About us
DAILY DOG WALKS, PET SITTING, OVERNIGHT PET SITTING, MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION, CLEAN LITTER BOXES, & CAGES.
Business highlights
20 years of experience
Services we offer
DAILY DOG WALKS, PET SITTING, OVERNIGHT PET SITTING, MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION, CLEAN LITTER BOXES, & CAGES.
Amenities
Free Estimates
Yes
Accepted Payment Methods
- PayPal
- Check
Reviews
5.032 Reviews
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Filter reviews by service
Showing 1-25 of 32 reviews
Nathan G.
Dec 2015
Animal & House Sitting
Marla & co. are absolutely wonderful. We've used her services for vacations since 2009 - and in that time, we've never had anything other than a great experience. We usually request daily visits during our vacations, and we'd come back to cats who were played with, fed according to instructions, and had clearly been well cared for during our absence. We come home to a note remarking on any unusual or notable behavior.
During one vacation, we had a leaky pipe that dripped down into a ceiling. Marla called each of our emergency numbers until she reached us, told us about the problem, and then organized her schedule the next day to let in the plumber for the repair.
Recently, our cat developed a condition that requires careful attention and medication twice a day. Marla was able to fit the extra appointments in over Thanksgiving on short notice, asked lots of questions to make sure she understood exactly what was to be given when, and then sent us regular text messages with updates. Over the Christmas break, the cat stopped taking his medicine easily. Marla kept us up to date on the situation, spent the time necessary to get him to eat, and even stopped by for an extra visit on a particularly difficult day. Despite the fact that our cat didn't make things easy for her, she was always warm with him and never expressed any aggravation.
In short, Marla is wonderful for regular vacation pet-sitting, but really went above and beyond when our cat needed special attention. We would highly recommend her for any cat who needs care while you're away from home.
During one vacation, we had a leaky pipe that dripped down into a ceiling. Marla called each of our emergency numbers until she reached us, told us about the problem, and then organized her schedule the next day to let in the plumber for the repair.
Recently, our cat developed a condition that requires careful attention and medication twice a day. Marla was able to fit the extra appointments in over Thanksgiving on short notice, asked lots of questions to make sure she understood exactly what was to be given when, and then sent us regular text messages with updates. Over the Christmas break, the cat stopped taking his medicine easily. Marla kept us up to date on the situation, spent the time necessary to get him to eat, and even stopped by for an extra visit on a particularly difficult day. Despite the fact that our cat didn't make things easy for her, she was always warm with him and never expressed any aggravation.
In short, Marla is wonderful for regular vacation pet-sitting, but really went above and beyond when our cat needed special attention. We would highly recommend her for any cat who needs care while you're away from home.
Diane V.
Aug 2015
Animal & House Sitting
For two weeks all we could get from Marla was demands for information, which she felt she needed. We provided it first via Angie's List, which she ignored. She later told us she rarely checks Angie's List messages. Then we emailed her, which she ignored as well. Then I called her several times, leaving messages on her answering machine, which were not responded to. When I finally reached her, Marla asked for additional information in yet another email, so I emailed her yet again. At this point she told us she was still far too busy to be able to respond. So we tried to wait patiently for her to check her calendar
After several weeks of this nonsense, Marla tersely told us that she was not available for the dates we had sent her weeks before. We learned this from her in a generic letter that did not provide names of other sitters, but rather of two national associations of pet sitters. The lesson I learned from this is that Marla appears to be far too busy to actually serve clients (if our experience is in any way representative).
I feel as though my time has been wasted in a very thoughtless fashion.
