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Dogs and cats are creatures of habit. Although our canine and feline family members descended from their "wild" cousins (wolves and lions) and retain many of their characteristics, they are quite attached to you-the pack or pride leader, and their home. So when you are away from them on travel or working late, and they are boarded at a kennel or pet hotel, the two things that give them the most comfort-you and their home-are absent.

FurPals treats yours as ours, providing loving care in your home while you are away.
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I am new to the arena of having several pets, yet confess to loving it. A bit over four years ago, I married my wife and "joined the pack" so to speak. Since then, we have added two more pups and now have five dogs. Now, I will admit that when I came into the pack, I was not as avid a pet person as my wife and I concede that openly.
It is also noteworthy to mention that some pet sitters charge extra or do not service multiple pet households or certain breeds. We are familiar with the characteristics of all dog breed groups and are comfortable in dealing with every one. We own and love "bully" and "working" breeds, two groups that can be most maligned and misunderstood. If you have any reservations, we think you will be pleasantly surprised after our initial consultation!
It will open in a new window. Our gallery also features an album of pets who are no longer with us. Although these pets have left us physically, they remain ever present in our hearts and thoughts. The Hopi Indian Prayer and the Rainbow Bridge Poem have helped us deal with the physical loss of our personal and extended family members. We hope that they will give you some comfort.
Reviews (19)
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Kevin B.
Aug 11, 2019
Yvette is a great cat sitter. She is responsive when we need her services and is available on short notice. Our cat is always well-cared for and loved on by her while we are away. She also looks after the house and makes sure any packages left outside make it inside. Overall, she is just a lovely, kind and generous person who takes an interest in her clients and wants to ensure they are satisfied with their pet sitter. Next time you need a pet sitter, hire her.
Dianne D.
Nov 06, 2015
Yvette is wonderful -- she agreed to look after my cat on short notice during the holidays and always texts me a photo or two of the critter.
Mary C.
Aug 20, 2015
Love these guys. When I was admitted to the hospital unexpectedly, fur pals stepped in right away. Even gave us a discount and left a gift for our new baby. Answer emails and texts. So glad we have them.
Julie P.
Jul 28, 2015
Yvette is the consummate professional. Fur Pals has been taking care of my cat when I travel since 2009. They are kind and caring with my pet and careful and thoughtful in my home. I would highly recommend them to anyone!
Sarah S.
Jun 12, 2015
When I first was considering Yvette, I read the terrible reviews on here and should have trusted them! But, someone had recommended her, so I ignored them. When I met her in person, she only wanted to talk about herself, rather than ask about my dogs, but I was naive and didn't trust my gut. Now I wish I had. My neighbor who works from home said Yvette never actually walked our dogs, she just let them out in the backyard.

Super lazy. She is also crazy--really emotional and unpredictable. She tried to give our house key to a strange guy to walk our dogs while she was away, and she admitted he had never taken care of dogs before. What the hell? When we told her we were not ok with this, she freaked out and called us all sorts of horrible names. Such bizarre behavior.

I wish I have never ever left any of my dogs home alone with her. Our dog is much happier now that she is not coming to the house and has a new walker. (our experience sounds so much like Meredith's review, wish I had taken her advice to stay away!)
Kate S.
Nov 14, 2014
We love FurPals! We have has used them for the last three years over holidays when our other volunteer pet-sitters are also out of town. Our cats are always happy when we get home, and they provide helpful updates. Yvette is lovely and has always been easy to work with.
Sabrina H.
Oct 23, 2014
After calling around Furpals was the only company that gave me peace of mind to leave my cat at home for the first time with a sitter. Yvette, the owner, was extremely kind and set me up with Carmen to check on our cat daily. I absolutely loved Carmen and so did our cat. Carmen was extremely understanding about my nervousness to use use a sitter and sent photos after her visits so I could feel at ease.

