Green Paws Chicago

Green Paws has been wonderful. I can feel completely confident that my cats are being taken good care of when I am out of town. Ryne was especially great in taking care of them. He went above and beyond by sending me daily updates and pictures. It was really nice to be able to leave town knowing that your pets are being well taken care of, especially over the holidays. I would highly recommend Green Paws.

Greens Paws has been nothing put responsive and caring with our 3 fur babies over the past year. We moved to the West Side of the City and had to switch from our established pet sitter but Green Paws was the absolute right move.
I kind of suck at requesting our sitter within a reasonable amount of time but we always seem to find someone. If our regular person is not available, we are assigned another sitter who is always so kind to our fur babies!
Without fail, we get picture updates or videos of all 3 cats while we are away. I’m a crazy cat mom and usually type up detailed instructions and the sitters never have any issues or think I’m insane. Actually, maybe they do but just don’t say it out loud (thanks anyway, I know I’m riding the crazy train)
We have two kitties that run and hide with new people but the sitters always manage to hunt them down and get pictures of them cowering in the corner. This somehow sets me at ease. Of course the majority of the pictures are of the 3^rd cat who is a giant camera hog. She is super happy when we have visitors, of course, but it makes it better that they are kind and caring and appease her attention kitty ways.
We get an invoice near the end of the month with our total. My one suggestion would be to find a different way to do this because at the end of the month I’ve always forgotten what we owe and what is coming out of our bank account. Nothing major, but something I clearly can’t stay on top of since I’m too busy being a crazy cat mom.

I’ve been using Green Paws for about four years and they’ve always provided great service. Scheduling dates for care is easy and hassle free and they do everything they can to accommodate my occasional last minute scheduling and are quick to get back to me confirming dates. The pet care specialists I’ve used have all been very reliable and send texts during each visit to give updates on how things are going. I’m very happy with Green Paw’s service.

Superlative pet care — very professional, very reliable and pet carers — cannot recommend highly enough. Thanks Andy and team — esp Nanami!

GREEN PAWS TO THE RESCUE! Finally a service business in Chicago that doesn’t behave sluggishly or like they are doing you a favor.
So far we have used GP for in home cat sitting and impromptu dog walking. The sitters are friendly, caring, and responsive to personal requests/​preferences! I felt very in the know with prompt text and pic updates.
Office is super responsive and detail oriented! They were on top of it when I needed a dog walker the same day. Lifesaver! They seem to possess ample staff, resources, and organizational skills to satisfy crazy pet parent requests.
Happy kids (i.e. pets) and parents with GP!

We have a 6 year old Keeshond who ended up in need of some company and care due to changes in our work schedules. Green Paws to the rescue! We originally used the service for about a year, and had a break for almost a year. Well, work issues came up again and we forgot to cover our pup. We reached back out to Green Paws 2 days before we needed their help and they came through again! Nice walkers, great with animals, and their customer support is fantastic. I would recommend them to anyone.

The only thing bad about Green Paws is that they don’t have any dog walkers in our new neighborhood. Hopefully that will change one day!
So here are the good things:
Reliable, competitively priced, compassionate, friendly, great customer service, flexible
Our vet recommended Green Paws to us when we were looking for a dog walking service for our dog, Ripley. I emailed them and heard right away about options they have available. We set up an at home visit with someone from the office and our future dog walker and got started right away.
The dog walkers are all great. As you can imagine, dog walking isn’t usually a long-​term career. So, we’ve had a couple dog walkers in our time with Green Paws. They hire great people and train them well. Every time we were getting a new walker assigned to us we always got plenty of notice, were given the opportunity to meet them if we wanted and they passed on to the new dog walkers all the quirks about our dog. The dog walkers always left notes about how Ripley did that day.
They were so responsive when we needed to adjust schedules, cancel walks or inquire about overnights. We had Green Paws dog sitters stay in our home with Ripley for a couple of overnight trips and we always felt secure knowing that our dog was taken care of.
While it isn’t cheap, it is very competitively priced. I would be suspect of any company that offered a cheaper service. Ripley always got her full 25 minutes of play. In the cold and rain she just wants to go back in after she does her business and the dog walker would stay the rest of the time playing with her.
This seriously is a great company and we have had nothing but great interactions with everyone we’ve come into contact there.

