I love animals and enjoy the pure, innocent happiness that they feel and show when they're loved. Animals have always been a part of my life and I can't imagine it without my furbabies: Mr Roo, Chloe Boxcat, Rockit Baby and Keating, PhD, chief water inspector. They are my world and the reason we can't have nice things, simultaneously. I believe that animals deserve to be treated with respect, dignity and a whole lot of silliness. There are many reasons that a dog may misbehave and it's important to be patient and kind to them. A dog that trusts you is your best friend forever, no matter what. And, let's be honest, where would we all be without puppy kisses and cuddles? Growing up, we had an Australian Shepard named Fox, an Alaskan Malamute/Collie named Chappy and a Siberian Husky/Shepard named Dax, as well as Gizmo, Stormi, Shadow and Kizmet, the various cats of my childhood. It was my responsibility to ensure that they were cared for, and we quickly became friends that trusted and respected each other. In my experience, positive reinforcement is the most successful and, well, positive training method, and it is how I train the dogs and cats (mine dance for treats) that I care for. I'm all about positivity. I'm also experienced with special needs dogs, Chappy had hip dysplasia and Dax had severe anxiety and threw up in cars a lot. Recognizing signs of stress and soothing dogs became a very necessary part of my life during my time caring for them. Also, I've had dog puke on me like a million times so I've got a pretty strong stomach for dog byproducts. My cats right now are pudding - in that they're so laid back and cuddly that it's like holding a furry bag of pudding. They socialise very well with other animals. Keating is pretty much a dog, so he likes playing. Chloe and Rocket are less playful, and they just ignore anyone they don't want to talk to. There aren't any dogs living with me at the moment. In 2015 I tried adopting Lucy, an Akita/Labrador. Unfortunately, due to condo board restrictions, I was unable to complete the adoption. Since then, adopting another dog has crossed my mind, but I'm waiting to find one that fits in as well with the family as Lucy did. My goal is to become a registered social worker, because I want to do my part to make the world a little bit better and happier, and I think it would be the perfect fit for my skill set. Right now, I am volunteering with organizations that I believe are making the world a better place on a weekly or monthly basis. To pay the bills, I work as a part time additional cast member with a dinner theatre. My schedule is flexible, and I can usually be free with a couple of days notice if necessary. In my spare time, I like to draw and paint things that I never show anyone, sew literally anything - because making something out of nothing is fascinating to me (your pup will play with tons of homemade, safe toys), add more things to my bucket list and watch Netflix. I like to keep things simple and organized, while seeing the humor and positivity in it all. Spending time happy is the best way to spend it, and dogs are the happiest creatures in the world. They know a thing or two about pure joy; we could all learn something from them and I spend my time with dogs learning all that I can. If you would like to know any more about me, please feel free to ask.