- 1
My dog, Chelan is a Siberian Husky. Barbara had a husky so she is very familiar with specific tendencies of this breed which gives me great comfort while she is in her care. Chelan is a wonderful dog and very special to me. Barbara has been walking her for a year now and she enjoys her time with Barbara and is always happy to see her. Barbara gives me detailed reports on poop and pees, also she noticed Chelan started to stalk on coming dogs while walking on leash, she has been working on redirecting that behavior and I have definitely seen improvement.
Although Barbara does not board pets, once I was out of the country and Chelan was not happy and not eating at the kennel so Barbara picked her up and kept her until I returned. She started eating and playing again at Barbara’s house. A huge relief for me!
I am very happy I can depend on Barbara to take great care of my dog and recommend her wholeheartedly.
Sue E.
San Ramon, CA - 2
My dog Dakota, a 12 year old Australian Shepard with cancer is very precious to me. I would not think of allowing anyone to care for him that wasn’t as concerned for him as I am. Barbara is just such a person! She even made a vet visit with me when I received the cancer diagnosis, sent me literature on cancer diets and care, which helped me a great deal during this stressful time.
When I had to leave town for 2 weeks, Barbara and her dog Molly came to my home to care for Dakota. Barbara’s skill with dogs is evidenced by her training of Molly, who made a great playmate. I had complete faith in her abilities to not only care for Dakota, but to deal with any emergencies. She kept me informed of his daily activities and I had great piece of mind because of it.
Anyone can walk and feed a dog, but it takes someone special to notice the little details that can have a big impact on the health and happiness of your pets. Barbara loves dogs and it shows in the concern and skill she uses when around them.
You could not have a more conscientious care giver than Barbara and you can rest assured that she will treat your pets as she would her own and it doesn’t get any better than that!
Linda
St. Helena, CA - 3
Barbara cared for and walked my dog Darla for about three years until she moved to N. Cal. Barbara would take Darla on long hikes in the wilderness with her dogs and typically one or two other dogs from the area. Darla had a big crush on Barbara's Border Collie Freddy and followed him everywhere.
Barbara also kept Darla at her house if I had to go out of town and sometimes I would just have her go by to feed Darla or let her out for breaks.
One Sunday morning Barbara was in my area and saw a forest fire about a mile from my house, she noticed my car was not there so as a precaution she went into my house and grabbed Darla. I was on my way home when I saw the massive flames and smoke approaching my cabin; the fire department stopped me from going up my road. I was very relieved to receive a call from Barbara on my cell saying I HAVE DARLA. There was a lot of smoke damage at my place, the house directly next door to mine burned to the ground as did my wood pile and all the vegetation surrounding my house, one report stated the air temp was 170 degree's. I don't know if Darla would have survived the firestorm that day but I do know she would have been very frightened and confused. I am big-time grateful Barbara took the initiative to get her out. I call her Darla's Godmother.
She was also a kick-butt rattlesnake wrangler, which makes me REALLY sorry she moved from my area!
Geoff G.
Agua Dulce CA - 4
Several years ago I found myself facing a Southern California wildfire quickly heading in my direction. Not a lot of time or resources, in the stress of that moment. I called Barbara and she dropped everything to get to my home before officials closed the road to my neighborhood. Barbara safely evacuated my dogs to my family's home, 30 miles away, relieving me of that important responsibility. I continued on with my evacuation and Barbara conscientiously contacted me to let me know that the dogs were safe - that she had set things up and left them comfortable and fed. What a relief.
I am forever grateful for her kind, swift act and the peace of mind she gave me under the most stressful situation.
Joan W.
Santa Clarita, CA - 5
Whenever I leave home, I know my pets will be safe and well-cared for by Barbara. Over the years, she has watched my two cats, my dog, and my two dozen or so chickens. She waters my plants and my vegetable garden, and she feeds the birds who come to my yard every day.
The chickens are a lot of work, as they need to be let out of the coop each morning, and closed in each night. They get two types of feed daily, their water needs to be changed, and their coop needs to be cleaned out. There are eggs to be collected, and they love their organic vegetable scraps!
When we leave our dog with her, she makes sure to give him lots of love and exercise. One time, Barbara called me to say that he was very thirsty, lethargic and stumbling around. She drove him to the closest urgent care facility for pets--this was on a holiday weekend!-- and they told her Jack was in shock, had blood in his abdomen, and had probably been kicked by a horse. Barbara knew this was extremely unlikely and called me to say she was taking him to a different ER for a second opinion. Thank goodness!! This new vet immediately recognized that Jack had symptoms of having eaten rat poison a few days earlier and got him on Vitamin K and fluids and kept him overnight. Barbara picked him up in the morning and drove him to our regular vet, who proceeded with the treatment. All this occurred while we were stuck on Catalina Island in high winds with no ferry service, but I always trusted that Barbara would care for Jack as if he was her own dog. Jack is fine now, and the neighbor who put out the rat poison surely never did so again.
I can even call on Barb to collect rattlesnakes for me, at the coop and in my yard, since I am too big a chicken to do it myself.
Lynn
Santa Clarita, CA - 6
I met Barbara while working on the first stage of a large-scale animal rescue situation in the Antelope Valley. She came in the first day that LA Animal Control allowed anyone onto the property. I was appointed head of security and chaos suppression; we had at least five or more animal rescue groups and 40 plus citizen volunteers. It was an urgent and intense situation with hundreds of ill and neglected dogs, cats, and horses, sheep, a few ducks and dead parvo puppies.
Our first goal was to build immediate shelters for the dogs, as a snowstorm was to about to hit. Barb dug in with our crew and we managed to get 300 dogs covered by nightfall. I appreciated her calm demeanor and ability to work within a team.
For months Barb continued assisting one of the local rescue organizations that had 70 to 80 of the dogs, she helped with transport to and from vets, security, emergencies and general needs. She also fostered and then adopted one of the dogs.
Mike Schwartz
Santa Clarita Valley
American Red Cross Disaster Services Volunteer - 7
Barbara Adolph is a professional in every sense of the word, and what's more is she truly loves the dogs who are in her care. She treats our dog as if he is her own and he looks forward to her coming, running to the door in excitement! I have a dog who has separation anxiety, and from the very first day, he felt comfortable with her. She texted me about his progress the first time she watched him, as I was in the dentist's chair. She even showed him pictures of other dogs to distract him from looking out the window for us. She has a friendly demeanor and is calm with dogs. She also goes out of her way to accommodate our schedule.
I highly recommend her to anyone who wants their dog lovingly looked after.
Debbie T
Walnut Creek - 8
Barb quickly became Auntie Barb to our little fur-child. Barb has truly been a godsend to our family. The first weekend she had Izzy, I knew we were going to love her when sent us a video of Izzy on a walk, in the rain, equipped with a doggy-rain jacket that Barb provided. Barb is wonderfully attune to animals and their needs. She is flexible and accommodating beyond words, and truly cares for your animals well-being. Last year our dog got very sick and had to go through a massive surgery, with a long recovery period. Without hesitation Barb was there for us and watched Izzy over the holidays, tube-feeding an all.
Izzy gets treated like a queen at Barb's. Barb constructed a ramp for Izzy's short legs and even took Izzy with her to her family Thanksgiving so she wouldn't be alone. I could give a million examples of Barb's kindness. We recently moved to Sacramento and miss Barb dearly. Whenever we're passing through town, we always book a weekend for Izzy at Auntie Barb's.
Kimberly M