.Response from MARLA4PETS
"Customer satisfaction is very important to us and we're sorry for any miscommunication that may have led to a less than A rating. I was surprised by this review as throughout the communications, including the final email I sent (which is referred to above) was friendly and sincere. We have never "demanded" information from our customers, simply ask questions that will help us determine if we are the best fit for the job requested. Nobody has ever before expressed displeasure when we have asked for information. Quite to the contrary, have usually praised us for our thoroughness. I did let her know that I do not always receive notification that there is an email waiting in my Angie's List inbox and as we spend our days on the road providing direct animal care, communication sent to another email address is more effective. Therefore, I provided that email address to her. I have never ignored messages or emails, but have actually made a point of responding with a quick acknowledgement email to let her know her message had been received. As the dates for her first requested coverage were not until mid-October I explained we were in the height of our busy/vacation season and kindly requested some time to review the extensive emailed request which included a questionnaire for us to complete, along with the dates she would like service. Upon further review, I realized we did have a conflict with the dates and let her know as soon as possible - this was not over the course of "several weeks". Our first contact was an email I received from her on July 30th for dates in October 2015 and January 2016 to which I responded July 31. There were a couple of attempts by her to reach us via the Angie's List mailbox and she followed up with a phone call. As soon as I realized I had missed the emails I contacted her - apologized and explained the issue with the Angie's List mailbox. There was some additional communication between that time and my last email letting her know that we could not cover the dates requested, followed by this client review dated Aug. 9 (a total of 9 days). In order to let her know we would not be able to cover all the dates requested, I wrote a non-generic personalized email expressing my apologies for not noting the conflict earlier and letting her know that we may not be the best fit as she was looking for a back-up sitter to her regular sitters and we would therefore not be able to provide the consistent service that she had expressed she was seeking. While I did not provide the name of other sitters this was simply because the reference I would have otherwise offered her happened to be her regular sitters who she already had informed us were unavailable - the reason for her seeking back-up. Other sitters I know do not cover her area and as not wasting her time is of importance to us I did not provide her contact information for sitters I knew would not cover her area. Therefore I suggested she access the websites of the two largest professional petsitting associations because on both sites she could enter her zip code and find great sitters. I have very often suggested these sites to clients outside our service area, or when we were unavailable and received appreciative responses and therefore I thought I was being helpful in providing another resource for finding great petsitters. I apologize that she feels as though her time was wasted, but our mutual communication is commonplace to understanding the client's needs and matching the services we provide - in terms of both ability to complete tasks requested and availability to meet the dates/times requested of service. As soon as I recognized we were unable to cover, I immediately informed her so as NOT to waste her time. I hope she has been able to find a great sitter."
Catherine C.
May 2015
Animal & House Sitting
unknown
Kathleen K.
Sep 2014
Animal & House Sitting, Dog Walking
unknown
Tiffany G.
Apr 2014
Animal & House Sitting
Marla was excellent. We just moved to the area and was in a panic to find someone to care for our cats while away. We went away for 6 days and Marla checked on our two cats 4 times. She checked on their food, scooped and changed litter and provided water to my cats. She even played and talked to them. She left notes for me, took the mail in and even called when we had a issue with the car parked in front of the house! I could not be more pleased with her service and honesty. She truly loves animals, you can tell! I will use Marla again and will not hesitate to refer friends and neighbors!!!
Catherine C.
Mar 2014
Animal & House Sitting
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Benton M.
Feb 2014
Animal & House Sitting
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Jean P.
Apr 2013
Animal & House Sitting
My fiance and I used Marla4pets to care for our cat when we went out of town. We are new to the area and don't know our neighbors and family was out of town as well. Marla came for an initial visit as we discussed our needs and her services. She is very professional yet down to earth and approachable. We later completed her online form and she came daily to care for our cat for a long weekend. It was quite a relief to be out of town and know our pet was well cared for. She took care of other non-pet items as well (bring in mail, etc).
We were very pleased with Marla4pets and will definitely use her again. She is dependable and caring.
Thanks, Marla!
We were very pleased with Marla4pets and will definitely use her again. She is dependable and caring.
Thanks, Marla!
Matthew N.
Sep 2012
Animal & House Sitting
I started using Marla4Pets last year. My experience has been uniformly
excellent. I have asked Marla4Pets to help out both with long term
(three weeks) and short term visits. In July, 2012, I had a last minute
commitment. Somehow, they managed to fit their schedule around my
trip.
My dogs love seeing them, and they are always in a good frame of mind when I return.
excellent. I have asked Marla4Pets to help out both with long term
(three weeks) and short term visits. In July, 2012, I had a last minute
commitment. Somehow, they managed to fit their schedule around my
trip.
My dogs love seeing them, and they are always in a good frame of mind when I return.
Catherine E.
Jul 2012
Animal & House Sitting
I was very pleased with the tidiness of my kitchen and the kitties' play area. Marla4pets is very professional and reliable.
Merwan R.
