Testimonials
Over the years, we have had the chance to work with many great people and their pet families. Below you will find some testimonials from just some of our satisfied customers.
We met Julie about 5 years ago when we moved to Santa Rosa. She provided care for my two dogs, George and Fezzik, on overnight visits and when I had long days away from home. Having Julie care for my dogs at our house gave me such a sense of security; evidence that they were well taken care of was their ego-crushing lack of excitement at seeing me when I returned home. There was no trauma and no drama in my leaving or returning, because the dogs were in their familiar home, cared for by a person who must have treated them as her own.
It's been more than a year since George passed away and Fezzik is quite an old man. In George's final months, Julie didn't shy away from her increasing needs for care. Julie professionally and humanely coped with George's lack of mobility, incontinence and other medical issues. I wouldn't have trusted George's care to any other person outside of my family and was so grateful for all Julie's kindness during that time. Now I continue to turn to her and know I can rely on her to do the same for Fezzik as he needs it.
I can't recommend Julie's Pet Care highly enough... as long as you don't reserve overnight visits when I need them!
- Jennifer
Our cat family, Buster and Boris, always appreciate the TLC they get from Julie when we are away. Even though they always try to stow away in our suitcases when we pack, they are contented kitties when we return. We really appreciate Julie's full service approach--checking the house and bringing in the mail, garbage cans, etc. Julie is so reliable that we can relax when we are away, trusting our home and fur children to her care!
- Carol D.
Julie has done a great job of taking care of ALL our animals. In addition to our dogs, birds and rabbit we have a lizard, three salt water reef systems (aquariums with coral, live plants and invertebrate as well as the fish) and a freshwater aquarium. The reef systems are not very easy to take care of and we know not something that is very common. Julie follows the instructions we leave to the letter and never hesitates to ask if an issue comes up or if something is not clear. She shows the same level of care, competency and professionalism with our more unusual family members that she does with the more traditional ones.
Not only has Julie always taken great care of all our pets, she has gone the extra mile to take good care of us. One of our children is on a sports team and we often travel for competitions. Unfortunately most of the time we won't know until just a couple of weeks ahead of time exactly when we will be gone. Julie has always been very understanding of our predicament and has gone out of her way to work with us to make sure our pets are well taken care of, her flexibility is amazing.
It's not easy to balance a small menagerie, kids, jobs and life in general but Julie helps to make it just a little easier.
- Andy, Judy and 'the gang'
I am very happy with Julie's pet sitting service. She is someone I trust completely with my "little furry soul mate" and my home. I called and looked into several others before I met someone who recommended her. Like most people I love my pet and worry when I travel as to how she is doing, not just her safety but her emotional health as well. Latte is a very shy cat. She runs and hides when people come to visit. She was feral and very slow to learn to trust people. I was concerned that someone would just leave food and water and not try and connect with her. Julie was excellent with her, got her to play and most importantly, feel safe with another person. She kept in touch with me and let me know how the "love of my life" was doing and I had a wonderful stress free vacation not worrying about the cat or my home. In my opinion you could not find a better person to care for your beloved pets and your home.
- Pamela K.
I have known Julie Branscomb for many years and she has always been ultra-reliable, prompt in calling back, always tries to fit me in and most of all, great with my two dogs and cat. She really goes to the limit in trying to accommodate her clients, putting them over her own needs. She is a hard worker and I know when we are away that my animals and home will be in great shape when we return.
It gives us peace of mind when we have to leave to know that our critters are not stressing.
- Amy and Eric H.
We have used Julie’s Pet Care for several years as our primary caretaker for our animals when we are out of town. Our menagerie has included dogs, cats, sheep and a desert tortoise—sometimes requiring Julie to poke around under plants to find the tortoise each day and always requiring her to be up for non-stop ball throwing. When Julie is caring for our pets and watching our home, we travel without worry. She is very professional, very reliable, and our pets are always calm and happy when we return. We highly recommend Julie’s Pet Care!
- Donna and David S.
We have been fortunate to have Julie's Pet Care take care of our babies, two Maltese, Jake and Suki, and a Japanese Chin, Noah. She is reliable, dependable, and gives our babies the tender loving care they require. Often my work schedule is unpredictable and she has provided services at the last minute to accommodate my schedule.
