Pets In Transit

The only reason I’m giving them 2 stars is because our pet did arrive safely, not for business practices. We used them for an international transport overseas. If you have the luxury of shopping around please do. We were relocating, from the U.S. to the Middle East. We were quoted a price, which included transportation of our pet from Nashville to Chicago which added another 500 – 750 to our bill (the majority of which was transportation to and from the airport – the flight was inexpensive). When we provided another way to Chicago – other charges were explained/​added to make up the money we were saving. We paid the bill, because our dog is part of or family. Then we saw the airline/​airway bill which was almost 500 LESS than we were charged. When questioned asked about a refund we were told that wasn’t accurate, but would receive a partial refund. We have NOT received that refund, it has been well over a month. We do keep getting invoices saying we owe money – which we have already paid in full. Emails and phone calls go unanswered. Shop around if you have options.
Update – we received ~$ 200, refund on ⁸⁄₆.

Paws Around Chicago/​Pets in Transit SAVED ME.
I was faced with a cross-​country move with two cats. Many airlines allow pets in the cabin as long as they meet certain size requirements. Unfortunately, one of my felines is obese and not about to lose 5lbs in time for the move. After days of research, finding out most airlines don’t transport animals as cargo during summer months, and a lot of hair-​pulling, I found myself with two options: a pet relocation service, or three hellish days of driving across the country with pissed off animals.
The first service I contacted quoted me at least double Paws Around Chicago’s price, and would add an additional $ 300 per pet per week if I wanted to hurry the process along.
By the time I got in contact with Ted, I was pretty frustrated. But he had everything scheduled and ready in less than 24 hours. Changing the flight date was easy and all the logistics with the airline were squared away for me. He even coordinated with the agent on the other end of the trip, and the whole service was door-​to-​door.
Once the cats were off to the airport I was happy to see them go and was sure they were in great hands. As a cherry on the cake– they sent me a text message with pictures of both cats chilling in their carriers waiting to board the flight. A+ A+!!!

I am very happy with the service I received from this business; here’s why.
After numerous conversations with Ted [we had these conversations because my travel plans were not finalized] Ted assured me he would be able to help me transport my dog Bear, myself and cat Lucy to the airport.
One concern regarding the travel was the weather — too hot and I could not travel and since they knew this, I received a call that morning to verify we were a go — very nice and professional IMHO. On the day of travel Nathan got to my house a bit early to ensure we would not be late; however I was out running last minute errands and missed his call. When I did get home, he was there waiting for me. I was so frazzled and anxious but he was cool and calming and patient with me throughout the whole loading process.
Once we got to the airport, I was very uneasy about getting my dog check-​in as well as getting myself and Lucy checked in. Nathan patiently waited for me to get things done and was so reassuring I can’t tell you how much that meant to me. I should also add that the folks at Midway airlines were very nice as well [I need to rate them too].
All-​in-​all it was a great experience and I would definitely use them again.
Thanks You Paws!

We needed pet transport for our 130 pound Rottweiller and were lucky to find Ted Castro’s Company online. This guy is the genuine article, a great service provided by a great man. I rode with my best friend to the hospital while my wife followed in our Big dumb SUV. It doesnt get any better for pet transport needs!

Paws Around Chicago has been servicing us since 2006. Owner Ted has always been highly professional and goes out of his way to see that his clients are looked after.
One dog, Socks, is 12 and had a recurring eye infection that required going to the eye specialist every week or so. Ted not only made sure that we were squeezed in despite challenging schedules, he would walk us up to the front desk to check us in, even calling the hospital ahead of time if we were to be late due to traffic conditions. Who does this in Chicago? No one. Ted is a case book study of how to acquire and keep customers.
To the reviewer who gave Paws one star for the alleged erratic driving: I’d trust them with my pets over trusting you with fair ratings. It’s a bit rich of you to be assigning one star to them when you haven’t used their services.

We needed to get our 165 lb Great Dane from Highland Park to Tops in Greyslake for rehab on short notice. I used the Paws Around Chicago web form to schedule an appointment on Sunday afternoon for a Monday afternoon transport and received a call back from Ted in less then 20 minutes! Amazing response time. He managed to fit our transport need into a busy schedule even though it was outside of their normal routes.
Ted was proactive and informative about how we could handle our huge dog who was unable to walk on his own.
Ted showed up exactly on time & assessed the situation at hand. Despite a less than friendly reception from our stressed out dog, he pitched in & helped carry him from our house to his exceptionally well equipped van.
I rode in the van with our dog, and the driving was professional and conservative, exactly how I drive when I have a pet in the car. Ted was obviously concerned with the comfort and well being of our dog during the transfer.
When we arrived at Tops, the staff was there to greet us & Ted again pitched in, assisting with the considerable effort required to get our dog safely from the transport van into the clinic.
Ted waited patiently while we got our pet situated and comfortable in the exam room, and even remembered to off load the dog bed I had brought along but forgotten about in the stress of getting our guy comfy.
I was thoroughly impressed with the customer service and professionalism provided and would not hesitate to recommend Paws Around Chicago to anyone needing safe, professional transport of a beloved pet.

