With over 200,000 visits/walks under our belts, we have the experience and dependability that hundreds of Philadelphia pet parents have learned to trust.   Trust me when us when we say, “We’ve seen it all.”  We’re the recognized dog walking leaders in Center city.  In fact, we’re a Philadelphia magazine, two-time Best of Philly® winner.  (Best Pet-Sitters 2009 & Best Urban Pet Sitter 2006) and Philadelphia STYLE HotList Winner (2010 & 2011).   Check out our Awards & Press to view out our other awards and honors.  Perhaps you want to know what other pet parents are saying about us?  Feel free to browse our Testimonials page. 

What services do you provide?

We are a dedicated dog walking service.   It’s what we do best and it’s our specialty.  If you want a buddy for your furry monster when you can’t be there, you’ve found the right folks.  We’re the most trusted name in weekly dog walking for Center City.  Some of our clients use us one day per week, while others use us every day.   We also provide pet sitting care for our weekly clients when they head out of town.  (In-Your-Home overnight care is also available.) 

What about weekends?  Do you only walk dogs during the week?
We know life doesn’t stop on the weekends, and we’re proud to offer pet care 365 days per year for clients who use us on a weekly basis.  So feel free to take that weekend trip or head down the shore for the day. We’re here seven days per week for our regular customers.

What areas do you service?

Check out our Service Area Map.  We mind monsters the following Center City Neighborhoods: Bella Vista, Old City, Queen Village, Midtown Village, Fitler Square, Rittenhouse Square, Washington Square, Society Hill, Pennsport, Passyunk Square, Dickinson Narrows, Newbold, East Passyunk Crossing, Lower Moyamensing, Point Breeze, Graduate Hospital, Northern Liberties and parts of the Art Museum.   If you live just out of these areas, by all means ask!  We may be able to work something out for you, depending on your needs.

I’m looking for a weekly dog walker, but may need to head out of town for a bit in the future. What services do you offer for vacation care and how do I book them?

Just give us a call, shoot us an email, or request online.  Almost all of our dog walking clients also use us for pet sitting when they head out of town.  Your pooch will get to hang out with an old and trusted friend, us!  Remember to give us as much notice as possible.  We can visit your pooch multiple times day (three to four is usually best for dogs), or spend the night in your house for some around-the-clock Midnight Madness overnight stays.  Dogs LOVE this service because they get to stay in the best place when you leave town - home.

I don’t need a weekly dog walker, I just need someone to watch my dog or cat when I go out of town or when I can’t get home from work. Do you provide as-needed visits and vacation care?

Yes, we provide vacation care, but clients must use us on a weekly basis to secure it.  We are geared for the folks who want a long-term and consistent buddy for their best furry friend.  In a nutshell, we’re a weekly dog walking service that also offers weekend care, holiday visits, and overnight care to our loyal, weekly customers.  Sure, we could become Philly’s “largest” service by taking on hundreds of here-and-there clients, that is not our goal.   Our goal is to be the best dog walkers around.  It’s part of our philosophy - we do not overbook.  No one likes to hear, “We don’t have a sitter available - sorry too busy.”  By keeping it small, we avoid that dreaded phrase.

So do you want to get in on this?  Clients must book at least one set walk per during the week to secure our vacation/out-of-town care.  If you are just looking for here-and-there pet sitting service, there are plenty of wonderful sitters (independent and professional services) in Philly specialize in temporary assignments.  Just be sure to check current references and ask a lot of questions at your introductory meeting about future availability, black-out dates, booking parameters and limitations, payment, emergency policies, key protocols, etc.

Our Minders are hired and trained employees, most are pet parents and all-around nice folks.  We invest in our staff.  We train our staff.  We retain our staff.  (We do not utilize “independent contractors.”)  Long-term, trained Minders means that we offer you, our clients, a better and more dependable and consistent service.  Our Minders are a team of employees working together for one goal:  To make The Monster Minders the best dog walkers in Philly.  Feel free to ask our clients - it shows.    Meet the Minders here.

What if I need to cancel a mid-day walk?  How do I add an extra walk?

No worries.  Call our office before 8:30am and we’ll cancel the visit.  It’s that easy.   There are no penalties for infrequent canceled mid-day walks as long as we receive notice before 8:30 am.  If you need to an an extra walk, simply book it the day before and you’re good to go.

Our state-of-the-art website allows for complete schedule management online for pet parents on the go!  You can request visits online, cancel visits, view a calendar of booked visits for future planning, upload pictures of your pets, and even read notes from your Minder updating you about our visits.   We know how stressful life can be - we make booking pet care easy.  It’s what we’re known for.

When is payment due?  What types of payment do you accept?

