With decades of experience caring for pets, for Rover customers, I also bring outdoor education training from a top rated university, health and fitness experience (Division 1 soccer, track and field, frisbee, rugby, yoga, meditation), and an understanding of psychology from 40 graduate credit hours in social science about mental health and time with nature. Further, I have some medical awareness from my mother, a retired pharmacist, who was in med school when I was in elementary and middle school and who recommends evaluating lifestyle before prescribing. When House-Sitting, I consistently message daily with clear information and photos so you know your animals and home are well cared for because then your travel and time away from home are more likely to be positive and successful. For customers traveling away from home, what I have found works very well is either a first meeting via a Dog Walk or Drop-In Visit or scheduling the start time a couple of hours before you actually depart. Sometimes I have also gone on a walk with the owner immediately before the time of departure. For customers traveling to this area, what looks to work best is if your profile has your home address, then request one or more bookings (Dog Walk, Drop-In Visit, or House-Sitting), and via messaging you and I specify location (family's house, hotel, AirBNB, etc.) and timeframe. BRIEF TIMELINE OF EXPERIENCE WITH PETS AND ANIMALS 2020s- Housesitting, dog walking, and pet care via Rover, including support of pets who are a healthy weight, life-loving, and fit, those pets are elderly, and those pets are working on improving mental problems (often anxiety) or physical (often weight). Dog walking for family. Fish identification. I also open-water swim in the Huron River, for many years now. At this point, some of the turtles, birds, fish, and aquatic mammals know me! 2010s- Housesitting and dog walking for neighbors and friends, before I knew about Rover. (One neighbor was a project manager with funding from the US Department of Defense. Another customer's property overlooked their neighbor's tennis courts and a lake, and their daughter was a foreign advisor to a US president.) Bird and mammal identification. 2000s- Pet care for my own cats. Housesitting and dog walking for neighbors. Plant and insect identification. 1990s- Feeding and walking our and neighbors' dogs around the block. Observations of aquatic and aerial animals. EXPERIENCE TENDING TO OTHER PEOPLE'S PETS From uniquely and lovingly preparing food for cats, fish, and dogs to consistently walking dogs of many ages, I am attentive, consistent, and sensitive when interacting with animals. I have been walking dogs and caring for cats and other pets of friends and family since my youth. Because I am an ecologist, I also have experience with the heightened awareness of wildlife. Therefore, my intuitive understanding of household animals was earned from being ethical and hardworking in addition to years of scholastic endeavors in natural habitats. I also have displayed success working with anxious pets from my experience with decades of mediation, yoga, and familiarity with behavioral psychology techniques (EMDR, CBT, and DBT) in addition to knowledge of the psychology of interior and exterior environments and the relationship of living beings with the natural world. For those whose pets seem anxious, my mother, aforementioned, who is a pharmacist, has often said to help with lifestyle problems before prescribing. I would encourage some owners to talk to different veterinarians if necessary. Many of the pets who have anxiety problems have shown improvement when the owner is also willing to change- better eating behaviors (sometimes more food, sometimes less food yet more frequent meals), different types of exercise (more time in natural environments without technology, i.e. Richard Louv), comfort toys like stuffed animals and blankets, and freshening up the home (reorganization, more frequent cleaning). EXPERIENCE TENDING TO MY AND MY FAMILY'S PETS I value animals and the contribution they bring to the home. I owned two cats in my adulthood- Camille, from age 10 to 19, who required careful end-of-life attention, and Charlie, from age 2 to 4, who was gifted to a high school buddy when I moved. In my childhood, time with pets involved mostly caring for and training dogs (one Jack Russell Terrier, Dexter, and, before Dexter, a rescue, Shadow). Dexter was purchased at 10 weeks from a breeder in the country. Dexter often exercised in the house, fetching rope bones, went on short walks, and self-regulated his food and water intake with paired bowls full of water and Kibbles & Bits. He liked bacon treats and canned Alpo food. In nicer weather and when he was older, Dexter liked longer walks to the neighborhood park and playground. When younger and everyone was at school or work all day, Dexter utilized a 4' square of newspapers for accidents. Shadow was the family's first dog, a mixed breed from the pound named by my older sister because he was black. Dad was raised that animals stayed outside, so Shadow had a homemade doghouse painted brown. At the old house, he had the run of the chainlink fenced backyard and sometimes dug his way under the gates when he wanted to visit the neighbors. At our second house, he had a long chain on a tether and ran in arcs or circles aside from dog walks around the block. While the winters were warm, on nights that very cold, we implored Dad to allow Shadow inside. Shadow would then sleep in a box with old towels for the night, much to our glee. I also tended to about ten hamsters, gerbils, and one black and white spotted rabbit, and my brother had a chameleon and an ant farm. In my youth, after discovering a deceased mother rabbit, three healthy baby rabbits (kit), and one kit with a broken led, my mother, my siblings, and I fed and cared for the four kits until they were old enough to release at the local nature center. My rabbit was the strongest, and I named him Thumper. In addition, we fed a squirrel small pieces of American singles. RESOURCES If you like many kinds of animals, The Creature Conservancy on Ann Arbor-Saline Road is open Saturdays and Sundays from 12pm-5pm. I have been there solo, with friends, and with family when they visit! Snow leopards, reindeer, bald eagles, a bat roost, porcupines, finches, kangaroos, Albino alligators, wombats, and more! The Huron River Humane Society on Cherry Hill Road is also a wonderful place to visit to cheer up yourself and the animals waiting for adoption.