Karyn and Moxie Mutts have been a great resource for our dog Java! She taught us so much in a few weeks and we are eager to re-enlist her services now that we have a baby in the family. Karyn did a great job listening to our needs, wants and desires. In turn she taught us how to listen to our dog and speak his language, so to speak. The dog owners are really the ones that need to be trained and she gave us lots of positive reinforcement along the journey. Moxie Mutts is highly recommended!

Karyn is the BEST! I spoke to several trainers for my scared little rescue dog Ruben, and as soon as we spoke on the phone for the first time, I could feel her warmth and patience, and love her dogs. Once we started our sessions together, she had an immediate bond with Ruben and I quickly saw improvements on his comfort level on a daily basis. She meets you where you and your dog are, is realistic, and adapts the training to your lifestyle and your dog's behavior. She just wants the best for you and dogs and roots for you along the way! She was always available for a text question in between our sessions and also flexible when needing to reschedule. I am going to continue to work with her on specific behaviors because me and Ruben will miss her too much!

“I've been a dog owner all my long-in-the-tooth life and thought I knew a thing or two about dog training having had three previous Australian Cattledogs. But when I adopted my current dog, Soba, who had been a breeding dog in a puppy mill and had never had a bit of training, even potty training, I felt immediately frustrated with my ability to manage her reactivity. I was fearful that she would get to a point of fear biting. I felt like I was letting this beautiful dog down, and my frustrations started to break my habits of positive training approaches. I could see the sweet core of this dog but, felt over my head. I didn't know where to turn. On a series of desperate searching for where to turn, I found Karyn and Moxie Mutts. On the evaluation session she displayed an ability to read Soba that was kind of jaw-dropping. She presented me with a written plan and cost estimate for moving forward. Over the course of the training she expertly taught me a toolset for reading Soba's moods and understanding how to reach this beautiful dog to help us toward a positive happy life together all without fear-based "training" or "alpha" based bullpucky, allowing Soba to feel safe and express her beautiful self more and more. After several sessions people started to compliment me on how well trained Soba is when we are out on walks. I feel deeply like Karyn and Moxie Mutts has saved us both and gave us the gift of a very loving relationship. I am so grateful.”

“Karyn was a great help for our 4 year old rescue. We worked with her on leash reactivity, teaching our dog how to behave on walks and when meeting new people or dogs. She also helped us reinforce good behavior around the house, creating routines our dog could get used to, teaching her to go to bed and stay in bed, being safe around our young children, etc… Karyn is very knowledgeable and a true dog whisperer. Our dog adored her and is steadily improving, thanks to our newly acquired skills. I couldn’t recommend Karyn more highly!.”

“Karyn was very helpful with our dog Domino! He had reactivity towards other dogs, and would eat off of our table. Karyn is loving, kind, and helpful. Domino immediately liked her, and they worked well together. It is clear that Karyn loves dogs and truly wants them to fit into their family easily and without stress. She sends videos and instructions to help remember the training, and she reinforces it with the owners, not just the dogs!”

“We used Karyn to walk our dog Angus for over a year until she started her training business and now we use her for training. She is very knowledgable about techniques and also the psychology behind dogs behaviors. She has always been very attentive to our dog's mood, behaviors and spotted anything out of the ordinary that he may have done and very communicative.

Before training we received reminder emails, during trying she was fun and easy to work with and after training, I was very impressed by how quickly she sent the detailed written assessment and follow up emails etc. She takes her work seriously and is always on top of it. We plan on continuing to use her and also highly recommend her if your dog needs training.I got the Pepé collar and I’m obsessed with how adorable Finn looks. Super comfy and great texture. He’s a happy pup!”

“I wish I could give her more stars! Friendly, professional with magical puppy skills! One of my little guys went from showing severe anxiety behaviors to becoming very sociable with just a few sessions. Can’t thank her enough! ❤️”

“My dog has been a client of Moxie Mutts for the past 2 years and has loved all his adventures. I think he has been to more parks on San Francisco than I have! Karyn is so reliable and knowledgeable. I loved the daily pictures I would get to see all the fun Charlie was having while I was at work.”

“Karyn was so great in helping us find solutions for our large and energetic 2 year old dog! We've had trouble really mastering leash skills and Karyn's guidance has been very helpful. We met with her only two times in the last month and are already seeing so much improvement. 100% recommend. Thank you so much Karyn!”

