HouseBroken

It has now been several weeks and I finally feel composed enough to write about our experience with Housebroken– they were responsible for the death of our foster dog, Baby. I thought hard about whether to write this review or not, and decided that I needed to. I know that if I were looking for a dog walking company and found out that this had happened even once, it would impact my decision and I want any potential customers of theirs to have that information.
Several Housebroken walkers had walked our rescue Patrick here and there over about a yearlong period (when I traveled for work, about a week 3 – 5 times a year for 1 – 2 weeks at a time) and we never had any serious issues beyond the front door being left unlocked once (which we talked to our regular walker about and wasn’t an issue again). Our regular walker always left nice notes and Patrick seemed to like him just fine.
When we got our foster dog Baby, we still needed occasional walks when I was traveling for work. We left very specific instructions and emailed the company’s manager to make sure it was clear that Baby scared very easily, was afraid of new people and loud noises on the street, and could be walked alone or just let into the yard to go to the bathroom if a walker did not feel comfortable walking her. We were fostering her because she was doing very badly in the shelter and needed a lot of help getting used to people– not at all aggressive, but very fearful of people and sounds (and anything with wheels, ha) and probably a little «special needs.» Baby was fine and a totally normal dog with us, but took time to trust new people and got scared of noises on the street easily (and would pull to get away from whatever scared her).
Andrea, who had been to our house 2 – 3 times before and had previously let Baby in the yard because she’d seemed too scared to be leashed, decided to try walking both Patrick and Baby on this visit– and apparently put Baby’s prong collar on incorrectly (this is based on a note she left). From the story I put together from a phone call from the manager Brooke and what the vet told me (I was out of the country at the time but when my partner told me what had happened I called immediately), this is what happened: because Baby’s collar had been out on incorrectly, when she inevitably had a scare on the street, she got off her leash and ran away (no back up collar or leash was used). She ran for about an hour, at times running all the way to the nearby dog park and back, seeming confused and exhausting herself. The dog walker was not able to catch her. It was 75 degrees on this day, and Baby continued running terrified until she was physically exhausted and could not stand. Her paws and tongue were bleeding, her eyes were bugging out, and she was having trouble breathing. By this time the manager had arrived to take her to the emergency vet and I assume the walker went home. When Baby arrived at the vet, she was in shock, her blood pressure was skyrocketing, she was hardly responsive, and her organs were shutting down. After blood pressure medication, fluids, and a blood transfusion, Baby still did not improve after 6 – 7 hours and the difficult decision to humanely euthanize her was made. She was in pain and I believe this was the right decision.
I know that the dog walker, Andrea, must feel terrible about this (although she has never contacted us to apologize or explain what happened). I know the owner of Housebroken does too, and she emailed me saying she was sorry for our loss (but not admitting any culpability). I know mistakes can be made and accidents happen.
However, these are the kinds of mistakes you don’t expect someone who has presumably been trained and vetted by a reputable dog walking company to make. I later found that Andrea had worked for the company less than a month. She should not have been walking a high-​maintenance dog like Baby. She should have known how to fasten a prong collar properly. She should have been using a back-​up leash and collar. She should never have turned her back on a dog who had gotten away. And I feel that she, and Housebroken, are responsible for the death of our dog. I am sad, and not angry. I don’t harbor hard feelings towards the company (although I no longer feel comfortable using their services), but the fact remains that these mistakes lead to the death of our dog– and future potential customers should know about it.

Really excellent service. Reliable, friendly, flexible and responsive. The online interface makes the whole thing very easy. Highly recommend.

After paying almost $ 500 to a HUGE FRAUD of a locksmith last month, my regular HouseBroken dogwalker got locked out of my apt. today (with my dog, Ivy, mind you) due to a faulty replacement lock. Brooke, the General Manager, took over when my walker had to leave, and from 4:30 — 6:30pm, she waited outside with Ivy, under the assumption that the locksmith would come fix their shit.
Multiple calls later, they’re a no-​show and I had to leave work to come deal. Long-​story-​short, I recruited some muscle from a neighbor, called the cops, and Brooke stayed with me and Ivy the entire time. They never fixed my lock.
Around 7:00pm, Brooke referred me to a reputable locksmith. She stayed with me until he arrived. The locksmith that arrived was almost instantly able to get me inside, and from 7:30 — 9:30pm, he diligently worked to replace the faulty lock. Total cost: $ 140. He was SO nice, funny, and extremely patient — and I never would have found him without Brooke.
Bottom line: Brooke + House Broken are THE BEST. Never in my life have I experienced such kindness from essential strangers. They went above and beyond and I will forever be grateful for my lovely neighborhood businesses.

They don’t respond immediately.
I had a meet and greet with a dog walker she told me she came because she was available that day and won’t walk my dog.
I asked her questions but she couldn’t answer any of those.
I told them I need a dog walker who’s really experienced but they never replied to me.
I guess they don’t have any professional dog walkers.

