams of going out on group walks and hanging out on his super couch.

Since getting my dog ~7 years ago, we’ve lived in 3 different cities – which means I’ve tried a lot of dog walkers. When I moved to Oakland a year ago, I interviewed and tried out a handful of different dog walkers before deciding on Rich. I can say with confidence that Rich is by far the best dog walker that I’ve ever had! My job requires me to travel often and with very little notice. Rich is so accomodating and understanding of my hectic travel schedule. In the past month I’ve only been home for a handful of days. With any other dog walker I would be nervous to leave my dog for so long. But, with Rich I’m completely at ease! He sends me photos of my dog hanging out at his house, chillin with other dogs on group walks, and running around at the park. Rich is very quick to respond to all of my texts and emails when I want to check up on my dog or if I need to make any last minute dog sitting/​walking schedule changes. I know that when I leave town my dog is being taken care of and is getting the personal training, social skills, and exercise that she needs!
Thanks, Oakland Dog Walker! :-)

Cesar Milan can kiss my heinie: The real Dog Whisperer is Rich Henry.
Last summer, we decided that one ginormous dog simply wasn’t enough… we needed two. So, our 2.5 year old 115lb bullmastiff now has a brother: 190 lbs of 3 year old English mastiff who is convinced he is a lap dog. And as wonderful and amazing as it is to have a combined 300+ lbs of lovely (albeit slobbery) dog in our lives, walking them together by myself was a complete non-​starter. Hence, the need for a special kind of dog walker… a really REALLY big one.
Enter the Oakland Dog Walker. I sent out inquiries to several dog walking companies; several didn’t bother calling back and a couple of them called and said they didn’t think they could handle dogs that big. Then came Rich with his soothing basso profundo saying: «Well, I’m 6’8″ and 280… I don’t think I’ll have a problem with your dogs.» Okay, then… get over here! We chatted on the phone, he came over to meet them, and was down on the floor rolling around with them within just a couple of minutes… and we knew everything was going to be just fine. They LOVE him and he very obviously loves them back. When they hear his car pull up, it’s all out armageddon in here as they bounce around with utter joy and compete to see who can love on him the most.
Our new big guy had some unpredictability issues with small dogs and he liked to pull… a LOT, so Rich started off with neighborhood walks and basic leash manners. Within just a few weeks, they were both walking sedately at his side without a harness, so he started taking them to his midday play group to run around off leash with the rest of his charges. They are now so well behaved and so non-​reactive with other dogs, that they are his go-​to dogs if he needs to socialize new or insecure pups to his group… a few days walking on leash with my guys and everyone is mellow and happy. Seriously… he’s a doggie Zen master. He’s like their favorite uncle: spoils them rotten and takes them to all sorts of cool places, but never lets them get out of line.
Rich and his crew are conscientious, professional, affordable and completely devoted to their clients. You really couldn’t ask for a better best friend for your best friend.

I could have simply posted…“Completely agree with Liz’s review” etc. BUT that would have been a huge disservice to Rich and his family.
I’m the proud helicopter-​owner of a 3yr Golden Retriever (female). She is very loving and easy going, and wants to be a human as much as Pinocchio wants to be a real boy. Get the pic?
So we were 3 days from going to Mexico and wouldn’t you know it… yes the scheduled-​well-​in-​advance other dog service wasn’t able to accommodate me anymore (over committed)…good thing I called to confirm!!! WTF!!!
Anyway…paranoid, panicking and pacing I placed several dozen psycho sounding calls to other services. Figures it takes a guy who sounds like and kinda looks Hellboy a.k.a Ron Perlman to understand that I’m not crazy, I just love my dog.
So we went over and did the meet and greet, he and his wife were very accommodating with respect to time/​day, understanding our situation BUT he was also very much about making sure that my Golden was really who I claimed she was/is…which is great because we all think our kids/​animals will do no wrong… Yeah right. But the process made me feel good.
We hung out and talked with them for about 45 minutes. Rich and my Golden got along great!!! I was relieved BUT I knew he still had to say «Yes» and he did… even more relieved!!!
While in Mexico Rich sent me pics and updates, but I already knew she wasn’t just fine or doing great BUT more importantly she was apart of someone’s family, someone that was making sure she had her snuggle TV time, someone that she could run back to just to let them know that she is there (Golden trait: undying loyalty)…
Now, I hate the word «someone»…my non-​human daughter needs and deserves a «family» that she can be apart of when possible…
that is Rich and his family.
Singed…
A newly devoted distant family member or client if you prefer

I am so grateful that Maddie & I found Rich, the owner of Oakland Dog Walker! Currently I am sitting in the Ontario airport with a sense of calm knowing that my dog was well taken care of today.
First of all, I was very very nervous to get a dog walker for my dog Maddie. Maddie has a few issues including defensiveness with people she doesn’t know that are attempting to remove her from our home (ei: dog walkers). When I took day trips I left her at the kennel for the day. She hates the kennel and I hated the logistics of transporting her to the kennel so I called Rich after seeing his truck in my ‘hood. Our life has been better since.
After Maddie’s first day with Rich all of my concern was alleviated.
He naturally knew how to handle Maddie. Not only does he love dogs but he also seems to speak doggie code. He has responded quickly from his cell phone when I have emailed or called him with questions or to confirm. He speaks human and doggie code!
After her first few walks he sent me an email update with a photo — a very nice touch! When I am out of town for work from 5:30 am — 10 pm he walks Maddie 2xs a day and we couldn’t be happier.
Today he emailed me an update: «She and I decided a slow wake up and cuddle time was truly the best thing for her but once I said, „wanna go for a walk?!“ She stared right at the leash and when I got up she bounded out of bed w/​o coaxing! That’s a first for me and her!»
It really doesn’t get any better than Oakland Dog Walker!