Apr 2012
Animal & House Sitting
Marla came over one day to meet the cats and humans and for us to give her a couple of keys -- first meeting was free. She familiarized herself with the house, asked us where the cats usually hide, etc. She also gave us a few good tips that she had learned.
We paid half in advance and the other half after we came back. We left for 12 days and scheduled her to come in every other day to clean the litter boxes, feed them wet food, refill their water and dry food and water our plants + get the mail. The first couple of days she emailed me (which was a nice touch) to tell me that she had indeed stopped by and also asked me a couple more questions. Needless to say, I felt like I could relax and enjoy my vacation.
When we got back from our trip, we found our cats in good health and happy -- the litter boxes were clean, they still had plenty of food and water available to them and our mail was neatly placed where we requested.
I would recommend Marla 4 Pets to any of my friends or family that requires cat/dog sitting and will definitely be using the service again!
We paid half in advance and the other half after we came back. We left for 12 days and scheduled her to come in every other day to clean the litter boxes, feed them wet food, refill their water and dry food and water our plants + get the mail. The first couple of days she emailed me (which was a nice touch) to tell me that she had indeed stopped by and also asked me a couple more questions. Needless to say, I felt like I could relax and enjoy my vacation.
When we got back from our trip, we found our cats in good health and happy -- the litter boxes were clean, they still had plenty of food and water available to them and our mail was neatly placed where we requested.
I would recommend Marla 4 Pets to any of my friends or family that requires cat/dog sitting and will definitely be using the service again!
Cat L.
Dec 2011
Animal & House Sitting, Dog Walking
Fabulous job, as always. Despite the lateness of our call, Marla was able to fit in daily visits on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and left us a great note about how our cat, Brutus, had fared while we were away. She also brought in the mail and newspaper each day.
We've used Marla4Pets many times over the past 4 years - we originally found this company through Angie's List, in fact! Marla and her team do a great job with pets, from feeding the fish to walking the dog, and even to staying AT our house for two weeks in 2010 while we were on an extended vacation. I always feel like the pets and the house are in great hands with Marla4Pets, and I get peace of mind and better security through their services. Highly recommended for folks in the north Silver Spring (Cloverly) area!
We've used Marla4Pets many times over the past 4 years - we originally found this company through Angie's List, in fact! Marla and her team do a great job with pets, from feeding the fish to walking the dog, and even to staying AT our house for two weeks in 2010 while we were on an extended vacation. I always feel like the pets and the house are in great hands with Marla4Pets, and I get peace of mind and better security through their services. Highly recommended for folks in the north Silver Spring (Cloverly) area!
Dana H.
Dec 2011
Animal & House Sitting
Excellent says it all. I called with a very last minute request and Marla4Pets was able to find someone. She was competent, very friendly, and offered some advice as she is a vet tech. NOTE: Marla4Pets normally does not service the Montgomery Village area - she concentrates her business around Silver Spring. Highly recommend this service if you live in and around Silver Spring.
Amy C.
Nov 2011
Animal & House Sitting
Marla has cared for our beloved cats for the past 3 1/2 years when we're out of town. She cares deeply for animals and has taken great care of the boys. One of our cats takes 4-5 pills daily, and she is very diligent about making sure he gets his medication timely. She's great about keeping me informed about how they're doing via text message while I'm away. Marla is also extremely professional and organized--she has a great website where you can enter all of the information about your pets, and she sends bills electronically after the service. I can't recommend her highly enough!
Elisabeth K.
Dec 2010
Animal & House Sitting
Marla and her assistant Elissa were absolutely wonderful. I've never needed to hire a pet sitter before and have only boarded one of my cats once or twice. So I was a little worried about finding someone I could trust -- particularly with coming into my house when we were going to be gone for an extended period of time. I found Marla through Angie's List and she is as good as everyone else described. My cat was very resistant to taking the pill from them at first, but they were very creative at coming up with ways to put her at ease -- coming over for extra visits to acclimate her to them, bringing special kitty treats to entice her to take the pill, etc. Marla was in constant contact via text messages, keeping me up to date on what was happening. And even better -- the price for their visits was less than boarding just the one cat at a semi-fancy pants place. I'm thrilled to have found Marla and can't recommend her highly enough!
Peggy G.