She is attentive and cares for the dogs. On several occasions, she had noticed health issues that I unfortunately did not notice. She noticed that one of Jake's eyes was tearing excessively. Thanks to her observation, Jake was able to get prompt treatment for a corneal abrasion. She noticed Suki limping one day. Again, thanks to her, Suki was able to get an infected toenail removed promptly. She knows how to recognize when a dog is sick. She takes care of your pet family as if it is her family.
- John K
Dan and I are so GRATEFUL for all the expertise, love and compassion you give our four furry kids while we are out of town. I HIGHLY recommend you to anyone that has any furry kids. Dan and I always know that Magic, Angel, Amber and Midnight are being LOVED & WELL- TAKEN care of when we are out of town. Thank you Julie, Walt & Christine.
- Marina & Dan
I live in Marin County and we have three Maltese who are older with special needs. Since I will not trust our pets to a kennel or day care facility where they can possibly get an illness, the only alternative was to leave the dogs with my elderly mom in Santa Rosa who could feed them, but not provide any other care or walking. Julie and her husband have been SUPERIOR with their service and ability to provide the care and medication, and most important, ON TIME walking 2-3 times per day. I value her service and recommend her highly. You can trust your pets to their care.
- Mark S
Whenever we are away, Julie and Walter have been wonderful companions to my dogs. They are so easy going, extremely flexible and so reliable with their service. I am very protective of my dogs, but with Julie and Walter I know they will be taken care of and safe.
My dogs love them, and I would highly recommend their services to anyone.
- Magdalena F
Julie is responsible and caring, and always has our pets' best interests as her first priority. We would enthusiastically recommend her to any North Bay residents who demand only the best of care for their animal friends.
- Tim B
Julie and Walter are great! We added a puppy to our family of two other dogs and needed someone to come by during the day to let the puppy out of her kennel and play with the other dogs who normally had indoor/outdoor access. I felt comfortable leaving for the day and knowing Walter would take good care of the four legged "kids" while I was gone. He always left a note letting me know how the visit went. There was an instance in which I was out of town and one of my dogs needed to be taken to the vet. No problem! Walter came by, picked up the dog, took her to the vet and all was good. Any time I have to go out of town and need someone to come by and walk the dogs, Walter would also do that, three at one time. Somehow they seemed to behave quite well with him.
Walter and Julie are incredibly wonderful people who really care about what they do. They are dependable, responsible and true animal lovers. I never once doubted their care of my four legged beings. They care about the animals as much as I do.
- Filomena
We have complete trust and confidence in Julie's Pet Care. We have 3 labs plus one cat and are Canine Companions for Independence puppy raisers and volunteers.
Julie's Pet Care is the finest service we have known and we trust them without reservation in our home and with our animals.
- Bill & Louee
Over the last several years we have had Julie and Walt walk and watch our dog Foster. Foster is a "special needs" dog who doesn't always get along with people. They have been wonderful with him and he enjoys both the walks and time they spend with him. In addition when we go away we can depend on them to take great care of Foster and our three cats. One of them is a feral rescue named Newt. He loves us and is like a dog in many ways. Unfortunately he is afraid of other people. Julie and Walt though have been able to get to know him and he loves his turkey treats they provide. We are very fortunate to have Julie and Walt around to take care of our very special family and would highly recommend them to anyone.
- Chris & Stephen
Julie's pet care service has worked out well for us for the past two years. We always come home after a trip to a happy cat, with a note from Julie and the mail brought in. We're confident in her service and comfortable with her access to our house while we're away. We would recommend her service to anyone.
- Becky & Dmitri
My husband and I have five grown children and we have always had the luxury of having them watch our dog, our cat and our house when we leave. This last weekend however, our son got married out of town and we would all be at the destination wedding for four days. What to do?? I actually found Julie on Google and I sent her an email to which she promptly replied. She sent me an informational packet, answered emails from me for several months and then came to our home to meet Murray (the beagle) and Diego (the tabby). Julie was very detailed with noting our every wish, need and instruction for the four legged children. We asked her to do a sleepover every night for three nights. Not only were we pleased but we were incredibly impressed with all that she did (above and beyond) while she was here. We arrived home late this afternoon to find a note of how everything went and she asked that I call her when we arrived home just in case we ran late with traffic and the furry ones would be hungry. Julie, I cannot thank you enough.