She even helped out with a last minute ordeal to get my keys to a friend who needed a place to stay while I was away. I recommend this company and particularly Carmen to those looking for a cat sitter.
Donna S.
Jun 25, 2014
At the last minute, I needed someone to take care of my cat while I was out of town for several days. I called Yvette a couple of days prior to leaving town and am happy to report that she was able to fit me in their schedule! This would be the first time I ever left Grayson alone for this amount of time and was concerned about how he would react to my absence.

The reports I received while gone were all very positive. Grayson had great interaction with the associate, Joe, who checked up on him. He even let Joe trim his nails! When I returned, Joe had left a detailed progress report for each day and I truly appreciated that. I think it shows the level of care and commitment on the part of the company. All in all, the care Grayson received was superb! It was a wonderful thing to be able to be on vacation and not worry about the care he was receiving. I will definitely use their services again! They are the best!
Chloe M.
Nov 15, 2012
I had a great experience my first time with Fur Pals - came home from a two week vacation with handwritten notes detailing every time that the pet sitter had come by and was very impressed. Unfortunately, this level of service does not appear to be normal. The second time I hired Fur Pals, my cat was not checked on until 11:00pm (I know because I have to buzz the pet sitter into my apartment building.) I sent an email about it, because I was told when I hired Fur Pals that the petsitter would come by in the early afternoon, and was told that cats don't care when someone comes over as long as they get fed.

No apology or attempt to explain why a mid-afternoon visit was pushed until 11:00pm at night. My email wasn't responded to until over a week later, and I didn't receive my apartment keys back until almost a month later, after I repeatedly emailed to ask for them back. The worst part is that if I didn't need to buzz the sitter into my building I never would have found out that my cat hadn't been checked on for over 36 hours!

When I was asked for my apartment keys back, I was told that not having full access to the building was against Fur Pals policy so they were planning to return my keys anyway. Maybe they don't want other clients knowing what time they visit their pets? Like Meredith K., I was extremely surprised that Yvette, when she did respond to me, had a litany of excuses for why she hadn't responded (changing schedules, horribly busy, was sick etc.) Horribly unprofessional and rude - I will never use them again.
Lisa P.
Aug 11, 2011
I was initially nervous leaving my two cats home alone, as they are young, crave attention, and like to get into things. However, Yvette and Furpals has been great. Yvette came over to meet them initially and requires you to fill out really thorough paperwork. It is also really easy to book them, even though you probably has to reserve more in advance on holiday weekends (and they charge an additional holiday fee).

I have now used Furpals a couple of times, and whenever I get home, there are notes about the cats, the cats are happy and relaxed, and the liter area is cleaner than I left it. I also asked Yvette to send a text the first visit of the trip, and she happily agreed. Overall, I highly recommend Furpals.
Adam P.
Jul 22, 2011
I agree Ken and Yvette have been great to my dogs. I travel extensively and they were always willing to jump in at the last minute when needed, always sent photos and updates while I was away and great notes when I come home. My dogs always seem calm and happy when I return. I haven't had to use pet sitting as much since my wife moved in but have referred many people to Fur Pals who have had great success with them. Yvette still stays in touch to let me know she misses the "kids" and I would definitely use them should the need arise again.
Ez R.
Dec 27, 2010
We set up an appointment with these folks to come by between 8:30 and 10 am. They never showed, never called or emailed to explain why they couldn't make it or to reschedule, and never responded to phone calls. Utterly unprofessional.
Tynan M.
Dec 15, 2010
My husband and I moved, with our two cats, to the area a little over a year ago. We searched for the right place to board the cats when we traveled but found them all too expensive ($40/cat/day!) and small (a 5'x5' cell for two 16 pound cats!) Then we found Ken & Yvette. They came over to introduce themselves and to have a meet & greet with the "furkids" as they call them.

We started using them around the holidays last year and haven't stopped. They're great with a lot or a little notice and they've been very flexible when we've had travel delays and can't make it back on time (by days even.) The icing on the cake for me happened tonight though. I realized I locked myself out of our apartment, before leaving work, and had no other way in.

