4.9 stars · 500+ Google reviews
The same insured, background-checked employee cares for your pets every visit — never a gig worker. Free in-home meet-and-greet, and a 100% money-back guarantee.
Official service providers of Microsoft and Oracle
Credentials University Park families can check for themselves
- $25 for 25 minutes, one pet
- Extra pet $3
- Dog walking plans from $23
- Free in-home meet-and-greet
We cover University Park — Snider Plaza and the Hillcrest corridor, the Caruth Park streets, the SMU campus area, Preston Road near Preston Center, the residential streets between Lovers Lane and Mockingbird, and the Northwest Highway corridor. Sitters already know Centennial Park, Coffee Park, Williams Park, Caruth Park, and the shaded SMU campus paths.
We’re already taking Thanksgiving and Christmas bookings. Phones 6:00am–11:00pm Central. A manager is on call 24/7 if a visit needs backup.
Looking for a Trusted Pet Sitter in University Park?
University Park does not feel like part of a city of a million and a half people. It is 25,000 residents in about 7,000 homes, five miles north of downtown Dallas, with its own police department, its own library, its own parks crew, and thirteen small parks it maintains itself. Southern Methodist University sits inside the city limits. So does Snider Plaza, which opened in 1927 and still functions the way a town square is supposed to. The city reports that 87 percent of residents over 25 hold a college or advanced degree, and that its Highland Park ISD students consistently rank among the highest in the state, with 97 percent of a graduating class typically going on to college. Together with the Town of Highland Park, University Park makes up the Park Cities.
University Park is also a deeply dog-loving community. You’ll see dogs on every block, at Snider Plaza, along the SMU campus paths, and in every park. But the pet sitting challenge here is the same as in any affluent, tightly knit neighborhood: trust and discretion matter more than convenience. Pet sitting apps send whoever is available — you need someone who understands the Park Cities culture, respects your home, and becomes a recognized presence in your neighborhood. DFW Pet Sitting has served University Park families since 2003 with W-2 employees who live locally and treat every home as their own.
We’re not an app. We’re not a marketplace. When you book with us, you’ll meet your assigned pet sitter in person before your first service. That person becomes your sitter — the same face every time, someone your pets will recognize and trust. Highland Park, Turtle Creek, and Dallas have their own pages. University Park is its own city in the Park Cities — not Highland Park and not Turtle Creek.
Phones are answered 6:00am–11:00pm Central, and if a visit needs backup there is a manager awake to arrange it rather than a support ticket. That matters more in the Park Cities than people expect: University Park, Highland Park and a slice of Dallas all share the 75205 ZIP code, so a fill-in sitter dispatched by ZIP alone can end up three-quarters of a mile and one municipality away from your house. We dispatch by street.
Why University Park Pet Owners Choose DFW Pet Sitting
We’re not an app — we’re an employer. Every pet sitter you’ll meet from DFW Pet Sitting is a W-2 employee. That means we handle hiring, screening, background checks, training, insurance, bonding, and ongoing management. You’re not trusting a stranger’s self-written profile — you’re trusting a company that has completed over one million pet care visits since 2003 and carries full commercial liability coverage on every single one.
Your sitter lives near University Park. We assign pet sitters who live within a five-mile radius of your home. Whether you’re near Snider Plaza, along Hillcrest Road, on the Coffee Park streets off Northwest Parkway, close to the SMU campus, off Preston Road near Preston Center, or in the residential streets between Lovers Lane and Mockingbird, your sitter is local. They know your streets, your parks, and your community rhythms. Less drive time means more time with your pets.
One sitter, one key, one relationship. The person you meet at your free consultation is the only person who will ever enter your home. In University Park, where neighbors recognize who comes and goes, this consistency matters. Your sitter becomes a familiar, trusted face on your block — not a rotating cast of strangers. We don’t share your key or access code with anyone else. If your sitter has a true emergency, we follow our published Pet Sitting Emergency Protocol and contact you before making any changes.
Somebody is watching the schedule, not just the sitter. Every University Park visit is logged in real time, so a missed check-in reaches a manager the same day. For a family away for most of July, that is the difference between a small problem caught early and a bad discovery at the end of the summer.
Emergency backup that works. Life happens. If your sitter has an emergency, we don’t leave you scrambling. Our manager activates our emergency replacement protocol, notifies you immediately, and sends a qualified backup sitter. Nearby coverage in Highland Park, Turtle Creek, and Dallas means backup is minutes away. Because more than 250 sitters are on our payroll across the metroplex, a problem on our end does not become your problem.