Sep 2010
Animal & House Sitting
Marla and her team watched our cat and house sat for us. Marla is obviously wonderful with animals and our experience was 100% positive. I was concerned at first, because her website is slightly confusing and I was unsure whether my information was accepted. So I ended up emailing her. She was wonderful about responding to that email, as well as others. Sometimes her responses were late in the evening, but that is obviously because she is very busy, and there was no rush on getting back to me so that was no probelm.
James K.
Sep 2010
Animal & House Sitting, Dog Walking
Marla4pets looked after our old dog in fragile condition. The care was responsive, high quality, and loving.
Nathan G.
Sep 2010
Animal & House Sitting
We have used Marla4Pets for cat-sitting for almost 2 years, and have complete faith in them. They go above and beyond the call of duty, and our two cats always seem happy and well cared-for when we get home. They are very communicative. Their online booking system makes it easy to make arrangements when we travel. Every time, they leave a note to let us know how things went, and ask us to call and confirm that we're back - and if we were delayed, for some reason, they would keep coming to check on the cats until they heard from us. Most recently, a pipe started leaking in our house while we were out of town for a week. Marla called and texted until she reached us, cleaned up the spilled water, and even helped us make arrangements to get a plumber to the house.
Nigel C.
Jan 2010
Animal & House Sitting
No problems. Cats well cared for, Marla was very responsive. Will use again and would recommend.
Susan P.
Oct 2009
Animal & House Sitting
She was very good. She was very attentive and came over on time. She did what she was supposed to do. She was great! I have used her before. She is really reliable. I know I don't have to worry about her. She'll send a text or call you if anything goes wrong. She brings in the mail and takes out the trash. I was very satisfied with her. I made the appointment a couple of weeks before I left and there was no problem. You can make the appointments online. It is very convenient. The experience with her was excellent!
Julia P.
Jun 2009
Animal & House Sitting
A few days before our departure, two of Marla's team members came to the house to meet Jada. They bonded quickly with Jada and provided good advice about how we should make accommodations for her during our first overnight trip away from home. Their gentleness and relaxed approach to Jada helped assure us that she would be okay during our absence. When we returned from our trip, Jada was safe, healthy and happy. Marla's team also brought in our mail and left notes describing their interactions with Jada during their visits.
SEEMA H.
May 2009
Animal & House Sitting
They did a very good job. There were two of them and they came to visit with the pets first and they pretty much fed them, played with them, and cleaned their litter while we were gone. They also checked on our things for us. When we called them or sent them an e-mail, they responded periodically too.
STEVE W.
Feb 2009
Animal & House Sitting
We really like her. She is great. She is a nice lady. She is absolutely wonderful!
Raffaella G.
Sep 2008
Animal & House Sitting
Marla met with us for a (free) consultation visit to get to know our cat and also to learn about the location of everything in the house: food, litter, etc. She was very professional and through. They not only took very good care of our cat, but also collected mail, watered the plants, and made sure that the house would not look vacated for the duration of our trip. They even sent e-mail updates to keep as posted on everything. There was a confusion about the day of our return, so she paid a free visit to make sure that our cat wasn't left without food if we did not return in time. That showed true care for the animals. I strongly recommend them, and will ask their help in the future.
JENNIFER L.
Aug 2008
Animal & House Sitting
We had no worries while we were away. Marla and her sub, Jenn, came and met our animals and had a detailed meeting with us prior to our departure, asking many pertinent questions and putting us completely at ease with their warmth, caring and attention to detail. They were great! The price was extremely reasonable; please make note that the price I listed is approximate and was for BOTH households for a 7-day period, and that the houses are directly across the street from each other. Marla took a lot into consideration when pricing this job, and I appreciated that. It made me trust her and feel that she wasn't out to stick it to me in terms of cost. It showed a lot of integrity.
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FAQ
MARLA4PETS is currently rated 5.0 overall out of 5.
Monday: 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday: 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Wednesday: 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Thursday: 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Friday: 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday: 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday: 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
MARLA4PETS accepts the following forms of payment: PayPal, Check
Yes, MARLA4PETS offers free project estimates.
No, MARLA4PETS does not offer eco-friendly accreditations.
No, MARLA4PETS does not offer a senior discount.
No, MARLA4PETS does not offer emergency services.
No, MARLA4PETS does not offer warranties.
MARLA4PETS offers the following services: DAILY DOG WALKS, PET SITTING, OVERNIGHT PET SITTING, MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION, CLEAN LITTER BOXES, & CAGES.