I feel like I have been taking care of pets since the beginning of time! Which, I have, sort of, at least the beginning of my time... Both of my parents have always had dogs and my mom had cats, too, so growing up, I helped out with all animal care duties (walking dogs, picking up after them, feeding/watering, cleaning litterbox, etc.) as part of my daily chores - my first job I ever had at eight years old was “pooper scooper” (so glamorous!). I love the varied personalities of dogs and specifically, as an active person, I love spending time with them outside, either at the dog park or going for walks or throwing the ball around in the backyard. I love animals, though haven't had a household pet since leaving my parent's home, as I've been nomadic for much of my twenties or living the "tiny house life" in my early thirties. Yet, I did have a homestead in rural VA outside of Richmond with many ducks, three goats, and a farm kitty named Mr. Mewp. I've been house-sitting for my aunt in Virginia for 9 years now, which includes her four cats and pool, and have done some farm-sitting on a small organic farm (including an outdoor dog, two indoor/outdoor kitties, and many chickens) in Green Bay, Virginia, with several other types of house-sitting gigs for family and friends in between. Further, I am a member of the TrustedHousesitter community and have spent spring and summer of 2021 doing various dog/housesits for 1-2 weeks at a time in the Detroit-metro area. My paid time is spent as a full-time college professor at a local college, where I've recently learned to actually love teaching online and the flexibility it affords my life. This also frees me up to do daily dog walks, since I work from home and set my own schedule. For pets, I'm a very caring and empathetic person, so making sure a dog gets walked for exercise or a potty break at the appropriate time is my top priority - I wouldn't want to wait if I had to go! Also, I believe in lots of exercise in my own life, which translates to my love of helping dogs get the exercise they need in order to be happy and sane, too. For homes, I am a tidy person by nature and am happiest in a clean, well-organized home and tend to keep my space or any place I am staying just as sorted. I'm a firm believer of leaving spaces cleaner than I left them and am not one for wild parties. I also like to organize as a hobby, so if you have any minor organization projects you would like help with, I would be more than happy (seriously!) to help.