The best gift you can give your best friend is play time! I can spend hours a day throwing sticks and balls for dogs. I grew up with a black Labrador retriever on the Shenandoah River, and when I lived in Boston for school, I frequently took care of my teacher’s Australian Shepherd and Labrador-Pyrenees mix. I recently moved to the Hudson Valley area and am missing having the loving support of doggies in my life. Developing a relationship with dogs is important, and even if your dog is recently rescued or has a history of abuse, I am very good at approaching pets in a non-threatening manner so we develop a mutual trust and loving relationship. It makes me so happy to brighten any dog’s day with play time, but I also have no hesitation to discipline dogs and train them (with the owner’s permission, of course).