My partner had major surgery and I had to leave town for several days. We hired Green Paws to walk the dogs for us for those days. They were great. Highly recommended.

Short Version — Highly recommended!:
— Communication = A++
— Prices: Very reasonable, GREAT discount for first time subscribers
— Friendly Staff
Details (Because yes, I am a crazy puppy parent):
This is my first time using a professional dog walking service (I just got my 4 month old lab 7 weeks ago). I chose Green Paws because 1) Their Unilocal reviews were stellar and 2) They have a «first time client discount» which as a new dog owner, was a massive relief considering how pricey the first month of pet ownership can be.
The thing that stands out to me the most is their superior level of communication. From an administrative standpoint, emails/​phone calls get responded to within the hour, if not sooner. From a walker standpoint, the walkers utilize a small white board to jot down daily notes so when you get home you know what time they were there and what happened (including potty stuff which isn’t always pleasant, but kind of a need-​to-​know when you have a puppy who is working on good potty training habits).
A recent example of excellent service: I received an email letting me know that my walker needed the day off. Not only was this email a week in advance, but they also told me who they were sending out as the replacement (someone I had met before and was familiar with).
Also, a note on the first meet and greet. Our walker and the field manager came by to meet us and our pup. The field manager (Jake) was so sweet, very attentive, listened politely and took diligent notes. Callie, our walker, spent the entire time bonding with our puppy. My fiancé thought this was weird («Why isn’t she talking to us?»), but it was clear Cailie knew where her priorities were and knew that getting the dog familiar with her was most important. As I mentioned, Jake took down TONS of notes to relay to Cailie later and we haven’t had any issues.

**Long review, but if you’re a slightly obsessed pet parent like myself it’s worth it.**
Green Paws was there from the beginning. I had two weeks off when I first brought my puppy, Utley, home. After that I needed a dog walking service and was pleased to find Green Paws. They came to meet Utley and listen to how I liked things to be done. I started with the puppy package, which is 2 — 10 mins walks/​a day. I had one of them in the morning and one in the afternoon. This was great, especially because Utley couldn’t take official walks until he had all of his shots. While learning to be house trained, Utley then transition into 1 — 25 mins walk/​a day, Monday-​Friday. Drew was our walker and has been since day 1. Utley absolutely loved him! I say loved, because we just moved to NYC, so obviously our services are done — but only for the fact that we’re not in Chicago anymore.
About Green Paws:
The company was great! They let me know if Drew or sub dog walker was running late (which rarely happened). I was able to change times or dates easily with them. One time I had to leave earlier for a work meeting in Wisconsin and the day before I was able to email the Green Paws team and have them schedule Drew to come a few hours earlier than his normal walk time. They are very accommodating. The team is also quick to respond via email.
If I had to find fault, I would say it’s that their hours to call and talk to them could be better. 8 – 5 is normal work hours, but if I tried to call at 4:50 I would still get their voicemail saying that I missed them for the day. Again, this is not a huge issue considering they are quick on email, but if you’re more of a phone person that’s something to just be aware of.
About Drew:
Drew was absolutely awesome! Like I said I know Utley loved him and I know Drew loved my dog. He left great notes, that not only just commented on what potty business my dog had done that day but also included if Utley was well behaved and didn’t pull (he’s a growing labrador). He also took note of what my dog’s normal behavior was and if something was off, he let me know. One time, Utley was sick and had to be on medication for about a month, I let Drew know and he made sure to call out anything that might be unusual or if he saw improvements with Utley.
I also know, from myself or my boyfriend working from home time-​to-​time, that Drew didn’t just leash up my dog, take him outside, walk a few feet and turn around. Drew was playful with Utley and talked to him just like I or any other dog obsessed person would. Knowing that Drew cared and treated my dog like I would, made it easy to feel confident about him throughout the day. I couldn’t recommend Drew and Green Paws more.

