I'm excited to get back into petsitting and dog walking after taking a break from a demanding job as a first responder in the animal rescue field. I know how challenging it can be to trust someone to care for your pets and how rewarding it is to find that perfect sitter to provide you with peace of mind while you are at work or out of town. I pride myself on crafting individualized care plans with pet parents and keeping pets happy and healthy by focusing on every detail, including the perfect amount of treats and number of belly scratches! In addition to being an animal lover (like everyone else - who doesnt love dogs?!), I have over 15 years professional experience working with animals in a variety of settings, including the veterinary field (as a veterinary technician), petsitting companies, and animal shelters/humane societies (as an Animal Control Officer, Field Coordinator for a community outreach program, humane law enforcement/animal control dispatcher, and volunteer dog foster parent specializing in challenging medical cases, behavioral treatment and young puppies.) I am comfortable and experienced caring for all types of pets - I don't discriminate on the basis of breed or size - including animals with medical conditions and other special needs. I'm happy to administer medications and other treatments as needed. I especially love a big, active, playful and doofusy dog, but I also find it rewarding to earn the trust of the nervous and fearful dogs and cats and keep them comfortable and safe during our walks/visits. As an animal control officer in DC, I responded to emergency situations where something had gone wrong, whether it involved an injured, abused or lost animal, a bite incident or a medical emergency, so my focus while pet-sitting is to learn from others' mistakes and accidents in order to make sure everything goes right while I'm responsible for a client's pet. I am very, very protective of the health and safety of the animals I am entrusted to care for. I have excellent animal handling skills, situational awareness, an ability to observe and predict behavioral or medical issues before they arise and become a problem, and an ability to solve problems creatively and respond with a level head to stressful emergency situations. Hopefully we never need it, but I am trained and certified in pet first aid and CPR. In addition to growing up with probably too many cats, I have four dogs of my own: two active, playful youngsters (a 2 year old silly pitbull named Minnow and a 3 year old hyper and yappy cattle dog mix named Badger) and two lazy senior-aged couch-potatoes (a 14 year old kayaking and swimming pitbull named Sharky and a snuggly pitbull named Fender, who is a 15 year old respected elder, surrogate momma and role model for foster puppies). I am looking forward to meeting your pet/"fur-baby"/family member/best friend and learning about their routine, favorite toys and treats, and the best places to walk and play! Amy