Rich has been walking our dog since October. She goes on his group walks 1 – 2 times a week. He gets 5 stars because:
–as others have noted, he LOVES dogs. At our first meeting, he and our dog took to each other immediately, and it was clear from talking to him about his own dogs, other dogs he’s known, and other dogs we’ve had, that he has lots of experience with dogs and is very thoughtful about what they need from people. He always has feedback for us about how our dog is behaving on the walks, so its clear that he’s really paying attention to what’s up with her.
–Rich is really really responsible. This is not a universal quality in dog walkers. He calls you back, he sends you emails, he texts you if something is not going to go exactly as you’d previously agreed upon (even if its trivial). When you meet him, the first thing he does is show you his business license and insurance paperwork. It is clear that he takes his business seriously, and I appreciate that.
–He is flexible. We originally called him for a sort of last-​minute situation after another dog walker flaked. We’ve since continued to use his services once or twice a week. He has been really accommodating of our somewhat sporadic schedule.
Hire Oakland Dog Walker!

My dog is a handful, and Rich has a very special way of taking care of her. He has the keys to my house and takes my dog out with his group while I’m away at work. It’s great knowing she’s in such good hands and has a nice long walk to look forward to when I’m not around. I’m looking forward to using his services the next time I go out of town also since he does some boarding that I’ve heard good things about.

I was home after a surgery with a new puppy and an old zen master dog going berserk in the living room. If you’ve ever had this experience, you know it is not very conducive to healing… I needed the dogs.out.now. I called Rich and he was able to come over that afternoon and take the dogs out to Point Isabel for an afternoon of great exercise. They came back tuckered out and happy, and I got to rest– yay, win-​win. Now, all recovered, we are pondering a trip to Hawaii, and Rich is my first call for dog-​care. Thanks, Oakland Dog Walker!

Rich is an excellent dog walker! We have a new puppy at home and researched dog walkers before we brought him home with us. Rich spent about a half hour over the phone with me initially and then came by to meet Jake, our pup, in person. The home visit was over 90 minutes! This was all before even one walk.
Now he walks Jake for an hour, Monday through Friday. His rate is very reasonable at $ 25/​day for 5-​days a week. He works on training as well. After the first week, Rich emailed me 3 photos and 2 videos that he had taken of Jake. He also called me, just to check in and make sure all was going well with Jake at home. He filled me in on where he had walked Jake, even offerring to email me his route recorded via his phone’s GPS.
More than anything, I get a sense that Rich adores dogs. This is truly what he wants to be doing. I’m a bit jealous he gets to walk around all day with wonderful dogs. I am so happy to know that our puppy is in good hands. Rich has made the process of being a new pet owner so much easier. I would highly recommend him to anyone in search of a dogwalker.

Fantastic, one of the best dog walkers we’ve ever had. I found Rich randomly by doing a google search for dog walkers in Oakland. We had planned a last minute trip out of town for the holiday, and our normal dog walker was out of town. He responded right away saying he was available for the job, so we decided to check him out.
His appearance at first might surprise you: he’s a BIG DUDE, like 6’8″! With tattoos on his arms, my first thought was man, this guy belongs doing security for rock bands. And guess what, he HAS done that! Sometimes you can judge a book by its cover… well almost. That’s about where the stereotypes end. He was so absolutely wonderful with our dog the minute he met him. It was like the dog whisperer had walked into our house. Charley can be very aggressive with strangers, especially men. We’ve had issues with other dog walkers before that couldn’t handle him. Rich came right in and knew instantly how to calm Charley down. After this, I knew we had to give his services a try.
This was our first time leaving Charley at home by himself for a few days, with the dog walker only coming twice a day to let him out/​feed him. Normally he stays with a boarder. I was nervous to say the least, but those feelings subsided immediately after Rich would send me an update email, along with a photo, after EVERY SINGLE walking session. He’d tell him how Charley was doing, how far they walked, etc. I know he spent extra time exercising him/​giving him outside time, all at his own expense. On his own accord, he put on ‘white noise’ on the tv for Charley on July the 4^th, because he was worried that the fireworks might scare him. He even took a short video of Charley playing ball and sent it to us. I’ve never felt more comfortable leaving him under someone else’s care. We were so lucky to find Rich at the last minute, and will definitely be using his services going forward. I would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a reliable, trustworthy dog walker.