Our University Park Pet Sitting & Dog Walking Services
Daily Dog Walking — University Park professionals commute to downtown Dallas, Uptown offices, or corporate campuses along the Tollway and US-75. If your workday leaves your dog home alone, our midday dog walking service fills the gap. We visit on your schedule, provide a walk through the neighborhood or along the SMU campus, refresh water, and give your dog the exercise and companionship they need. University Park’s walkable, shaded streets make it one of the best dog walking environments in DFW. Same walker, same times — not whoever taps an app. Visits are 25 minutes. Dog walking plans start at $23.
Vacation & Travel Pet Sitting — University Park families travel frequently — SMU game-day weekends, holiday trips, and business travel are a way of life. Your pets stay in their own home, in their own routine, with a sitter who already knows them. We handle feeding, medication, playtime, mail and package retrieval, light rotation, and daily photo updates. Your home looks occupied and your pets stay stress-free. A standard drop-in is $25 for 25 minutes, one pet.
Cat Sitting — Cats thrive in their own territory — no carriers, no car rides, no unfamiliar smells. Your sitter visits on your schedule to feed, clean the litter box, provide fresh water, and spend quality one-on-one time. University Park has a strong cat population in both the single-family homes and the condos and apartments near SMU. See how a 25-minute University Park cat visit works.
Puppy & Senior Pet Care — University Park families love their puppies — and puppies need extra visits for housebreaking, socialization, and energy management. Senior pets may need medication administration, gentle mobility support, or more frequent check-ins. We customize every care plan to your pet’s life stage.
Multiple Pet Households — Many University Park families have dogs, cats, and sometimes birds or small animals. We handle multi-pet households in a single visit. Extra pet is $3 — no surprise fees beyond that.
Extended Home Care — Many University Park clients ask their sitters to go beyond basic pet care: bringing in mail and packages, rotating lights, watering plants, adjusting blinds, and maintaining a lived-in appearance. We treat your home with the same care we give your pets. In a neighborhood where neighbors notice who comes and goes, that discretion is the job.
Short-Notice & Holiday Coverage — Two ZIP codes make for a small footprint, so a sitter is usually close enough to take a request on a few days’ notice. Holidays do not work that way. Thanksgiving and Christmas fill first, and once those weeks are gone they are gone, so call as soon as your dates are set.
What Makes Us Different From Rover and Wag
A key on Hillcrest, a Preston Center alarm code, and an SMU game-day weekend are not a job for a stranger with a profile. You are hiring a managed W-2 employee of a company that has sat pets in University Park since 2003. Side by side:
| Rover / Wag | DFW Pet Sitting | |
|---|---|---|
| Who enters your home | A different contractor each time you book | One assigned sitter — the same person, every visit |
| Who they work for | Independent gig contractor | W-2 employee: background-checked, trained, supervised |
| If something goes wrong | Platform “guarantee” with exclusions | Commercial liability insurance and bonding |
| If your sitter cancels | You re-book and hope | Manager activates backup from 250+ DFW staff |
| Oversight | Nothing between you and the sitter | Every visit tracked by a manager in real time |
| Before your first visit | Optional chat, often skipped | Free in-person meet-and-greet, always |
Cat sitting in University Park
Cats thrive in their own territory — no carriers, no car rides, no unfamiliar smells. University Park has a strong cat population in both the single-family homes and the condos and apartments near SMU. Our sitters specialize in feline care, including medication administration, insulin shots, sub-q fluids, and asthma inhalers.
Twenty-five minutes covers fresh water, food measured the way you measure it, a clean box, play, and an honest look at how the cat is doing. Then a photograph, so you are not guessing from the other side of a long trip.
Sitters handle pills, insulin, sub-q fluids, eye drops, and inhalers. If a cat hides in a spare bedroom off Caruth Park, a Hillcrest study, or a condo near SMU they have never fully mapped, they sit on the floor and wait. They do not leave without seeing the cat.
A healthy adult cat gets seen once a day at minimum. Kittens, seniors and cats on medication get two. What we will not do is heap up a bowl, leave the box as it is, and call a four-day weekend covered — the two-night trip that quietly becomes four nights is exactly where that plan falls apart.
More on how we look after cats across the Metroplex is on our cat sitting page.