- Kathleen C
We hired Julie and Walt because of their attention to detail, trustworthiness, and love of pets and their business. Julie walked our 2 wacky whippets for over 2 years and we couldn't have been happier to have her around! Julie became part of our dogs lives and treated our pets and our homes with the utmost care. She is flexible and reliable and a wonderful person to work with. We moved out of town and we still miss Julie's Pet Care!!!
- Andria & John F
Julie and Walt have taken care of my golden retrievers for over a year. Walt usually does the lunch time visit while I'm at work. Both he and Julie are honest, reliable and very caring. It's been a pleasure having them spend time with Abby and Rachel and I highly recommend their service.
- Kay A.
Over three years ago, we moved from Chicago to Sebastopol with our three “kids” – two cats, Chimi and Changa, and a large Lab/Shepherd mix dog named, Chewey. Shortly there after we contacted Julie, of Julie's Pet Care, to establish a pet-sitting program.
While in the middle of a one-year relocation, we traveled back and forth to Chicago and relied heavily on Julie and Walt to house and pet sit.
After finishing the move from Chicago, our dog, Chewey, began showing signs of cancer. She soon lost her sight and required close attention and care. Both of us travel extensively and, with Chewey's deteriorating health we really required a reliable, honest, responsible and caring pet-sitting service.
Julie and Walt stepped up to the plate. (Julie is a big SF Giants' fan.) Not only did they spend time at the house on overnight visits, but they would make certain they visited Chewey every three to four hours to aid in her discomfort. And while compassionately caring for our dog, Julie and Walt gave Chimi and Changa all the loving care they needed as well.
Chewey has since reached Rainbow Heaven, while Chimi and Changa greet us daily. Julie and Walt are our first call when we are considering a trip or a weekend away somewhere. Before we make our travel plans, we check with Julie to see if she is available.
Julie and Walt are responsive by voicemail or e-mail. They receive and return calls promptly. They follow instructions, directions and leave thorough notes (and owner treats) at the end of a stay.
We have enlisted many pet sitters over the last 13 years, but another cannot stand up to the compassion and reliability as Julie and Walt of Julie's Pet Care.
Would we recommend them to you? Yes, but only if we get first 'dibs' on dates!
- Terri T. & Karen K.
Julie has made our travels uncomplicated. We call, give the dates, she checks that all information on the animals is current, she confirms back just before we travel and we go. We don't have to think about the animals (5 dogs, 1 cat and a multitude of hummingbirds) and we don't have to worry. If there is a problem, she calls us. If there is an emergency, she would use her common sense and do what she would do for her own animals. In other words, we can really vacation with no worries. When was the last time you could say that about anyone's work??? When we return the animals are glad to see us, but they are not needy because Julie has played with them, loved them and cared for them.
- Vicci C.
My wife and I are very pleased with Julie's Pet Care and can highly recommend her to others. She is dependable, thoughtful, diligent and takes her duties very seriously. We can count on her to take good care of our goats, chickens and cats.
- Bill & Carol G.
I first contacted Julie Branscomb, of Julie's Pet Care, a few years ago when I saw her flyer at a local veterinary hospital. I often had bad experiences with friends watching my cats. There is nothing worse than having a bad feeling about your home & yours animals when you leave town. I wanted to find a more professional pet sitter. Since meeting Julie and having her watch my house a few times a year, it has made my travels much easier. She has always been trustworthy, accommodating and readily available. I have referred her to a friend/co-worker, who also relies on Julie to watch her home and animals. In the past year I have met Walter, who has been a great addition to Julie's pet sitting business. They are both very professional, 'animal' people. I finally feel comfortable leaving my animals knowing they are in good care.
- Tina L.
Julie and Walter have given us a very important gift. Because of them we can travel with no concerns for the well-being of our dog and four cats. We are away from our home, in Santa Rosa, for about four months of the year so proper care and attention for our pets is, of course, very important.
We've had Julie and Walter look after our animals in our home for several years where they also water plants and generally make sure that all is in order. In addition to the usual pet care, two of the cats require medication so their special knowledge and reliability is essential. Julie and Walter's sound judgment has been important when a vet's emergency care was required. When they were unable to reach us, they took the initiative and got the proper help.
Because of their skill, diligence and kindness we travel carefree. We strongly recommend Julie Branscomb and Walter Bridwell and would be happy to answer any questions about their services.
- Sandy & Louis N.