We moved here from NJ over a year ago and have been afraid to go away as we’ve been unable to find a reliable dog sitting service for overnights. We have a Weim who is HIGH anxiety and is pretty hard to deal with. Thinking pacing nonstop while you’re trying to sleep and crying if you even think about closing the door when using the bathroom.
Finally our hand was forced as we had a wedding and business trip we had to take back to the east cost. Green Paws sent Caitlin to stay with our two girls for 5 days and she was excellent. Like any dog sitting service, your experience is probably predicated on who you have as your sitter but thankfully, ours was top notch. And I like the fact they have a manager you can contact if you have concerns and questions. Makes it feel like a real company and not just some person who calls themselves a dog sitter.
The service was very reasonably priced for what we got. The girls had overnight company as well as multiple walks during the day, every day we were away. This was all included in the price which we liked as other services charge separately for the overnight and the walking. Made the decision easy.
And because we work from home, our girls are used to going out every few hours. Knowing they would be walked 4 times a day while we were away was priceless.
Most importantly, we got regular updates via text from Caitlin. This was key.
We didn’t have to worry if Lola our Weim ate the house, made Caitlin crazy, etc. Other people we’ve had stay over have reported they’ve been unable to sleep because Lola keeps them up at night. I’m sure the 4 walks really did the trick as she is still exhausted 3 days later after we’ve returned.
Overall we are very pleased and would not hesitate to use them again.

Green Paws really struggles to train thier walkers. We were recommended Green Paws when we moved recently and decided to give them a shot. In 3 weeks we had 3 different dog walkers and were given 1 days notice that they were going to switch. On top of that sometimes the walkers didnt lock our doors when they left. They also all wrote inconsistant notes on how the walks went some included #1 and #2, some were totally off the wall talking about music on the radio. When we called to cancel after the 3^rd week we were lucky enough for them to refund our money (their only saving grace and reason for 2 stars).

Green Paws saved our vacation! My husband and I have not been on a trip without the dogs in 3 years because our older girl has some serious health problems. Two other pet sitting businesses turned us down due to her special needs, but Green Paws introduced us to Kelli who took care of our two dogs and two cats in our home while we were in Spain for a week.
Our older dog needs three pills a day, she’s a finicky eater, and she can’t always make it outside to pee and poo. None of this phased Kelli and she handled our older dog’s dogs special needs while attending to everyone else too. Our younger dog got even more attention and walks than my husband and I are able to give him when we are home.
We returned after 8 days to 4 happy, healthy pets, who didn’t even miss us and the house was as just clean as we’d left it, which is not easy to maintain with four pets. My husband thinks that our younger dog likes Kelli more than him now! (Probably because she walks him for longer :-)
The pricing was also much more reasonable that I was expecting when initially researching pet sitting. Frankly, for as great as the service was, I would have paid more.
Thank you Green Paws and Kelli for letting my husband and I go on vacation! I will not hesitate to go on vacation in the future and I will be calling Green Paws first!

I was looking to hire a new dog walker and had set up a few interviews with various companies. Prior to confirming the date and time, I had requested a full walk through of the various fees and rates associated with each service. The morning of my scheduled interview, I received an email from the manager, Erin, who said that I would be able to pay the $ 20 «Consult» fee with check or credit when they arrive.
Not only was this fee not mentioned during the phone call, but I was shocked that I would be charged to interview THEM… I should try that the next time I apply for a new job– ask for a fee from them to interview me!

Thank you, GreenPaws, and the lovely Caroline, for taking such great care of our Benny! I loved the text updates and written notes. Benny is a needy little guy, and it was so reassuring to come home and see him relaxed and happy. I know he got lots of love and attention from his new pal, Caroline. You guys are the best!

Green Paws is great! I’ve been using them since I adopted Alex in April. I’ve used both their monthly and a la carte services, and their customer service is amazing. Alex is always calmer and happier when she has a visit from Jen, and I love that Green Paws was not pushy when I switched from 5x/​week to CareOnCall. They also worked with me when I switched from in-​office work to work-​from-​home suddenly without penalizing me for switching plans. If you need a dog walker that is flexible, reasonable and great with communications, you should definitely hire Green Paws!

To say I’m neurotic about my Cavie is an understatement. Green Paws takes care of her just like I would. They are amazing! The initial interview was so professional. 3 staff members came to meet us.
They are worth every penny!

