I have been a dog sitter most of my life and just found this wonderful site when I needed a sitter for my sweet 4 year old St. Bernard. He is a giant puppy that knows to lay down to smaller animals and is exactly the gentle giant the breed is known for. He's my lap dog for sure and loves to play in the pool on hot days (even though he should know that when ice melts it becomes water and that's bad for a snow dog LOL). I also have a cat and she loves my giant Saint. They are best friends and have no clue they are different in size and shape. They play like crazy animals and I laugh watching daily. When my family leaves town they always leave their babies with me and I let them have the run of the house. I do have a pool as stated above and it is not fenced. Because of this, if you have a small dog that you don't want to go out without proper supervision I am completely understanding of this. I go home at lunch daily and live 20 minutes from work. My babies are never alone more than a few hours a day. They are my life....don't tell my children. My children are 7 and 10 year old boys. They are precious and know how important it is to look out for animals. They are well aware that animals can't "talk" to you so you need to love them and teach them to do whatever they need in this world. They are both extremely respectful boys and at their other home live with a rottie that is also their world. I feel that animals are the heart and soul of life. "Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened" by Anatole France