Citizen Hound

Our little Eva has been going out on walks daily with Citizen Hound since June (almost 7 months now!) and she (and us) couldn’t be happier.
David runs this business with tons of passion and takes the care of the dogs seriously. His team is outstanding, Eva loves her walker (Shirl) and squeals with excitement every time she gets picked up.
David also came over a couple of times for some training to our house, and he gave us lots of insights based on how Eva behaves on her walks.
They go to the beach, Crissy Field, and other cool areas every day, something we wouldn’t be able to do given our work schedules. We get tons of pictures on their Facebook page, and regular updates from Citizen Hound. The great thing is that because it’s a team effort, if someone is out, Eva still gets to go on her walks. Also, when in a pinch, I’ve asked David to take Eva for two walks if we’re going to be getting home late.
I don’t know what we’d do without Citizen Hound. I highly recommend them!

I brought my dog Oliver to San Francisco about 2 months ago. He had been living on a 60 acre farm with my parents. We knew the adjustment was going to be a rough one. Oliver has boundary frustration, separation anxiety and would run in the other direction when called.
David has been an absolute game changer. David really loves dogs. But more importantly, David really understands dogs. After 3 training sessions with David, we are better dog parents, and Oliver has improved vastly in response.
When Oliver gets back from his walks with Michael he passes out for HOURS. I have no doubt he has a lot of fun on his walks. The few times I have been around when Michael picks Oliver up, Oliver rushes to the door and doesn’t look back.
If you are lucky enough to get a spot in one of David’s walk groups, take it.

On behalf of Maggie, our 8yr-​old ball of fur, we’d like to thank you so much for taking care of her for 4 years! Even through her long hiatus due to leg surgery, you’re team was supportive and helped her get back in shape. Just yesterday we saw her jump into the car, like she used to do as a puppy. Maggie will be an east bay dog now, but she’ll always love exploring the Presidio and digging her face into the sand at Crissy beach. And everytime we get the chance to bring her back to the city, we’ll think of Citizen Hound and be grateful.
Thanks again,
Joey, Cary and Maggie

Met Rob a couple times at the beach with his pack. It’s incredible to see how much these dogs listen and respect him as the leader. Rob goes above and beyond and cares for each dog as if his very own! Citizen Hound is #1!!!

Our dog just joined Pablo’s pack. We were in a bit of a jam and needed a dog walker that could start right away. I called Citizen Hound and the owner David took my call and talked me through our options. He then met me that afternoon in our neighborhood to meet our dog and talk more about his needs. I have also been very impressed with the rest of the staff.

I would give David and Citizen Hound 10 stars if it was an option. I found Citizen Hound on Unilocal when we moved from the East Coast to San Francisco. I was unsure about group walks because my dog was used to getting 1:1 walks but I’m delighted to report that our dog is happier and in better shape than ever before.
David and his entire team are friendly, attentive, and professional. They really take the time to get to know the dogs they walk and the dog’s owners too. There are regular emails with updates about issues pertaining to our dogs and (off leash) dog walking in San Francisco, and they even organize Citizen Hound happy hours in case folks want to meet up. What’s more, they go above and beyond to be helpful — from helping out with «emergency» second walks when I have to work late, to giving dog training advice, to sending photos of my pup at play. They are the best!

One of the best decisions we’ve made since moving the the bay area from the east coast last year was to have Citizen Hound walk our dog, Brady! From our first consultation with David, he took the time to get to know our dog and place him in the right pack. Our dog walker, Erik, is the best! He takes such great care of Brady and is always in communication with us. Brady has also stayed with Erik for a week during the holidays, and I don’t think we have ever seen Brady so exhausted when we got home.
I love that the walkers at Citizen Hound don’t just walk your dog around the block and drop them off. They are always going on adventures all over the city for hours (I love seeing all of the Facebook posts!). They also work to help correct any training issues your dog may have.
We can’t say enough good things about David and Erik and the whole Citizen Hound crew!

I have been very happy with my decision to have citizen hound walk my dog Mochi. I’m at work for up to 13 hours so it’s nice to come home to a tired/​well exercised puppy. Seeing pictures on citizen hounds Facebook page captures how much fun she is having on her walks at the beach or in the woods. In the past I’ve had dog walkers who wouldn’t actually walk my dog for a whole hour, but I know that with citizen hound she is out of the house for well over an hour. The team also improved on some of Mochis bad behaviors.
David is very easy to get in contact with and is also flexible and understanding when situations arise. Finding someone to trust with your pet is stressful but I’m always confident Mochi is in good hands with Citizen Hound.