“​We worked with Karyn for our pup Bailey. She helped us train Bailey’s recall during her off leash dog walks. This time that Karyn worked with Bailey had a remarkable impact on our pup's life. Bailey can navigate San Francisco parks with ease. I have always appreciated her clear communication and feedback. Bailey defaults to auto check-ins while hiking and has very good trail manners. One aspect that I really appreciate about Karyn is her focus on continuous learning and furthering her education and knowledge surrounding dogs. It is one of the ways I know she is providing us with the most up-to-date and latest dog science.”

“Our new rescue dog, Marley, is a two- or three year-old Schnauzer mix with separation anxiety and barking issues. Oh, and he wasn’t potty trained. In short, he’s been a pawful, and after a month of our full-time attention, we were considering returning him. Then came Moxie Mutts and Karyn. Experience, energy, positivity … and lots of treats. As everybody says, this takes time (and money), but she has trained both Marley and us (although she doesn’t give us treats), and we are in for the long haul, happy with our lovable, loyal and quite happy dog. We highly recommend Karyn and Moxie Mutts.”

“​We had a fabulous experience using Moxie Mutts for the training of our 16 week old puppy. We signed up for 5 in person (socially distant) training sessions in our backyard. Karyn was a wonderful trainer. Our puppy is so much better behaved after she worked with him and taught us how to implement the trainings into our everyday lives. Karyn was incredibly thorough, providing a detailed email summary after each lesson which we have used as a resource after the training was complete. Overall, would recommend Moxie Mutts to you for your puppy!”

“We love Moxie Mutts! Karyn has been such a great help to us with our sensitive and shy pup. Karyn has been walking her 5 days per week for us, we started with a lower amount but found that Karyn did such an amazing job that we wanted to increase our time with her. Our pup is sweet and lovable but a challenge due to how sensitive to sounds she is. Karyn always reports in any issues that come up and works to troubleshoot with us. When our pup had trouble with the high energy of a younger group Karyn was able to move her to a lower energy group where she felt safer and was much more responsive to cues. We love that she sends daily updates with photos and provides details if anything is off with your dog. Karyn only uses R+ which is essential for our dog (and all dogs if you ask me!) We have also used Karyn when we have gone out of town as she helps our pup feel safe and protected. She left our home cleaner than she found it and had awesome play time with our girl.We completely and totally recommend Karyn. We have tried several other dog walkers in the city and none compare to the level of professionalism, care and attention to detail that Karyn has. Not to mention the dogs LOVE her!!”

“Karyn stayed at my home with my dog while I was traveling. She was great. She gave my dog a lot of exercise and love and also took care of the house and my plants. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a loving companion for their dog while they were away.”

“There is no one who I would rather talk about my dog with than Karyn. She is loving and insightful and she helped me tremendously with so many aspects of being a dog owner. The dogs love her as well. I highly recommend her to do anything with the dogs. More like a whisperer than a walker.”

“Karyn has been walking our dog for about 7 months now and we couldn't be happier. She is very reliable, sends amazing daily updates and has improved our dogs recall tremendously. She has also helped us out in a pinch several times, with short notice etc. Couldn't be happier! I've also worked from home a couple times and it's safe to say my dog didn't even look back when she showed up to pick him up- he adores Karyn!!”

“Karyn has been walking our puppy for the past couple of weeks and there has been a marked improvement in her behaviour and manners. Amazing. I can't wait to see how much more she grows with her help. Awesome.”

“I have had a number of dog walkers in the SF area and Karyn is top notch! She is very responsive and easy to deal with. She shares photos daily and somehow gets all the dogs to sit together for the picture (impressive). Cooper (my pooch) can be alpha and she knows how to handle him...probably better than me. She always fills his water bowl when she drops him off, which is a nice touch. Your fur-ball is in good hands - I recommend.”

“Karyn is fantastic. She picks up our pup 3x/week for off-leash adventures, and he always returns exhausted and happy. She is incredibly responsive via text/email/phone (always texts a thoughtful recap of the day's walk with a photo) and her rates are quite reasonable. I highly recommend her services!”

“There are few people I trust with my dog and Karyn from Moxie Mutts is one of them. She readily established a warm and loving relationship with my dog Gypsy. She is professional dependable and likable. Gypsy ran to her every time she arrived. I received updates and cute photos during their daily adventures. Karyn also took the time to work with Gypsy during each walk on her recall and commands. I also trusted Gypsy in her care when I had to travel. I enthusiastically recommend Karyn and Moxie Mutts! Your dog will love you more for using their services!”

