I'm a recent graduate of UW-Madison with a M.S. in Environmental Studies and now an employee at UW-Madison. I grew up in California as a go-to pup walker and cat sitter for friends/family, then moved on to walking shelter dogs while in college earning a B.S. in animal behavior. I spent a few years bouncing around the globe as a wildlife biologist before landing in Madison for grad school. I love looking after other folks' pets and will care for them as if they are my own. I've played with dogs and cats of all shapes, sizes, and attitudes and I love them all. Over the years I have been hired for a range of walking and sitting needs including taking an active dog on weekly long hikes/runs and long-term (2-3 weeks) housesitting for dogs, tortoises, cats, and even a bird. I'm comfortable looking after pets other than cats and dogs - be it lizards, birds, turtles, or anything else! I have two years of exotic animal care experience via my first job as a zoo educator and have been petsitting (and housesitting) for colleagues with a variety of pets on/off for the last several years. Now that I have my own dog, I tend to be more interested in drop-in visits or weekend housesitting rather than longer stays.