Bark To Breakers

Ro is fantastic! He’s absolutely reliable and trustworthy, and you are always confident that your dog is in good hands. Ro makes sure that your dog gets a great outing (and some great exercise) rather than just a quick outing for a bathroom break. Moreover, Ro apparently works with his groupings to make sure each group of dogs is well matched. I have been very impressed with his work for the past year and have no hesitations in recommending Bark to Breakers.

I’m a dog walker. I’ve been a walker in SF since 2002. Rodrigo is one of the best dog walkers out there. He is patient, kind, and consistent with his training. Every time I see him, I am impressed with how he handles his pack. A true professional.

This review is long overdue! Ro is simply the best. He is a fixture in our two Frenchies lives, Frankie & Surely adore him. He’s calm, loving and kind with the girls. Frankie jumps into his arms when he arrives and then whimpers when he leaves. He has walked Surely for almost 3 years and now our littlest one, Frankie for a year. He’s always there to watch the girls if we’re out of town or on a last min get away. I never worry, not for a second when they’re with him. I trust him like family. Can’t stress enough how amazing he is and I would recommend him a thousand times over.

Rodrigo truly loves dogs and knows them so well your baby’s always safe. He goes beyond the call of duty, dispensing first aid like removing embedded foxtails helping us avoid unnecessary vet bills, while always advising wisely when the old trooper needs to be seen. «Ro» lovingly boards Buster who is seriously incontinent, carries him up and down stairs and makes sure the other dogs don’t exhaust him. You’ll meet this man once and love his kindness, canine understanding and utter truthfulness and reliability. Keeping a dog happy in the city costs major bucks, but this guy’s worth every cent.

Hi! My name is Charlie and I’m a fun-​loving two and-​a-​half year old Chocolate Labrador who’s one of the luckiest dogs in San Francisco because I get to play with my pal Rodrigo and his dogs every weekday! Now don’t get me wrong, my people spoil me rotten, but come on, when Ro comes to get me, I know all my doggie friends are waiting for me in his van. And what’s better than a game of tug, romping on the beach, or running through the park with dogs? And Ro is pretty awesome himself. He helped teach me a some manners (I can get a little excited) and when I’m good, he gives me treats! I’m not sure how he does it, but regardless of which house I’m at (my people don’t live together anymore), Ro always comes to take me out. I even got to have a sleepover at his house when my people went out of town… he’s the best substitute for my people. And speaking of substitutes, there have been a few times when Ro goes out of town with his people, but he always makes sure his dogs have someone to take them out. Ro and I have been pals for a year and-​a-​half now and my people are so happy that I’m tired and happy when they come home, that I’m pretty sure Ro and I will be friends for years to come.

Rodrigo has been walking my dog, Rio, for over two years now. I wrote a review of him back when I’d been working with him for a few months, and I see that the review has been filtered. SUCH A DRAG, Unilocal. Dog owners in need of walking and dog-​sitting services need to know how fantastic Rodrigo is! I do not trust anybody but Rodrigo with Rio, who, while sweet as pie, can be a challenging hand-​full of an animal.
In addition to his super competence working with and training Rio, Rodrigo is unfailingly professional and reliable. I get a text from him whenever there is any change in his pick-​up schedule. He is also very attentive to little changes he notices in Rio and texts or emails me immediately to fill me in on anything he observes.
Finally, I know he truly thinks of and treats Rio like his own dog. What more could a dog owner want than someone who will be as careful and loving toward her dog as she is? Rio will be going for walks with Rodrigo until the day he needs to be carried. Thank you, Ro!

Rodrigo takes care of our 15 year old, fragile dog at his place when we’re away. He’s great with her, patient, kind. I can always tell when our dog has a positive or negative experience while we’re away and when she stays with Rodrigo it is always positive as she gets excited to see rodrigo and is never nervous when I leave her.
Even after a week, she seems just as comfortable with Rodrigo as she does in our own house.
Thanks Rodrigo for being a trusted friend to my little dog Ani.

Rodrigo has been walking our dog for most of his life. He is a cool and reliable guy who also has good judgment. If there is ever any issue with our dog, he let’s us know and makes sure he is okay. I recommend him!

Rodrigo will go above and beyond for your dog. He has cared for my two boxers for several years — boarding as well as some daytime walks. He is kind, reliable, flexible and will do whatever he can to take good care of your dogs, or «doggies» as he calls them. (He once took my dog to the ER in the middle of the night when she was sick.) If you want someone to love and care for your dogs as much as you do, Rodrigo is the one!

My dog Frida is a bit spicy and sassy. She is very sweet but has her moments when she does not want to be bothered by other dogs. She has been uninvited to 2 other walking play groups. I gave up on hiring a dog walker…
Then, I met Rodrigo in my store. We gave it a try and Frida LOVES walking with Rodrigo and his group. We have not had any issues and Frida comes back happy and exhausted! We finally met someone who can manage her personality.
Also, he has been very flexible with my schedule and has accommodated her last minute.
Thank you Rodrigo!

Rodrigo answered our prayers during our year living in SF. He was kind, flexible and knowledgeable and would bend over backward to try and work with our crazy schedule. His rates were totally reasonable and he was always dependable.
More importantly, though, he was GREAT with our 2 dogs. One is a nonstop barker and the other has people «issues» and has to wear a muzzle. He was patient and tolerant of the barky one and, after only a few weeks, the muzzle dog trusted him enough for him to take on/​off the muzzle. If the dogs got messy, he would clean them up before dropping them off. They were always happy to see him and were perfectly, happily tired out after each session.
Since we’ve moved out of SF, we’ve tried other dog walkers and have the muddy couch paw-​prints and post-​walk puking to prove it. Rodrigo not only exercises the dogs, he keeps them from eating nasty things. Truly good peace of mind.
Try him. you will not regret it.