I noticed this van on the Kennedy at first because of the word «Paws.» I am an animal lover, with two dogs during the week (when we are up here for my job) and five dogs on the weekends (when we go downstate to stay with my husband and our horses).
Unfortunately, the van got my complete attention because of erratic driving, cutting in front of people, and then trying to pass in the single lane on the Ogden exit ramp!
I would never let my dogs ride in a van that was driven in this manner.
I’d encourage other people who see this van to post whether unsafe driving is an aberration or standard practice. I am not sure if owners ride with their dogs in the van – perhaps the driver only takes risks when driving alone?

Ted is great. He always provides a great service, and is reasonable about the cost. He is honest, on time, and really polite. I would refer anyone to his services.

Update time: I had occasion to call Ted yesterday because my cat began to limp and was in obvious distress. He had a really full schedule but managed to fit me in, and called several times to keep me updated on his progress.
I can’t say enough good things about Ted and his service. He obviously cares about what he’s doing and about his clients, both human and non-​human. He remembers us from year to year — no mean feat when you see so many people and so many pets so irregularly. Ted is one of the good guys and if I had my way he’d be running a fleet of vans and rolling in dough for all that he does for us and our companions.
It doesn’t get better than this.

My life is now complete, I have a way to get my dog around in case of emergency or a really great party that he needs to attend. I booked these guys to take Egon to the Dog Spa II (a.k.a. my brother’s house) for Day Before Memorial Day backyard hijinks.
This is so great. I can book on the web, and pay with a credit card ahead of time, so no fiddling with that day of. What a relief to have this service! For a non driver like me, it’s worth every penny — and the rate doesn’t even require that many pennies.
UPDATED TO ADD: Well, it’s a holiday weekend, and he’s not sure if there’s drivers available. But, the guy is SO helpful, and is paging all his guys. So, I may still get a drive.
Regardless, this number is in my pet resource file for sure!

I used the service for the worst of reasons — my dog’s cancer was worsening & it was time to stop the pain. I called the pet taxi emergency service primarily because my dog could not climb the stairs anymore and I wanted the stretcher. Ted was so caring and professional at such a difficult time. It must be hard to come to a call knowing that the pet will not be returning. I will always be grateful to Ted for making a horrible situation a little easier, it meant the world to me.

They get 5 stars and I didn’t even get the chance to use them yet! I called them at 4p on a Friday, desperate for an after hours ride. All previous plans had fallen through for picking up our newly adopted cat. Ted answered (1 star) and said that unfortunately they did not have a driver available for the (short notice, after hours, non-​emergency, special request) time I needed. BUT, he said he would see what he could work out (1 star) and promised to call me back within 45 minutes. He called me back (1 star!) in ten minutes (1 star!) and apologized (1 star) but the other driver was not able to switch with him… But he was super nice and tried to help and suggested an alternative. THAT is customer service! Considering that the other 3 places I had called didn’t even call me back, Paws Around Chicago has stand-​out customer service.
So that’s 5 stars to you guys. You actually care! Thank you!

I like this company a lot for transporting dogs to and from different location. Ted the owner is very nice and he loves the dogs. If you need helping transporting a big dog this is the company to use.

I realize I am risking the scorn of friends and acquaintances, admitting that I have used a pet taxi service for my dog, but 1) If you met Grace for 5 minutes, you would realize that she is a princess worthy of her own taxi service, and 2) Paws Around Chicago bailed me out big time in an emergency, with total professionalism and love for my dog. If only there were more than 5 stars…
Over New Years, we had boarded Grace at the Pooch Hotel on Clybourn (also a 5-​star pet service, but that’s another review). When we returned on Jan 3, and got in our car to pick her up from boarding that morning, the battery was dead! Being new to the city, knowing few neighbors and having only the one car, we were stuck until roadside service arrived. But Grace needed to come home! (The food we had provided was only enough to last her through that morning.)
The good people at Pooch suggested Paws Around Chicago. I called at 8:00 am, they returned my call promptly, and said they could pick up Grace by 10:00 am. Sure enough, at 10:15, they arrived at our house, retrieved Grace from the secure kennel area at the back of their van, and delivered her safe and sound. Cost for the one-​way ride was $ 25 (which, for non-​dog-​lovers, I understand, sounds exorbitent). But the peace of mind knowing that Grace was in good hands was priceless.
I would definitely use them again!

I have never used their services (since I’ve always had a car when having a dog) but I used to manage a boarding facility that a lot of the dogs being boarded would use him. Often the owner of Paws ARound would be dropping the dogs off without the owners there and he was very thorough and knew exactly what the owners wanted for their dogs. We would often get spouses that didn’t even know what they wanted out of the boarding! I am a dog trainer in the city and often my clients ask me if someone does this and I always refer them to Paws Around!