Animals have always been a large part of my life, beginning back in elementary school when my mom bought my brother and I our first Shih-Tzu, Macie. As a young boy, I was given the opportunity to help Macie care for the puppies of all 3 of her litters, and I've loved dogs ever since. Shortly after Macie passed, my father bought a black lab named Moose, who is now almost 8 years old and living his best life. On days where my father had to work longer than expected, I would take Moose on walks and make sure he wasn't inside the house for too long of a time. Around this time, I held a job at Pampered Pets Doggy Daycare in my hometown in Northeast Indiana for a short amount of time. While the drive to work was lengthier than expected, I couldn't keep the job regardless of how much I enjoyed being paid to take care of dogs. Now, as a graduate student at SIUE, my next door neighbor owns a Mastiff-Rottweiler mix named Cuddles who just recently turned 1 year old. Weighing in at 145 pounds, he almost weighs more than my retired neighbor! As you can guess, my neighbor sometimes needs help draining Cuddles of his puppy-energy, and it's my pleasure to help her out. Not only have I had experience caring for all sizes of dogs, I have a true passion for animals in general, and specifically for dogs. It would be my absolute pleasure to be able to meet and take care of your child!