I’ve had a dog since I was 9, and starting at about age 12 I would take care of him or her by myself for a few hours on the weekends when my parents were at work and running errands. I would walk him around the neighborhood when my parents got me my first dog when I was 9, and helped make sure the food and water bowl was full. When we got a surprise litter of puppies when I was 11, I helped make sure they were fed every two hours when the vet told us the mom needed help feeding the puppies since it was a large litter. Neighbors started asking me to walk and feed and check on their dogs when I was 16. Older dogs or dogs who have medical problems aren’t a problem for me either, as I’ve had experience in helping take care of them as well. We have older dogs now and have dogs that have medical problems and need medication daily; I also have experience with epilepsy in dogs and know firsthand how important it is that dogs who require medication(s) get them on time no matter what they are used to treat. I will happily provide updates whenever asked as I know how stressful it is leaving your pup (puppy or older dog or any age in between) even if it’s just for a few hours to go to work. I’ve also dealt with dogs who suffer from separation anxiety and dogs who have had a bad past and need a little time to become comfortable with a new person. I will never hit an animal, I only use positive reinforcements as recommended to me by a trainer, and work to gain their trust and make sure to plainly communicate to that animal (dog or otherwise) what I want from them. I also have experience with high energy breeds, herding dogs, and dogs with a high prey drive as we’ve had a husky (he died from epilepsy complications caused by a brain tumor) and we currently have a herding dog who is high energy and has strong herding instincts. I’m not prejudiced against any dog or particular breed like some people are since I understand that a dog of a “vicious” breed i.e. German Shepard, Rottweiler, Pitbull, etc. can be the sweetest dog you’ve ever met or the meanest dog you’ve ever met it all depends on how they’ve been raised not just what their breed is; the same goes for any dog no matter what breed. I’m currently unemployed so I have plenty of time to spend with your precious dog or dogs. I prefer to give myself enough time to make sure the dog(s) get a good walk in depending on their needs (an older arthritic dog won’t be able to go as far as a young, hyper dog) and make sure they have plenty of water and if needed plenty of food and give them play time and human interaction time, not just arrive, walk the dog(s) and leave as soon as the walk is over. I’m currently available every day of the week, but will notify in advance if something comes up like a doctor appointment or something that would interfere with any given day. Currently, we don’t have a fenced in yard but we have four dogs who go outside on leash to walk around, explore, play, and do their business whenever they need to go. All four are dog friendly with dogs their size and bigger (50 pounds and up) but haven’t been tested around small dogs much. They are all up to date on their vaccines and if they start trying to cause problems, I can easily crate whichever of them is causing the problem. I always prefer to do an introduction on neutral territory or at least in the yard with both dogs on leash to see how they do before introducing the next of pack to the new dog until all have met before moving to try it inside on leash and eventually inside off leash with all toys, water bowls, and food bowls put up so there’s not a fight over resources. I will happily provide updates as frequently as requested and video updates or video chat if the dog will tolerate a video chat (some dogs do not do well with video chat or phone calls because they can hear their owner during phone call but can’t find them or can see them during the video chat but can’t find them when it’s over). I will never leave dogs unattended for any length of time until I know they will all get along and then would only leave the room to go to the kitchen or the bathroom or something like that but will never leave unattended for more than a couple of minutes once it’s been established that everyone is getting along. I will crate or put one or more of ours in a different room if need be to keep everyone safe. I can also crate and give medicines if need be for the visiting pet(s).