Housebroken has been taking care of our two dogs for 3 years, and they are absolutely wonderful! They are responsive, flexible with our last minute schedule changes, and truly care about our dogs. One of our dogs is a rescue and has separation anxiety, and they’ve been extremely understanding and patient in helping her cope with her anxiety. Vivian, Brooke, Kim and the other staff are amazing. All their walkers are fantastic and super conscientious. They even wipe off their paws after each walk so the furniture stays clean. Through Housebroken, our dogs have made friends in the neighborhood and look forward to seeing their buddies every day. It gives us peace of mind to know our dogs are in such good hands, and we love reading the updates when we come home.

House Broken has been such a lifesaver! When we moved to Brooklyn our French Bulldog was confused and anxious, and having his group walks has been the perfect mix of exercise and socializing. He gets so excited when the walkers come to the door, it’s so cute! It was also amazing being able to log on to my account from my phone and schedule walks at short notice when I wound up in labor at the hospital unexpectedly.

I feel lucky to have found them! Always accommodating to last minute requests for cat sitting, which can be so stressful, especially around the holidays. My cat was very well taken care of and when I came back there were signs of extra caring gestures (I forgot to leave a light on for the duration of my absence and a lamp had been turned on, everything was very clean and not the usual mess a lonely pet can make if left alone).
Vivian and Brooke are very professional and always try to anticipate what your pet might need. Highly recommended!

After my recent move to Brooklyn, I realized that there are no doggy daycare facilities near my new apartment (or on the route to work), which is a real bummer. So instead of bringing my pup to daycare a couple of times a week to socialize, I’ve had him group walked by HouseBroken. It’s not exactly equivalent (and I’m bummed that he’s not getting the full-​day play at daycare that he used to get), but they are very consistent, treat him well, and do an excellent job.

Housebroken is the BEST! I mean beyond the best. My dog, Bruno, has so many health problems and other special needs. He had a few critical health issues that have been impairing Bruno’s mobility as well. Housebroken was very flexible, helpful, and supportive. One of health issue episodes occurred while a dog sitter was with my dog. Most definitely not the dog sitter’s fault; it occurred because of my dog’s congenital issues. Our sitter and the entire Housebroken team transported my dog to an ER and basically SAVED MY DOG’S LIFE. They are very flexible with scheduling as well. Words cannot describe how awesome Housebroken is. Thank you!!!

I’ve been using Housebroken’s dog walking services for over a year and they are excellent. I would highly recommend them to care for your pooch.

I’ve been using HouseBroken for over a year and it’s so refreshing to have such a reliable service near my home. They are flexible with scheduling and their prices are just right. My dog, Chloe, always seems very happy when she’s been walked, and especially when Mike walks her because she even goes #2 on his watch! Hi, Mike!
They leave notes that let you know whether the pup went 1 or 2 and if they fed them. The reason I didn’t give 5 stars is because sometimes they forget to lock the deadbolt on the front door or to feed her dinner. Otherwise, they’re great!

These guys are the BEST! They get awesome, reliable walkers (and sitters) who really care about your dogs. I’ve used them for 6+ years — through 2 different dogs — and currently have a pit bull mix who is a HANDFUL yet they deal with him — and love him like he’s their own. I trust anyone that they’ve vetted to not just walk my dog — but also stay in my home to dog sit.
What has meant the most to me is how often they have gone above and beyond the call of duty — from cleaning up dog vomit (multiple times!) in my apartment — to meeting me at 7am with my/​their set of keys because I locked myself out — to taking my dog to the ER because something wasn’t right and I was still at work. On one occasion, Brooke had to stay with one of my dogs in the ER while he tragically went to doggy heaven because I couldn’t get there in time. She was his angel and there is no way you can repay someone for that. And Vivian will always call or text to see how my dog is doing if she knows he’s been sick.
They really care. So you should use them!

This company is sloppy. I dealt with Brooke who insisted that a walker come to meet me and my dog before we begin regular walks. Makes sense. The walker I met, however, was not the one who would be walking my dog. So I have no idea why we needed to meet. I used their services for a few months. Generally I would need a walk one a week, twice at most, sometimes not at all. My needs were simple: a half hour walk in the evening (you have to choose a 2-​hour block — a big window in my opinion. If you’re working late, the difference between the walk being at 4pm or 6pm is huge.) and a bowl of food after the walk. Even though I scheduled probably fewer than 20 walks total, my dog want fed on 3 different occasions. Usually some failure to communicate to the walker that I needed that. Once the walker left a note claiming he was fed, but there was a brand new bag of food that was still unopened when I got home. I was still charged for these walks.
The reviews are good so maybe I was just unlucky. But I operate a dog walking business myself and I know for a fact that these are pretty easy things to not mess up.