Now, I haven’t used this company, but my review is based off the sheer kindness of the reply I received when inquiring about training. David was completely booked for training and yet still gave me insight into what was causing the issue AND recommended other people in my area to contact. BIG help. Thank you!

David and his team at Citizen Hound are as good as it gets. I moved to Presidio Heights about ten months ago now, and my dog Trotsky has been in their care ever since. Trotsky had a bit of rough start since he was not well socialized to walking off leash surrounded by lots of distractions (tons of other dogs, picnics, etc), but David, Kalyn and Rob worked tirelessly to train Trotsky to stay with the pack. My dog’s on– and off-​leach behavior has improved dramatically in the last year, and I’m so grateful for all of the work that the Citizen Hound team has done. Trotsky’s now a star performer in his pack!
On top of this, Citizen Hound is incredibly responsible about pick-​ups, drop-​offs, schedule changes, and very responsive to e-​mails, text messages and phone calls. I love how they post pictures and videos on Facebook, and they even make cookies for owners (and dogs!) for the holidays. You can’t go wrong with Citizen Hound and I recommend them without hesitation for your lovable pup, large or small.

I can’t say enough good things about Citizen Hound! David and his team are a very trustworthy, hard working and über duper dog loving group of individuals, and I assure you your pup will be in great hands. My hyper terrier mix, Cookie, was a bit on the anxious and stubborn side but I’ve noticed she’s become a much calmer, balanced and obedient dog since starting with Citizen Hound. As an owner of a pup that requires A LOT of exercise, it’s great to know that she get A TON of it everyday with these guys. I really appreciate the frequent photo uploads on FB — they even make awesome video clips with cool music!
One last thing. Whenever my dog gets sick or I need dog parenting advice, David (the owner) always takes the time to respond with detailed information, excellent tips and guidance. He not only cares deeply about his business but about the SF dog community as a whole. His carefully selected team members clearly share the same vision and values — my point is… this is no ordinary dog-​walking service!

David has created such a fun, vibrant, and of course dog loving team! David has been a tremendous help on training our pup, Whaler, since he was only 10 weeks old. Whaler is about to turn 2 and has turned into such an intelligent, friendly and loving dog because of David’s hard work and wonderful team. Erik has been walking Whaler ever since he joined the Citizen Hound team about 6 months ago and we can’t thank him enough! When mom and dad are off to work, we know that Whaler couldn’t be in better hands. Thanks for everything you have done for us and our little family!

Our dog walks in Synthia Wright of ‘Citizen Hound’ pack 4 times/​week and he’s happy to see her when she arrives and tired and in a seemingly good mood when he returns. That was the experience we were looking for in hiring a dog walking service. We are happy with all Citizen Hound has to offer including clear communication and updates from its owner, David Levin, and, most importantly, they seem to care about our fur child.

We recently moved to the city with our dog Sadie and for the first time, we don’t have a yard for her. This meant that we had to find a dog walker for her while we are both gone teaching during the day. We were skeptical about getting a dog walker, since this would be a first for Sadie, it would be expensive, and we didn’t know how she would be around others. We came across Citizen Hound, by recommendation from a friend of a friend and we don’t know what we would do without Citizen Hound. From the beginning, David has been incredibly professional, friendly, and efficient. David is very organized and has made it easy for us to let him and Erik take Sadie everyday. Erik consistently communicates with us and answers all our questions both via email and phone. Whenever Sadie gets into some «trouble» in our apartment or with the gang, Erik takes the extra step to clean it up, solve the problems, and send us a quick text. Sadie loves going everyday (as we can see through the pictures Citizen Hound shows us) and has made friends with both the walkers and the other dogs.

Gus has been with Citizen Hound for about a year now, and we absolutely love and completely trust them. I really don’t know what my husband and I would do without Citizen Hound. I leave for work everyday without guilt because I know Gus gets great exercise during the day (I see proof in the adorable pictures CH is always posting online!). I love that they keep the dogs in the same «packs» each day so the dogs really get to know and love each other :) We’ve run into some of Gus’s CH pup friends in the park before, and it’s pretty cute when they recognize each other.
David and Synthia (our regular walker) are both wonderful — they are responsive, and they truly care about Gus. I am able to text them if Gus isn’t feeling well, and they’ll send me updates or keep him on-​leash if needed. They are also really understanding and great about schedule changes.
We have also used Erik for boarding in the past. It’s nice going away knowing that your dog is getting individual attention and exercise — it’s SO much better than boarding him! Worth every penny.
We HIGHLY recommend David and his team for your dog walking and boarding needs. They are a wonderful group, and take care of our dogs as if they were their own.

