Since I was a small child, our family had dogs and my mother told me that when I was little, if she put the collie in the backyard with me while I played in the sandbox, she would come outside to find both me and the collie asleep under a tree. So the connection to dogs has been present since I was very young. Growing up, our black Lab had her surprise litter of pups on my bed, because she knew who would end up being "mom" to them. I took care of our family dogs, walked them, fed them, checked for signs of ill health, etc. My sister's rescued chocolate Lab who was untrained and a beast was a naughty boy for anyone but me. I trained him by being calm and staying calm, and letting him know I was the "alpha" here, not him. I am calm, comfortable, appropriate with boundaries with dogs, and while on walks, keep an eye out for distractions (other dogs, kids playing), and steer those four paws away from trouble. Most importantly, I simply and truly love everything about dogs.