My first best friend was my golden retriever that was in my life from before I can remember. My childhood also consisted of cats and kittens that made me smile. I was known as a child to have a "zoo" and had many small creatures. I also rescued injured animals and a friend actually delivered one to me. Very brief times that I did not have a companion by my side and I have experienced puppies to senior dogs. We have adopted over my lifetime 5 more dogs and 2 cats from the shelter or rescue groups. I treat all dogs with respect and have a lot experience with different dog needs. Some of our past dogs had high anxiety especially during storms. Our last dog was deaf and very attentive with sign language. Our current dog has one blind eye and other health needs. I considered it an honor to take care of my senior dogs and tried to make their end of life the most comfortable I could. We most recently adopted a rescue Collie that experienced severe neglect. I am happy to say he is thriving and we enjoy him so. I have tried to incorporate my masters of social work with animals when I could and my best memory is having a therapy dog visit kids that were part of my social skills prevention group. My children adore animals and I most recently have been lucky to see horses every week through my young rider and learn about the care they need. Equestrian therapy could be a future endeavor of mine. Simply put, I love animals, love caring for them, and would treat your animals with as much care as I treat my own. I think animals that have no voice should be treated with care and dignity. It is plain fun to be around them and I love to meet the different animals with the very different personalities. I have a lot of experience caring for my own pets, rescue animals, my extended family's pets, helping friends with their animals, and now am branching out more and would like to help the community with their animals while they may be out of town, at work, or need help for a variety of reasons. I know from experience that when you travel or can't be with your pet, you want a reliable caring person to be there for your companion. Thank you for your consideration.