I am a life-long animal lover with lots of experience caring for my own and others’ pets. My background is in clinical psychology and early childhood care and education. as I continue my clinical training, I also gain a great deal of joy from maintaining connections to the world of animal care. I believe that animals not only need physical exercise, but also plenty of mental stimulation with games, enriched environments, learning opportunities, and snuggles. I have walked dogs, dog sat, and house sat off and on for 30 years. I have a long history of caring for my own dogs, guinea pigs, rats, and birds, and after nearly four decades of considering myself an exclusively “dog person,” I am thrilled to have welcomed two cats into my pack. Over the summer I also acquired 3 Icelandic lambs as fiber pets, and I have fallen in love with these little ruminants. With the exception of a brief college break, I've lived with and cared for dogs since the age of 3 years. I have worked with them in obedience and agility, as well as did brief forays into water rescue and sheep herding. I have attended clicker training workshops and have read extensively on positive training methods for dogs. In addition, I have cared for cats in their homes and have had my own cats for four years. For kitty clients, I follow their lead in terms of how much interaction they like. For some, all they would like is another presence in the room for a half hour. For others, we engage in mouse chase, laser pointer hunts, and plenty of snuggles.