Our dog walking clients are billed on a biweekly schedule.  We require all clients to leave a credit card (Visa or Mastercard)on file or sign up for e-checking to make pet care services a snap!  (Personal checks or cash payments are not accepted.)  Emailed confirmations will be sent each billing date.  Clients are always able to log onto our website to view old invoices, check past payments or update their credit card.

How do the discounted play date services work?

Basically it works like this:  You might have neighbor or friend whom has a dog who you know and trust.  (And your dog loves too!)  Team up with with your neighbor to set up a “Play Date” walk during the work week.  You must pick the same days of the week and same time frames for walks.  (Naturally, you need to have similar scheduling preferences!)  What’s better for a pooch than a walk with an award-winning walker?  A walk with an award-winning walker and a best monster friend of course!

We will never bring another dog into your house (or walk your dog with any dog) other than you dog’s play date partner.  You hold the cards here.  Because let’s face it - you know who you trust.  You know who your dog trusts.  You know your neighbors.  For safety, no more than two dogs will be taken on a play date at any given time.  So chat to your neighbors and let’s set up a date. (You must live in the same building or within 4 blocks of one another.  If either party cancels the service, the rate will return to our normal discounted daily rates for a single monster.)

Do you do pack walks?

Nope.  We don’t believe that walking 4 or 5 dogs at one time is a safe activity in an urban environment.  Nor does it allow us to tailor the walks to a monster’s specific wants and preferences.  Safety and mental enrichment are the two focuses of our dog walking services.  Pack walks just don’t allow attention to either goal.  Here at The Monsters Minders we emphasize SAFE socialization.

When do you walk dogs?

That’s totally up to you!  Some over our clients prefer us to visit in the late morning, others around noon, and others late afternoon.  We’re flexible to provide the care that both you and your monster need!   We’re also available around the clock when our weekly clients leave town, or if they have to work late one night.  No worries - we’re here to help 365 days a year.  Clients must book at least one set walk per week to secure our weekend/vacation care. 

Do you do visits in nasty weather?

Don’t worry, we won’t melt.  We all have all-weather gear for rainy/cold/snowy days.  If it rains, remember to leave out a towel so we can dry off your monster.  If your monster hates the rain, we’ll just go out for a quick potty break and spend the rest of the time playing inside.   In extreme weather, (heat waves, blizzards, thunderstorms, etc) services may be modified for the safety of everyone involved.

OK, so I want to become a client.  What do I do now?

Contact us.  We’ll set up a Minder Meeting.  We’ll come over and meet your monster. We’ll tell you about our service, and you can ask any questions you may have.   Request your free in-home Minder Meeting.

Are you guys involved in rescue?

We are.  In a big way.  We actually founded a non-profit called The Monster Milers, which is a revolutionary non-profit organization geared at connecting local runners with shelter dogs.  We’ve gotten national press for our program and we have hundreds of volunteers in Philadelphia hitting the pavement with shelter dogs from PAWS on a monthly basis.   For more information see:  The Monster Milers.

Are you a franchise?

We do actually get this question a lot! No way.  We are 100% local!  (and yes, there are franchised dog walking services.) We love Philadelphia - it’s where we’ve grown roots & it’s where The Monster Minders was born.  Our home office is based in the vibrant Italian Market/Bella Vista neighborhood.  We love the diversity that comes with independent business in Philly - be it our amazing restaurants and boutiques to our theatre companies and art galleries - we love local commerce.  You can rest assured that your money stays in Philadelphia when you use our service - it’s not sent to a corporate headquarters.  Because really, that’s no fun.  We heart Philly!  (We’re also proud members of the Sustainable Business Network of Philadelphia.)

As a business, what are you doing to minimize your carbon footprint?

We believe that everyone and every company can make a difference.   Environmental sustainability is something we have been passionate about from day one.  All of our literature and notes are printed on 100% recycled paper.  Our clients rest assured that no new trees go into the printing of their printed goodies from us. Additionally, we launched our revolutionary Wind Challenge to encourage pet parents to choose a greener choice of energy - Wind.  This radical new program and has kept over 30,000 TONS (yes, you read right) of greenhouse gasses out of the atmosphere.  (That’s just our clients, not the 36,000 other Philadelphians who have made the switch to wind energy!)  Our home and “office” is powered by 100% Wind Energy.  We also offer discounts to members of Philly Car Share through their Key to the City program.  (Philly’s homegrown car sharing program.)  We are dedicated to minimizing our global impact.   We believe that every company can make the world a greener place for future generations, and their pets! 

I’d like to work for you!  How do I do that?

If you’re a pet parent (vet records in your name) with an open schedule and are super dependable, check out our Job Description.