I completely trust and love Ro, and so does my 12 year old golden retriever, Gracie.
She always lets me know if she is uncomfortable… Ro has been walking her, and boarding her, for over 2 years, and she loves him.
I love it, because I travel quite a bit, and I’m always comfortable leaving her with hi, knowing she is getting the very best care.
Anna

Rodrigo watched my 2 dogs while we were out of town for a night. Of course, that night turned into quite an experience for Rodrigo because the dogs got sick. It was our first time using Rodrigo and he really proved himself that night by being patient, caring and understanding towards the dogs. I really was impressed with his services. I would highly recommend Rodrigo to anyone!

Our beloved Nikki truly believes Rodrigo is a god.
We had tried other dog walkers and were left extremely disappointed.
When we discovered Rodrigo a few years ago, it was like a dream come true. Whenever we run into folks who have dogs, we share our love for Rodrigo as THE BEST DOG WALKER IN SAN FRANCISCO.
He is responsible, respectful, kind hearted, trustworthy, passionate and knowledgeable.
Nikki loves her playmates but I believe her special BFF is Sancho. Rodriogo cares deeply for all his dogs and treats every family w/​dignity. Whenever Nikki comes home from a dog walk, we ask her if she saw Sancho and she wags her tail joyfully and smiles.
Nikki comes home content, tired, happy and healthy. He sends photos to us to update her activities.
Now that it’s foxtail season, he spends part of each walk meticulously going through each doggies’ fur to find any pieces stuck on. He demonstrates good judgement and safety!
We love Rodrigo and are forever in debt to him for helping Nikki feel safe, loved and happy on her walks.
Bless you Rodrigo!!!

I come home every day after a long day of work to a happy dog — Rodrigo makes sure my dog Zorro is well exercised and gets to play with the other dogs in his afternoon playgroup. He picks him up every day when I’m at work, and returns him to the house and even feeds him, plus giving me periodic reports of Zorro’s behavior. On occasion I have even left Zorro with Rodrigo for overnight boarding — you can’t find a better more caring person to look after your loved ones than Rodrigo! Please trust him to your dog’s needs — I did, and will continue to use his services whenever needed.

Highly recommended. Reliable & Trustworthy. Always flexible and available even on very short notice. Cannot say enough.

Rodrigo is the only person we can trust to leave our dog. Our dog is Oscar, he is a pug and very very needy. When we take our family on trips we leave Oscar with Rodrigo, the longest trip was 3 weeks. You should see how excited the dog gets when he sees Rodrigo.

There is not enough good things I can say about Rodrigo, he is someone we trust with our dog more than family members. When we were looking for a place to board our dog, I was never going to leave him in a kennel, I did not want him boarded up in a cage for most part of his stay.
Rodrigo looks after his dogs (I call them his dogs because he loves them like his own) you cannot fake the kind of compassion and love for dogs that he has.
We have not used him in awhile because we never leave far from home, but when we did leave Checkers with Rodrigo I never had to worry about him, I could relax on our vacation or wherever we were, Checkers adores him, soon as we would drop him off, he would get out of the car and tug to Rodrigos apartment like he was home.
Now I work at a animal hospital, and I highly recommended him to our clients that are in need of a caretaker. I am so passionate when recommending him I sometimes think they think I get comission for referring him, but I just am confident in knowing that when I refer him, there is noone else better than him, hands down!
We bump into him sometimes and he always has 3 or 4 dogs with him and if someone did did not know him they would think they are his dogs, and they are panting and smiling from probably hours at the beach or park.
He will even send you photos of your loved one, we received one of Checkers cuddled up on a sofa with a new girlfriend! First for him, I always thought he was afraid of the girls, I guess that is just him playing hard to get!
Be warned when you pick up your pooch, he may seem to not to want to part ways with Rodrigo.
I would give him more stars if available!

We all love Rodrigo! I must say, Sadie (our dog) loves him the most. Rodrigo watches Sadie when we go out of town. She goes BONKERS in the car when we get close by to his house and then pees on his feet when she sees him. That is love.
He is also super friendly, dependable, and an all around nice guy. He always makes going out of town super easy for us.

Rodrigo is simply fabulous! For the past year and a half, he has taken Sancho, my beloved canine, out for daily playgroups at local beaches and parks. He also boards my dog every time I’m out of town, and provides excellent training advice for me when I ask for it (which is often — my boy is stubborn). Rodrigo has a positive demeanor and he is knowledgeable, honest and reliable.
I recently took Sancho for a hike in the Presidio, and we ran into another dog walker who works in the city. The dog walker recognized my dog as being a member of Rodrigo’s playgroup, and she commented on how lucky I was to have Rodrigo caring for my pooch. She confirmed that he was a really nice guy with great leadership skills, and said that it was evident that he enjoys his job.
One more thing… Rodrigo is kind enough to burn photo CD’s for me so that I can view all of Sancho’s playtime adventures. These pics serve as a reminder that while I am at work, my pup gets to frolic on the beach and in the forest. I think I need a playgroup of my own.