Julie and Walt have cared for the two cats (KC and Dusty) on several occasions. Julie and Walt can be depended upon for extended or short trips, as well as, proper feeding, watering inside and outside plants and yard, bringing in the mail and newspaper, putting the weekly disposal containers on the curb for pick-up, (delivering flowers to the neighbors) and any other reasonable task that you may request.
- Dennis W. & Bob P.
We have found Julie's Pet Care to be the BEST and MOST RELIABLE pet care service around. Julie is prompt, thoughtful, loving and caring with our three dogs. We are more trouble for her then our dogs, we are sure. Watch out for Walt – he forgets to leave you candy like his wife does!
- Peppy L.
Julie Branscomb and Walt Bridwell of Julie's Pet Care have been assisting us regularly for over a year now and we only become more pleased with their services as time goes on.
Last year (Fall '03), one of our children was diagnosed with an illness that caused our family to travel back and forth to UC San Francisco and other further destinations on a regular basis. Our beloved family dog, Rex, a 90 lb Rhodesian Ridgeback mix, who had been used to being taken for a walk at least once a day, was suddenly not getting the fresh air and exercise a dog needs to stay healthy.
We were referred to Julie's Pet Care by our trusted veterinarian, Dr. Cynthia York of Larkfield Veterinary and from the moment Julie and Walt came to meet Rex and ourselves they've been invaluable to our family. Though our usual schedule is for Julie or Walt to walk Rex twice a week, and I try to be courteous and give as much notice as possible, circumstances sometimes require me to call on short notice. Whenever this happens, both Julie and Walt do their best to come to our aid, and we've never had a situation where they didn't do their absolute best to accommodate us. Though we've not needed this service, I would certainly trust either of them to stay in our home should the need arise.
I've referred Julie's Pet Care to many of our friends and will continue to do so in the future. Julie and Walt provide an important service to our family; assisting with the health and well-being of our much loved dog, while always being both professional and extremely pleasant to work with.
- Renee M.
Julie's excellent care of all our animals has been invaluable over the past five years. She is trustworthy, responsible and takes initiative when necessary. She provided expertise and love during the birth of our ten lab pups as well as nurturing our bearded dragon back to health when he contracted a rare bacteria. I know that I can leave town without worry when Julie is at the helm and I am grateful for her professionalism and genuine concern for the well-being of my home and pets. She is a Godsend to my family.
- Caroline H.
We are the owners of a lovely, yet temperamental Siberian Husky named Grommit. He does not get along with most people and we knew it would be a challenge to find a dog-sitter that he would accept. However, Julie took the time and had the patience to allow Grommit to get to know her at his pace. She gained his trust and now he truly looks forward to her visits. Not only does Grommit trust Julie, but we do as well. Now we have the freedom to take a vacation or long weekend with the peace of mind that our baby is in the very best of hands. Julie goes above and beyond to ensure that the pets in her care are as comfortable and happy as possible. She also is extremely reliable and professional. We couldn't trust our dog with anyone else!
- Laura & Brian M.
Julie's Pet Care gets a 5 Star rating from our family and most importantly, from our dog and cats! Julie's Pet Care is TERRIFIC!! We got Julie's number from a friend after our previous pet care provider moved out-of-state. Our previous pet care provider had been with us for over 15 years, so making the transition to someone new was a little scary. However, after our first meeting with Julie (and her partner, the wonderful Walt), we knew that we had found the right people to fill such an important role in our lives!
We admit we are a little crazy when it comes to our pets (just like everyone else out there) and tend to worry about them when we are not home. That is why having someone like Julie to watch over them is such a blessing, because she is so trustworthy, responsible and loving. And, since life is kinda crazy too, we can count on Julie when we have a last minute trip, because she always manages to squeeze us into her busy schedule – all this with a smile!
When we leave the house we always feel relaxed, because we know Julie will handle (and has handled!) any situation that may come up. Everything is done to perfection; the animals are fed, loved and walked, the plants are watered and the mail is brought in and placed neatly on the table. When we call her to check on “the gang” she always returns our calls promptly. And, when we get home, we always find happy animal faces and a cheery note from Julie, welcoming us home, reporting on the animals “doings” – PLUS, she always leaves candy for us on the note! What more could anyone ask for???
As you can see, we are extremely happy with Julie and Walt's superb care of our much-loved pets, and it is our great pleasure to provide this 5 Star testimonial for them. Please ask Julie for our phone number if you would like to speak to us personally about Julie's Pet Care. We love them and you will too!
- Brian & Bobette B.
