My name is Ann-Marie and I am here to help put your mind at ease. I am a professional pet sitter and dog walker. This is not a hobby or something that I do on the side and that shows through in the quality of my care. I understand how stressful it can be to have to leave your pet, whether it be to go to work during the day or away on vacation or business. There is no need to leave your pet at a kennel when they can simply stay in the comfort of their own home or mine! I love to send my pet parents pictures of their pets throughout the stay so they can see how they are doing. I have always had a deep love and appreciation for all animals, especially dogs. I just feel an instant connection with them. I grew up in a small suburb in New Jersey and my family always had at least four dogs in the house. I moved to a large house in Dutchess County that has a large fenced in back yard. I will feed, exercise, play with and love your dog like they were my own. They are in good hands with me. If you need your pooch walked I do dog-walking as well. Depending on your preference I can take them around the local neighborhood or on a trail hike. I enjoy working with dogs of all kinds and look forward to meeting yours! I grew up in a multiple dog household and cared for four dogs as an adult. My grandfather and uncle are both veterinarians and I grew up visiting and helping out at their hospitals. This gave me a very solid knowledge of basic animal behavior, handling and training. I have volunteered at the Ramapo Bergen Animal Refuge, Dumont Animal Hospital and Westchester SPCA. I use positive reinforcement only when handling pets. How I got started: I loved spending time with animals so much that when a friend needed someone to watch their pet while they were gone I would volunteer. Eventually I started getting recommended to other friends and I realized this would be a great opportunity to make some money doing what I love! Why I love dog sitting: I have been a dog lover basically all of my life. Ever since I was a little girl I've felt I had a deeper connection with dogs than most people. I can remember my grandma had a really old, cranky German Shephard mix named Bozo that would snap at other people if they tried to get too close to him. But I would fall asleep on him all the time and everyone was amazed at the bond we shared. When I was 9 years old my father passed away and about 6 months later my mom rescued a Beagle puppy named Winkie. I'll never forget how much joy Winkie brought to the house. That has stayed with me throughout my life and probably the reason why I love dogs so much. They just love unconditionally and make it easy to stay in the moment and enjoy the small things in life. My experience administering medication: I am VERY comfortable administering medication. I have a lot of experience caring for dogs who are sick or need to be given medicine. My family dog, Winkie, lived to be 13 and I took care of her till the very end when she was deaf, blind, and suffering from "doggie dementia." She was taking about 4 pills a day and at the end was very fussy about them. I found all kinds of ways to make sure she got her pills. I used all of the tricks in the book, from hiding them in meat in cheese to grinding them up and mixing them with a little ice cream. My grandma's second German Shepherd mix, Buddy, came to live with me when she couldn't take care of him anymore because he had a cancerous tumor. The tumor was on the outside of his hind leg and every day I would clean it and bandage it to keep him as comfortable as possible till he passed. Our other Beagle, Gracie, developed renal failure at 6 years old and I cared for her for 3 months till she passed away. She wasn't able to eat solid food so I would mix baby food with a little Pedialyte and hand feed it to her with a large syringe. I have seen everything there is to see when it comes to dogs and illnesses or medical issues. I am comfortable giving pills, administering shots, applying creams, giving eye drops, giving ear drops and anything else that your dog may need. I've done it all before.