Your Home’s Security Is Our Priority
University Park is small enough that neighbors notice everything, and the police department’s own Dog Walker Watch program is built on exactly that habit of noticing. So we work quietly. No branded uniform, no magnet on the car door, no sign in the yard announcing that the house is empty. On these blocks, a service that advertises itself is a service that advertises your absence.
What your neighbors see is a person who parks, walks up, lets themselves in, and comes back out with a dog on a short leash — which is indistinguishable from a family member helping out. That is the intent. We are not going to market ourselves at the cost of telling your street you are in Aspen.
In University Park, this isn’t optional — it’s essential. Neighbors recognize who comes and goes. Your home is a significant asset, and the Park Cities warrant the highest level of discretion. Our sitters understand this. They blend in, follow your instructions precisely, and maintain your home’s appearance as if you never left. Whether you’re on Hillcrest Road, on the Williams Park blocks, near Snider Plaza, or between Lovers Lane and Mockingbird, discretion isn’t a perk — it’s standard. Alarm codes, smart locks, cameras, and gate codes stay with the one assigned person.
Pet-Friendly Spots Our University Park Sitters Love
University Park has ten beautifully maintained city parks and some of the most walkable, dog-friendly streets in all of Dallas. Here are the favorites our sitters recommend:
Centennial Park, still known locally as Goar Park — 3800 University Boulevard. The city lists it as “Centennial (formerly Goar) Park,” and both names are in daily use. Open lawns, a gazebo, practice soccer fields, walking and jogging trails and picnic facilities. It is where the Mayor presents the Citizen of the Year plaque after the City’s annual Fourth of July parade, and it is the most reliable leashed-walk destination in the 75205 half of the city.
Coffee Park — Recently renovated with a trail system, historical dioramas, picnic spots, athletic fields, and the ADA-compliant Murzin Playground. One of our sitters’ favorite routes for midday walks — shaded, quiet, and well-maintained.
Williams Park — Features lighted pickleball courts, an ADA playground, a fishing lake, walking trails, and the community’s beloved “LOVE” sculpture. A pleasant loop walk for dogs who enjoy a scenic, relaxed outing.
Caruth Park — A peaceful park with a pond, open fields, and walking paths that feel almost countryside despite the urban setting. Popular with dog walkers who prefer a quieter atmosphere.
SMU Campus — The shaded sidewalks and beautifully landscaped grounds of the SMU campus are one of the best dog-walking routes in University Park. Your dog will get plenty of attention from students and professors. Watch for hot pavement in summer — our sitters time walks for mornings and evenings.
Snider Plaza — University Park’s de facto town square. While not a park, many shops welcome leashed dogs, and several restaurants have dog-friendly patios. A great destination for an afternoon stroll with your pup.
University Park Neighborhoods We Serve
University Park is its own incorporated city, not a Dallas neighborhood and not Highland Park. The two of them together make the Park Cities: about 25,000 people live in University Park across roughly 7,000 homes, five miles north of downtown Dallas, and 87 percent of adults here hold a college or advanced degree. Two ZIP codes cover the city — 75205 and 75225 — and both print “Dallas, TX” on the envelope. That single postal quirk is why so many residents type “Dallas pet sitter” when what they actually want is someone who already knows their block.
75205 — University Boulevard, Hillcrest and the SMU side
This is the southern and eastern half of the city, and it is thick with small parks the city maintains itself. Burleson Park at 3000 University Boulevard has a walking and jogging trail and lighted tennis courts. Centennial Park at 3800 University Boulevard is the one long-time residents still call Goar Park — the city lists it as “Centennial (formerly Goar) Park” — and it has a gazebo and walking trails. Germany Park at 6401 Lomo Alto Drive has a track and adult fitness equipment. Williams Park at 6400 Park Street has a fishing lake, lighted pickleball courts and the LOVE sculpture. Walt Humann Park at 2611 Rosedale Avenue has two small playgrounds and botanical plantings, and Davis Park at 4519 Drane Drive is little more than a trail, benches and a shade structure, which is exactly what an arthritic old retriever wants at two in the afternoon. Southern Methodist University sits inside this part of the city and carries a ZIP of its own, 75275.