After months of using Green Paws dog walking for our little puppy Louie I decided it was time for a review.
Before finding Green Paws I was a serious crazy lady with calling all the other local dog walking companies. None of them had as good of reviews as Green Paws but I wanted to make sure I made the right decision. What else was really important to me was an orientation meeting before I hired anyone… I wanted to meet the person walking my dog & entering my home every day! Green Paws showed up with not only the dog walker, Nyle, but two other team members. Right after meeting them I knew this was a perfect fit.
Louie is now almost 5 months old and I am so happy with our choice. Nyle is awesome with him & I love the text after each walk reassuring me all is okay!
We have a pretty hectic schedule so I have to cancel appointments every couple weeks and they are always super accommodating and nice!

I have been using Green Paws for about 4 months now and my pup couldn’t be happier! She LOVES her walker Rob who comes every day around 2:30 p.m. I work from home a few days a week and at about 2PM, my pup starts looking out the window for Rob. It’s so comforting to know that she looks forward to this every day (especially while I’m at the office). I can’t believe I didn’t hire a dog walker earlier! She is about 3 years old now and I can definitely tell a difference in her demeanor when I get home from work. She is more relaxed and happy.
Green Paws is also eco-​friendly, which I really like. These guys are worth every penny!

It pains me to write this review update, but I can’t put my name on Green Paws anymore.
I’ve been a customer for 4 years. When my last cat, Simon, was alive they were absolutely great. Leah was his regular sitter and even towards the end when I was panicked he was finally going succumb to the cancer when I was out of town for work (my worst nightmare) he didn’t, and she was great and even sent me a few texts to reassure me. (Texting is not the norm for them like it is with other companies, FYI.)
Simon has since passed and last fall I adopted a new kitty, Grayson. I’ve used Green Paws a few times when I’ve gone out of town and things seemed okay, but off.
For one, when I would email I would always request Leah since I had met her, was comfortable with her, and trusted her. One of the weekends I was out of town I returned home to find someone else had been there — that’s cool, she’s obviously allowed time off, but if I’m requesting someone who isn’t available a heads up would have been nice.
I then referred one of my friends to Green Paws. I don’t know all the details of what happened, but for their initial meeting they rescheduled and then didn’t even show up the second time. Needless to say, my friend went with someone else. (I was later told by John they didn’t show because of a life or death situation with one of their sitters. Ok, fine. But don’t tell me that — tell my friend who you no showed and never bothered to follow up with.) Apparently they don’t need or want new business. Noted.
Then the sales pitches started. I started getting an invoice every month even if I had a zero balance, which, whatever. I can press the delete key. But each monthly email came with a sales pitch for whatever new service they were offering, or begging for reviews on Angie’s list or here. (If you look closely at this page you’ll see several new reviews in the same time frame. Also, mixed in with real photos are a bunch of stock photos of pets? Really?) It all just seemed… so unlike them.
This time of year I travel quite a bit for work, and so I booked them for a trip I had coming up. I again requested Leah, and when my visit was confirmed they tried to sell me a de-​shedding treatment. Again with the sales pitch. I declined.
When I returned home from my trip, I discovered a few things:
— some strange guy was in my condo, not Leah as I had requested. Again, I don’t appreciate strangers in my home without prior notice. It’s not hard to tell me that when you’re already replying to my email — maybe lose the sales pitch and actually communicate with me about who is going to be in my home? Just a suggestion.
— they didn’t even show up for the second visit. I have no idea what time they’d been there the day before (the new guy didn’t put times on his notes like Leah does), and my flight got in very late the following evening. Missing a visit? SO not okay. I hope the new guy enjoyed getting tipped for a visit he never did.
— the new guy left my deadbolt unlocked. Not cool.
I emailed John right away, and he was «mortified» and apologized. He didn’t charge me for the first visit and offered to make it right. I’m not really sure how you can make it right — at this point the trust has been broken. I shared the above feedback with him, requested my keys be returned, and we have officially parted ways.
Maybe Green Paws grew too big too fast. Maybe they’re struggling. I have no idea what is happening behind the scenes, I just know they are not the same company I was used to and I don’t like it. If you’re a regular user and have no issues, great. If you’re searching for new services, clearly a lot of other people here are happy with their services — I used to be one of those people too. Hopefully they’ve learned from this and do better for their future customers.
*EDIT — I’d like to point out that in their «response» below they failed to apologize for my biggest and most concerning complaint — NOT SHOWING UP. And holy PR sales pitch, Batman. Unilocalers, you can read it and see for yourselves what a train wreck this company has become. I was trying to be nice and let readers form their own opinions, but forget it — RUN from this company.