“We are so happy to have found Karyn to care for our pups. She runs with our dogs to give them the exercise they need and she allows them off-leash time as well at dog-friendly parks. Karyn works with us as partners in training and we are lucky to have her! Our youngest pup was having leash and heel issues but he has made significant strides with her. We have seen him go from a busy-body, tugging at the leash to walking in a perfect heel - a pleasure to walk! Karyn provides well-detailed daily text updates of her outings along with beautifully posed pictures of our pups. We always look forward to her messages about their adventures and pictures in the middle of the day! Additionally, Karyn details training exercises we can do to reinforce on our time with the pups. We are so thrilled to have partnered with Karyn and we cannot overstate that she is THE PERSON to care for your little ones!”

“Moxie Mutts has been a great addition to our dog-family of caretakers. Karyn's attentive, solo, leash-walks have helped my anxious pup learn more socialization skills while on the streets, and with patient, slow introductions to other pack mates, my pup has increased her social skills 10-fold (and may have even found a sweetheart!). For a recent short trip, Karyn's care-taking had me resting assured that my pup was in the best of hands. Moxie Mutts is terrific, and we're so grateful to have found Karyn!”

“Karyn has been an amazing walker for our beloved pup Mojo! We were referred to her by our former dog walker about 4 months ago when we needed to switch to one-on-one walks due to some behavioral issues Mojo had developed. She offers reasonable rates for one-on-one walks and accommodates our schedule as much as possible. More importantly she has made Mojo's life so much better since he now gets more attention and training reinforcement during his walks. We have noticed his on-leash temperament improve significantly and he is always tired and relaxed when we come home. Karyn goes out of her way to send us a text update and picture of Mojo after each walk. Getting a cute dog picture in the middle of a long day at the office is always appreciated! Moreover, since Mojo can still be reactive to loud noises and other barking dogs it is very helpful to know how he does on each walk. If you are looking for a walker who cares about your dog and can provide your pup with the love and attention they deserve then I highly recommend hiring Karyn!”

“Moxie Mutts is the only business I would trust to watch my pets! After hearing about a friends horror stories of pet walkers/sitters not doing there job and being dishonest, I was thrilled to recommend Moxie Mutts to them! Not only were my pets in good health and care, I received blog updates that I could read about everything that transpired. She takes pictures of your pet so you can actually see them out in the world, having fun! My dogs were always thrilled to see her when I happened to see them together on my way out. If you are looking for a pet caretaker that will provide peace of find and proof of services, Moxie Mutts is the place! Buddy, Ava and I know you will love her services!”

“Karyn's services can be described in one word: awesome!! I've used her for pet and house sitting for over 10 years. She is great with my dog, a 60-pound yellow lab, who absolutely adores her. My trips are so much more enjoyable and relaxing knowing that my dog and my house are in her very capable and organized hands. Karyn posts daily pictures on her blog and is very responsive to emails and texts. I almost hate to recommend her so highly because I want to make sure she's available the next time I need her! : )”

“Your pets are in good hands with Karyn. If you have large dogs that need exercise she is a runner who will give them a workout. Small animals will get tender, loving care. She will take good care of your home and possessions. I highly recommend her service.”

“Full disclosure - I knew Karyn before she became a pet sitter/dog walker and already thought she was the bee's knees. But dang howdy! Who knew my fur babies would fall so deeply and helplessly in love with her so FAST?!? This review is woefully overdue, but we had Karyn watch our 3 big dogs and 1 pampered feline (he is truly the king of the castle!) a few weeks back while we slipped out of town for a long weekend.

Every day we were greeted with blog updates of all the fun our furry family was having with Auntie Karyn in our absence, and it was CLEAR they weren't missing us at all! Karyn had them out and about every day running and jumping and chasing balls and playing with other dogs at the park. And each night they returned home happy, calm and exhausted - just the way we like 'em! And when we got home not only were our dogs and cat happy and calm, but our house was spotless and it was clear Karyn had gone above and beyond the call of duty in making sure we were able to just walk in the door and relax. I truly can't recommend Karyn at Moxie Mutts highly enough! She is such a wonderful person, has great instincts with the pets, and will absolutely make your time away from home SO much more relaxing just knowing she is there and in control. We loved her pet & house care so much we immediately booked her for another long weekend! Now THAT'S a recommendation you can take to the bank!”