75225 — Snider Plaza, Preston Center and the Caruth Park streets
Snider Plaza opened in 1927 at the corner of Hillcrest and Lovers Lane and is still the walkable heart of the city. Preston Center, at Preston Road and Northwest Highway, is inside University Park city limits — 8300 Preston Center Plaza returns “University Park city, 75225” from the Census geocoder, which surprises people who assume it is Dallas. The parks on this side are the bigger ones: Caruth Park at 7801 Hillcrest has a fishing lake and a walking trail, Coffee Park at 3400 Northwest Parkway has sculptures along its trail, Smith Park sits at 4000 Greenbrier, Shaddock Park at 4084 Lovers Lane is a fountain and stone walkways, and Hitzelberger Park and Elena’s Children’s Park fill in at 3332 Lovers Lane and 2900 Hanover Street.
Lovers Lane, where the two ZIP codes meet
Curtis Park at 3500 Lovers Lane is the honest illustration of how blurry this line is. The City of University Park publishes the park’s address as 75205; the Census geocoder returns 75225 for the same coordinates. Lovers Lane is roughly the seam, and addresses within a block of it can carry either ZIP. We do not ask clients to know which one they have. We ask for the street and the block number, and we schedule from that.
Preston Hollow and the 75225 line into Dallas
North and west of Preston Center, 75225 stops being University Park and becomes Dallas — the part of Dallas known as Preston Hollow. Both sides share the ZIP, which is why the same five digits appear on this page and on our Dallas coverage. Preston Hollow Park at 6600 Park Lane is the anchor on the Dallas side: 7.2 acres, established in 1947, with a trail, a pavilion and picnic tables. Verified by address, 6600 Park Lane returns “Dallas city, 75225.” Preston Hollow proper runs on into 75220, 75229 and 75230, and a walker who covers Preston Center on a Tuesday morning is usually covering Preston Hollow the same morning.
What our walkers actually do here
University Park’s police department runs a program called Dog Walker Watch, which asks the people already out with a leash twice a day to act as extra eyes and ears for the department and to report anything that looks wrong. Our sitters are those people, several times a day, on the same streets. The department also holds a Pooch Parade at SMU alongside National Night Out. None of that is marketing on our part — it is a city program, and it happens to describe the job precisely. If you want the neighboring coverage, we also serve Highland Park, Turtle Creek and the wider Dallas area.
How It Works — Three Easy Steps
Step 1: Tell us your street. Call (214) 574-7387, text (214) 360-7367, or book online. For University Park we want the block and the cross street more than anything else — Hillcrest above Lovers reads differently from Hillcrest below it, and the sitter who covers Snider Plaza is not always the sitter who covers the SMU blocks. Tell us about your pets, your travel dates, and anything a stranger would get wrong on day one.
Step 2: Free Meet-and-Greet — A University Park sitter comes to the house before anything is booked. You show her the routine, the food, the leash and where things live, and she asks the questions that only surface while standing in your kitchen. A key changes hands at the end if you want it to. The visit costs nothing either way.
Step 3: We take it from there. Your sitter works the plan you set at the meet-and-greet, a manager tracks the visits as they land, and the photographs come to you from inside your own house — which is what most University Park clients want when they are gone for weeks at a stretch.
Meet Our University Park Pet Sitters
You meet your assigned University Park-area sitter in your home before the first paid visit. They are a W-2 employee, not a rotating contractor. We employ pet lovers who work in their immediate neighborhoods, usually within 5 miles of their homes. Ashley and Laura handle scheduling. A manager on duty can hand a visit to any of our 250-plus sitters — the practical difference between a company and an app. No photos on this page — you meet them in person.
Our University Park sitters work only within a 5-mile radius of where they live, covering Snider Plaza, Hillcrest Road, the Burleson Park blocks, the SMU campus area, Preston Road, Lovers Lane to Mockingbird, and the Northwest Highway corridor. The person you meet is the only person entering your home.
What clients say
University Park families review us on the same Google listing as the rest of DFW — 4.9 stars from 500+ reviews. Those reviews cover the whole company, University Park visits included. Read the reviews, then meet your sitter in person.
Read our Google reviews · Call (214) 574-7387 · Text (214) 360-7367
Ready to meet your University Park pet sitter in person? The in-home consultation is free, there is no obligation, and you will know exactly who is caring for your pets before you ever book a visit.
Frequently Asked Questions About Pet Sitting in University Park
Is University Park the same thing as Highland Park?
No, though they are neighbors and people blur them together as “the Park Cities.” University Park is its own city with its own council, police, fire department and ten municipal parks. Highland Park is a separate town with a separate government, and we cover it on its own Highland Park page. Both mail as “Dallas, TX,” which is the main reason the two get confused.
Which ZIP codes does University Park sit in?
