Doug the Dog Walker

Doug is an angel I am so glad to have found him. A true diamond in the rough! I’m a student and Doug’s prices are extremely affordable, but I also don’t feel like I’m skimping or anything for my pup by bringing him here. Doug has a full acre of land for the dogs to run around on, an inside area, shade outside, and even an above ground pool in the summertime! I’m not a believer in needing to skype your dog at his playplace while you’re at work, so this place is awesome for me. Honestly, I wouldn’t feel right having a dog if I couldn’t take him to daycare and Doug has made it possible for me to be a responsible, young dog parent. He is truly a blessing! BTW his fences have been redone since the negative review concerning that. I never see dogs on the street when I’m over there. Doug also explained to me that sometimes dogs just show up on his property because he has a pack of his own– so don’t be so quick to judge. My dog is very well taken care of with Doug and I know he is missing him while we are in California for the summer. Wish I could bring Doug with me everywhere!

We’ve left our two dogs with Doug on multiple occasions and they always have a great time and come home exhausted. Be warned, Doug is not a people person but he is a dog person (which is the most important part). While his demeanor may rub some people the wrong way, he really knows his stuff. We always welcome his feedback and advice after he’s spent time with our dogs, you can tell he cares about the animals and wants them to be a successful part of his pack.

I can’t say enough about Doug and his pet services. He is so talented and a complete natural– it’s incredible to watch him interact with the dogs. My pup ADORES him and goes crazy every time we pull into his driveway. Doug is patient, kind and cares deeply about each and every dog. Highly recommended; I’ll never go anyplace else.

Doug has been a reliable, affordable and convenient place to take my dogs when I go out of town for short or long trips for the past 4 years. Like other posters have said Doug does not have kennels, your dogs simply join his in a pack that varies in size depending on the number of visitors. He has a quiet way with people, but a firm but friendly leadership with the dogs.
My dogs are always tired and dusty when they come home. I know they have had a great time playing and running around – just being dogs. You will see dogs of all sizes, breeds and temperaments at Doug’s. He is willing and able to work with them all.
I have an outgoing 7 year old Shepard mix and a 10 year old defensive, grumpy lab. Both of them have a place to fit in at Doug’s and Doug has helped my old lab feel comfortable fitting into a larger pack of dogs (something I have struggled with).
In the last year or so Doug has rebuilt all of his fencing, added a large above-​ground pool for the dogs and improved his hours and pick-​up and drop-​off procedures.
He is conveniently located, flexible and the normal person’s answer to the rules, costs and inconvenience of the flashy dog kennels. I would not take my current or future dogs anywhere else.

I’ve been taking my dog Cisco here for over 10 yrs I think. We go out of town about 4 times a year for long weekends, and we pick Doug’s every single time. Doug is soft-​spoken (with people, not the dogs) — calling him Austin’s Dog Whisperer isn’t far fetched. He’s very in tune to them — pretty cool to watch actually.
I picked Doug’s place because there are no kennels — the dogs are together and with Doug the whole time. They play together, eat together, sleep together. My dog gets along with other dogs, but prefers people, so Doug has told us Cisco is often at Doug’s feet at first, but eventually hangs with the other dogs after settling in.
Besides kennel-​free, it’s crazy convenient on Riverside and the price is right. Also, some places don’t take dogs over 10 yrs old — Cisco is 14 yrs now and can still go to Doug.
As for the 2009 review from Charli, things have changed over the last couple years. New fences, new greeting area to get acquainted with the pack, etc. Place looks great.

Still five stars for Doug. We’ve since moved back to Austin, and Doug has been there for us every time we’ve traveled, and that is a lot. My dog still LOVES going to Doug’s. She gets super excited as soon as we turn in the driveway.
She probably went there at least 12 times last year, for weekend stays or longer, and she came home every time-​, happy, tired and exactly the way I dropped her off.
I won’t go anywhere else.
Did I mention he’s also located off Riverside, so super convenient to drop off on the way to the airport.

I live down the street from Doug and was recommended by friends to go to Doug as a good cheap way to get the dogs worn out for the day. Seemed like the perfect solution considering I could walk my dogs from our house to his place and he’s so darn cheap. My 1 star is not for Doug personally, but for the dilapidated fencing and poor setup as well as the fact that there was a jailbreak while my dogs were there.
Long story short I ended up helping him wrangle 14 dogs off of the 6 lane Riverside road during morning rush hour. His fences are barely 6 feet tall and there’s nothing else between your dogs and traffic. Needless to say we haven’t been back (considering two of the dogs I got from the median were mine). I’m sure he never told the owners that their dogs got loose that day and played in traffic, but I can’t say I blame him because he would have been out a lot of customers.
Since then I’ve seen dogs loose on Riverside around his property (nice looking dogs with collars and not street dogs) and I can’t help but wonder if there was another jailbreak every time it happens. I decided to post this review today after seeing a white fluffy dog a few yards down from a German Shepherd both running around his front gate.
Doug is a very nice guy and is great with dogs, but his setup is just him (one guy) and more than 10 dogs everyday. Add in low fences and that was a recipe for disaster the first and last day we took our dogs to his place.