“If you're in search of some Pet-Peace-of-Mind while you're away on vacation this be it! Karyn took excellent care of our 2 energetic, high maintenance, large mutts, our 1 sassy Siamese cat, our house, numerous house and garden plants and all things associated while we were all the way across the world in India for 19 days. It was like summer camp around here while we were gone. Karyn totally spoiled the canines--with morning AND afternoon activities for them. Actually I'm somewhat surprised, given the extent of involvement, that we didn't come home to find a couple of doggie-made lanyards, or doggie-sewn sit-upons. I half-expected the dogs to start singing about going on a squeegee hunt and demanding s'mores and a bonfire in the backyard. We were able to check Karyn's daily blog to see what happened the day before--complete with pictures (!) so we could see what our manic mischief-makers had been up to. Also one of our dogs has epilepsy and she kept him properly dosed so he didn't have any seizures while we were away. A huge relief! We had an excellent vacation in part due to the fact that we'd left our domestic universe in such capable hands. With Karyn in charge, you can spend time enjoying the trip and not tripping on your pets' or plants' or house's welfare. THANKS LOADS KARYN!!”

“karyn was recommended by our dog walker as a potential pet sitter and we couldn't have been more fortunate to have her looking after our two dogs and a cat. she stayed at our house for 19 days while we were out of the country on a long vacation and it was great to be able to read her posts about what she and the pets had done that day. she took them on runs, played fetch with them and took them on a lot of car rides with her which they love. also, the house was spotless when we came back which was really nice. in future, we will always try and plan our vacations far enough ahead so that we can have karyn stay at our house with our pets. she really is great and we feel so much better having her stay in the house with the pets than leaving the dogs at "doggie sleepover camp". thanks karyn”

“Although our pup is the apple of our eye, she does struggle with serious separation anxiety. Before Karyn started watching her I always left on trips with some trepidation. She has been known to destroy crates and homes when we leave her. I will never forget returning from an international trip and getting a call on voicemail that she had jumped out of our window and our neighbor had to chase her for a mile before catching her. So the first time we left her with Karyn, I was a little gun shy. Imagine my delight when the first day we were gone I received a photo of them hiking and then a second one of her curled up on the couch. When we returned Ngila was adjusted and happy. This was a big change from our other trips when it would take 2 weeks for her to get back to normal. Karyn watched her many times and each time their bond grew. Karyn has a touch with animals and I would highly recommend her as a sitter for any pet.”

“I couldn't be happier with Karyn's pet sitting services. The first time we hired her we went out of town a little longer than a week. We have a few older pets who are pretty high maintenance--needing daily medical care. Karyn came to the house before our trip to meet the pets and learn how to provide them with the care they needed, which includes insulin shots and oral med administration; she wasn't squeamish at all and her confidence made us feel more comfortable about leaving the little guys with her. It was obvious that our dog warmed up to her right away and even our cat, who is normally evil toward strangers, seemed to develop a mutual understanding with her. We were especially pleased with Karyn's detailed daily blog posts about our pets' activities while we were away. It was a comfort and a relief to be able to check the Moxie Mutts blog and read about walks and snuggle sessions and meals and meds. Last but not least, our house was in impeccable condition when we returned--in better shape, I think, than we left it. We are now planning a few more trips and are looking forward to having Karyn come again. I couldn't recommend her more highly. Thank you for everything, MoxieMutts!”

“My fiance and I, with our combined pets moved to the bay area about a year and a half ago. We have 3 dogs and 2 cats. We used Karyn to watch all of our pets for a weekend trip. Our pets seemed to enjoy her, our "alpha" dog even warmed up to Karyn a few minutes after she arrived. We loved the blog Karyn has; we could check in on the pets and hear how things were going by looking online. She took the three of them on a walk and seem to be fine working with our deaf dog. I should also mention that all of our animals are senior citizens and all take many different medicines. Karyn did just fine with all of that. We definitely will use Karyn again, and we highly recommend her.”

“​​Karyn took care of our dog Rita for over a week at our house last November when we were in Europe. We were very happy with the care she demonstrated toward our dog as well as toward our house. She took Rita on long walks every day, and she took care of all her needs. Since she keeps a blog about the pet she sits, updating it daily, we were able to read about Rita and even see pictures and videos of her while far away. We would strongly recommend Karyn Ellis as a dog sitter to anybody who cares about the wellbeing of their dogs when they have to leave them home.”