I've cared for family pets since 5 years old looking after Grandma's purebred standard Collie, Mickey, looking like Timmy and Lassie. Mickey was the runt of the litter, suffering from dwarfism and hip dysplasia. Unrelated Mickey lived 13 years after the vet said 18-24 months. I used to be a surrogate to a White Lab, Maxx, the goose dog on the grounds of Noyac CC. Three school days and Saturdays I took care of Maxx, and tried to keep him from eating my pet ferret, and explain to my ferret antagonizing a natural hunting dog is not smart. Recently I was entrusted with looking after the dapper Dashford Wellington III, the regal Beagle. I would walk him, socialize him with children and other dogs. House broke him. Taught him a bunch of tricks, and just generally had a good time kicking it with my canine buddy. To sum it all up, yeah this is a job, and any funds earned will pay my rent. But what I may lack hands on, I make up for by truly being a "Dog Person" and following any instructions to the letter.