As someone who used to read and memorize dog encyclopedias and bird training books for fun as a child, I have a long history of working with animals. As a teen, I regularly took on pet-sitting gigs. Before I moved to SF, I rescued, rehabilitated, trained, and rehomed dozens of dogs, cats, and even some birds for years. I was an on-call pet handler for a senior home complex. (I handled the frightened pets when their owners passed away) and pet care was also among my duties when I worked as an elderly caregiver. I’ve tamed many a grouchy senior cat and I’m more than comfortable working with nervous, high-energy, reactive dogs. I have a lot of experience with training young and mature dogs in self control, curbing leash-pulling, and recall.