This is a slightly different review, because I didn’t end up using David’s services. But that was entirely circumstantial, and my experience was so positive I made sure to document it here.
My wife is a freelancer, usually working from home, but got an in-​house contract job and all of a sudden we had to arrange someone to walk our dog. It’s the first time we did this, and we were obviously very anxious about it. On top of that, we were about to move in a week or so, and we wouldn’t be able to commit for a long term, as it’s common practice among dog walkers. To add to that, our dog, while generally well behaved, has issues with a couple specific breeds, and needs some discipline work (and so do we, as owners). Oh, and we needed the service in two days.
Anyway: we found David online, and he was super prompt to answer our e-​mail. We talked on the phone, I explained our unique situation and all of the details about our dog, and he was still open to stop by the next day for an evaluation.
He showed up on time, was very attentive, and asked to go on a walk with our dog (the other walker we talked to never even held the leash). During a 10-​minute walk, he was able to see the type of bad behavior my dog would eventually engage in, identify a cause, and already start addressing it. He also helped me understand the underlying cause, and how my wife and I were unwittingly reinforcing the bad behavior. And honestly after that quick walk I could already see some difference in my dog.
After that we tried to work out how to get David to actually take our dog into one of his packs, and he showed a ton of flexibility and willingness to make things work, even if honestly the economics wouldn’t make any sense to him. He’s that into working with dogs and getting them to be better, which is amazing.
In the end I felt too guilty to actually push through so many exceptions, and David was still awesome enough to get in touch directly with another dog walking and training service which he trusted, and refer them to us. We got in touch with them, and they’re picking our mutt up tomorrow morning.
Overall our brief experience with David was just amazing, and I’d very strongly encourage anyone in need of his services to consider working with him.

Posey has been a part of the Citizen Hound pack for over two years now and I have to say, I do not know what we would do without David and his team. Although some of the team members have changed over the past few years the quality has stayed the same. The team is responsive and I love that they pictures that they post online and send via email. Mike even left me a few hard copies which was a great surprise to come home to.
Posey has also stayed over with Erik on multiple occasions and although we hate leaving her, we are so glad to know that she is in good hands. Cannot say enough good things, they are worth every penny!

I am so appreciative of Citizen Hound! My 2 mutts were both very timid and shy around dogs and people. But after a few weeks with CH they improved drastically. Mike Tack (my dog walker) is very attentive, loving and sweet. I should also mention Mike takes amazing photographs of the dogs! The owner David has great customer service; alway quick to respond to emails, text messages and/​or phone calls. I highly-​highly recommend CH!

My life pretty much revolves around my English bulldog, and I have to really trust those who I put in charge of his care. David and the Citizen Hound team are absolutely incredible, and go above and beyond as dog walkers. They are trustworthy and keep me informed on how my pup is doing — whether it’s email updates, texts, or pictures of him while he’s out with them. I know how much Mumford loves the team, because when we join Citizen Hound happy hours, or run into the team around the neighborhood, Mumford is SO excited to see them. I would definitely recommend David and the Citizen Hound team to any dog owner and I’m so grateful to have them a part of Mumford’s (and our) lives.

David and his team, especially Margeaux, are AMAZING. My dog, Abbey Road loves her semi-​daily adventures with the Citizen Hound team. I have been impressed by their professionalism AND the depth with which they care for my very precious pooch. I recently got a Whistle (basically a fit bit for my dog) and it tracks her activity — including when she goes out on walks and for how long. Citizen Hound consistently takes her out at the same time and for longer walks than I expect. Of course, the best result is that my dog is tired and happy when I come home (if sometimes a little sandy from her adventures).
Additionally, my dog’s best dog-​friend, Toby also goes to Citizen Hound — and I’ve been super impressed with the effort they make to take them on walks together since the dogs get along so well. And they post pictures of their adventures to Facebook — which is wonderful to see and share with friends and family.
I’ve worked with other dog walkers in the past, and Citizen Hound is one of the absolute best. I know that my dog is in safe, caring hands and that she’s going on a great adventure with other well-​behaved dogs. I would highly recommend their services.