It was call Ken & Yvette (who as part of their services say they'll come and let you in for a fraction of the cost of your landlord) or call the landlord/wait forever/pay $200. Sooo, hopefully, I called Ken and Yvette. Ken was at the metro station before I even got there, escorted me back to the apartment, and made sure I got in safely. Amazing. :)
Pia F.
Sep 12, 2010
Fur Pals came to my rescue when the my current pet sitting company went MIA a couple of days before I was scheduled to leave town for a week and a half. I called several pet sitting companies trying to find an alternate and all I got was email address, form letters, and voice mail until Fur Pals. They came over the same evening and everything was set up and ready to go. When I returned my dog was happy and normal and I was relieved and happy.
David S.
Jul 31, 2010
Ken and Yvette have been life savers for me and Maggie, my somewhat neurotic Hurricane Katrina surviving cat. When I go out of town I have full confidence that they will do the job. They were extremely thorough in interviewing me and Maggie at the beginning. Pricing is fair with no surprises. I would recommend them without hesiation.
Rita T.
Jun 04, 2010
We had a terrible experience with this company. We hired them to cat-sit for our two cats (a 2-year-old and a 15-year-old) for five days. They DID NOT SHOW UP! Not once, not ever. For FIVE DAYS. We came home to two cats who were starved for food and affection (they had a small amount of water left in the bowl). We're lucky the experience didn't kill the 15-year-old cat. Yvette said she "got the dates wrong." It was human error. That's not acceptable when there are two owners - each one can check the other.

I sent them an email notification about our travel dates, and Yvette responded, affirming that she would take care of the pets. DON'T TRUST YOUR PETS TO FUR PALS. Read the other negative review (posted March 31, 2010). The owners can't be trusted, and your pets could suffer.
Mercedes A.
Mar 27, 2010
Yvette and Ken are absolutely wonderful! I've had them petsit for me numerous times, and each time they impress me more. Where do I begin? 1) They are incredibly flexible with dates (I've had to ask them to petsit on very short notice on more than one occassion, and they had no problem). 2) They really take care of your pets and home as if you were family. 3) Every time I'm away I come back to a house that is somehow neater than when I left; my kitties' messes are cleaned up (including hairballs on carpet!), they're happy and well-fed, and my mail is neatly stacked on my kitchen counter.

Last time I had some perishables delivered while I was away and forgot to mention it, and Yvette put them away neatly in my fridge. 4) They leave detailed notes about their visits and how your pets are behaving while you're away. So nice! 5) They're incredibly friendly, patient, and helpful. Amazing customer care. I simply don't have enough good things to say about them. FurPals will be my petsitting service of choice until they drop ME! :)
Veronica M.
Sep 09, 2009
Based off the strength of the above review and the Fur Pals website itself I left my cats in the care of Fur Pals while I went on vacation. Never having left my cats alone for a long period of time I was worried. But I didn't really need to be. The owners and the person responsible for watching my cats did indeed come to my place and get to know me and my pets. Yvette and Ken really knew their stuff and were very personable and professional.

They sent fun little email and text updates after every visit that really helped me relax. Our sitter also picked up our mail and even left a nice little thank you card waiting for us when we returned!
Renee E.
Feb 17, 2009
I screened a lot of potential dog sitters and when I met Ken and Yvette I knew they would be the perfect ones to care for my two dogs when we went away occasionally. They came to my house in MD and visited for an hour to get to know me and my dogs and their needs. They are wonderful and trustworthy people and they are insured and bonded. They also Red Cross Pet Tech Safety and First Aid Trained.

They really are just passionate about what they do! Not only did they text me while we were away to let me know how my dogs were doing they left notes for me upon my return. I felt relieved to know my dogs were in great hands. I would recommend them to anyone who needs a pet sitter of any sort of dog walker.