I grew up raising dogs, cats, chickens, rabbits, geese, pigeons, hamsters, mice, rats, parakeets, and horses. I was on the AKC show circuit with my stepmom from ages 8-13, showing Scotties. I won "Best Jr. Handler" at an AKC event. The bad news is that I was competing against the boy I had a crush on, and beating him didn't impress him in the way I hoped it would ;-) I take care of my friends' animals (dogs, cats, and chickens, mostly) when they go out of town, and they have told their friends. It's a way for me to get petting time, because my landlords don't allow dogs. I'm an English teacher, but I have my own business teaching Shakespeare to kids, so my schedule is fairly flexible.