HouseBroken is a great business. We have had our cats watched by them when we go out of town several times now. They have a convenient website where you can schedule and cancel appointments. It’s really convenient and helps me feel assured my kitties will be taken care of! They are responsive via email when we do have questions. I have had to email the same question more than once, so they might be the one thing that has room for improvement. But they generally get back within a day or two. And they always answer the phone. They’re also really friendly. You leave out a notebook and the sitters leave little notes about how each visit went. One time we were gone for an extended time and they even sent us a picture of the two kitties, which is just so nice of them! Our cats always seem happy when we get back!

I fell in love with HouseBroken a year and a half ago on my way to work when I passed a dog walker gently coaxing the smallest of his charges to keep walking. «C’mon sweetie. We’re almost home. You can do it.» I’ve relied on HB to care for my boys ever since.
I should mention to the reader that my boys happen to be two charming pet rats. Now I know rats aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but the HB team seem to have really taken a liking to them. One of the sitters sent me a text during his initial visit to say Oliver was seeming a bit reserved and asked if he should push harder to make friends with him or give him his space. By the end of the week he reported (in one of the daily notes that HB staff leave behind) that Oliver had warmed up to him considerably. During another of my vacations a different sitter proudly wrote: «Louie is sitting contently on my shoulder as I write this note to you.»
I have found all HB staff to go above and beyond. Just this past week I made the mistake of dropping my new key off to the wrong address. When I spoke to the scheduler she reassured me that the owner was already on her way to the other address to retrieve it. Vivian’s first attempt was unsuccessful and so she went back later in the evening. I received a call from Brooke about 9 pm that night letting me know that HB was in possession of my key after Vivian had coaxed the neighbors to go through their trash to look for it. Now that’s good customer service.

They are the best! Brooke, whom I communicated with, was an absolute life-​saving-​angel when an emergency family matter came up during the holidays last year. Yeah. I know. But she still fit my cat into her team’s schedule and I am eternally grateful for it. They took pretty good care of my cat, the notes from each sitter were really sweet and a nice catalog of their visits with him. Housebroken team is seriously SUPER on communication and being accommodating. Will definitely use them again! =)

Flexible. Professional. Great user website to schedule /​cancel appointments.
I have been very happy with Housebroken and would strongly recommend to all pet owners in Brooklyn.

HouseBrokenNY has been nothing short of a miracle for myself and my Boston Terrier, Mimi. There were a couple of ‘hiccups’ in the beginning in terms of setting up repeat service, canceling when away on vacation, etc., but they always responded quickly and compassionately. On more than one occasion they’ve added a late evening walk for Mimi on very short notice. In fact, they’ve never said ‘no’ to any request and the little messages they leave after each walk are reassuring that someone did in fact show up for my little Meemster. The notes often reflect my ‘personality write up’ of Mimi that they have on file for the walkers, So, not only are they showing up, but they actually care about the dog they’re visiting and read the notes.
They even have a type of ‘concierge’ service where they charge by-​the-​hour if you need them to stay at your apartment (ie: waiting for your super who’s supposedly fixing something, waiting for a delivery, etc). It is nearly impossible for me to get time off work for these sorts of things, so to know I can have someone there, for a reasonable fee, that LOVES dogs — well, enough said. HBNY is a well-​run business and a great service for Crown Heights.

I LOVE HouseBroken.
I accidentally took in a foster pit mix with the intention of holding on to him until he could find a home more suitable to his needs (he’s got some separation anxiety and we work a lot, he’s 70lbs and our apartment is tiny, he’s got a lot of energy and we. do not). As the story goes… we could not find him a home and now he is with us forever. Vivian came over to meet Fatty, let us have her (personal) crate for him, and did everything she could to find him a forever home. It was truly amazing– she went way above and beyond for this amazing boy.
Now that Fatty is staying we use them weekly and they are so dependable and well-​priced. These people LOVE animals and those are the only type of people I trust. Any time I’ve had a small issue they have immediately dealt with it and it’s never an issue again.
These folks were a godsend for me since I’m on the outskirts of Crown Heights and I couldn’t be any happier.

I moved to Crown Heights with my newly-​rescued pit mix, Sara, in January 2012, and recently moved away from the neighborhood. While living in the neighborhood, Sara and I had a great experience with HouseBroken and with Vivian, the owner.
Sara loved all her walkers, who left nice notes about her daily stroll, and topped up her water bowl. I had a surprise foster pup for a week in 2013 (she was wandering Eastern Parkway without a collar, and I couldn’t let her go on like that — she was eventually accepted to an awesome no-​kill shelter and has long since been adopted into her forever home!) and HouseBroken was great about making sure she got her midday relief, too. They are really into their pet clients! :)
Any minor issues/​questions I had were resolved promptly and to my satisfaction. Billing was convenient via their online portal. If I come back to central Brooklyn, I will absolutely reconnect with HouseBroken, and in the meantime I can recommend their service to all of you.