Two: 75205 and 75225. The 75205 half is shared with Highland Park and a sliver of the City of Dallas, while 75225 runs north and east toward Preston Road. You will also see 75275 on mail connected to SMU — that is a campus mailing code rather than a residential ZIP, so if you live near the university your house is still 75205 or 75225.
What does a visit cost?
A 25-minute drop-in with one pet is $25, a second pet is $3, and regular dog walking starts at $23 a walk. There is no Park Cities premium and no service fee added at the end. Everything is itemized on the rates page, and if you want a quote for a specific week, calling (214) 574-7387 is faster than working it out yourself.
Do you come to my house, or does my dog go somewhere?
We come to you, every time. Your dog walks from his own front door and sleeps in his own bed, and your cat is not loaded into a carrier. Nothing is boarded, nothing is grouped with unfamiliar animals, and no pet is transported unless you have specifically arranged it. The point of in-home care is that your animals’ day looks almost the same whether you are home or not.
Is the introduction visit free?
It is, and it happens before you commit to a single paid visit. The sitter comes to your house, meets your pets, learns the alley gate and the alarm, and writes down the routine as you describe it. You get to judge whether this is someone you want in your home while you are in another state. No charge, no pressure to book.
Who are your sitters, exactly?
People we hired, not people you found in an app. Each one is a W-2 employee who cleared a background check before starting, is bonded, and works under our commercial liability insurance. We have more than 250 employees across the Dallas–Fort Worth area and we have been staffing this business since 2003. If a problem ever arises, you are dealing with an employer, not refereeing a dispute with a freelancer.
Where do your sitters walk dogs around here?
Centennial Park at 3800 University Boulevard is the most dependable leashed walk in the 75205 half of the city — open lawns, the gazebo, walking and jogging trails, picnic ground. The city lists it as “Centennial (formerly Goar) Park” and both names are still in daily use, so do not be thrown if your neighbor calls it Goar. It is also where the Mayor hands out the Citizen of the Year plaque after the Fourth of July parade. That walk and every other one we do in the Park Cities happens on a leash from your door and back. Off-leash handling is not a service we provide.
My dog is old and does not do well in busy places. Any suggestions?
Coffee Park tends to suit that dog best. It was renovated with a proper trail system, shade, picnic spots, historical dioramas and the ADA-compliant Murzin Playground, and it stays quiet through the middle of the day. Williams Park is pleasant too, but the lighted pickleball courts make it noisier than an anxious or hard-of-hearing dog usually enjoys.
Can your sitter manage medication and injections?
Yes — oral doses, insulin, sub-q fluids, eye drops and inhalers are all part of the normal workload. We record the medication, the amount, the timing and your vet’s contact details in your file rather than relying on anyone’s memory. When a dose has to be given at a set hour, tell us at booking and we will anchor the visit schedule to it.
What if the assigned sitter cannot come?
Another one does, and we notify you rather than letting you discover it. This part of Dallas is thick with our staff, so the substitute is usually minutes away instead of across the metroplex. Since your instructions are held centrally, she arrives already knowing the code, the feeding amounts and which of your cats will try to slip out the front door.
We are gone for weeks at a time in the summer. Can you handle a long absence?
That is a good share of our University Park work — families away for most of July, or gone between the end of school and August. We can run multiple visits a day, extend the length of individual visits, alternate morning and evening coverage, and keep the house looking lived in with mail, packages and blinds. Call (214) 574-7387 with your dates and we will build the schedule rather than sell you a package.
Why use a company instead of a Rover sitter down the street?
A marketplace hands you a profile and a rating and leaves the rest to you. We hand you a company: trained employees, supervision, documented care instructions, backup coverage, and insurance that belongs to us rather than to whoever happened to accept the job. Our 4.9-star average across more than 500+ Google reviews is a record built by one business over two decades, not a single person’s recent history.
Pet Sitting and Dog Walking Jobs in University Park
DFW Pet Sitting Services is hiring pet sitters and dog walkers in University Park. We’re looking for pet lovers with flexible schedules who can accommodate occasional mid-day visits within 5 miles of their home. Nearby Highland Park, Turtle Creek, and Dallas have their own pages. Visit our jobs page for details.
Nearby areas we cover
We also have local pet sitters living in Highland Park, Turtle Creek, Dallas, Lake Highlands, Richardson and Addison. Every sitter works within about five miles of home, so you get the same person on every visit. See all 50 cities on our pet sitting service areas page.