My family rescued our first dog, April from the local dive bar when I was six years old. According to the vet, April was just two weeks. She had been separated from her mother at birth and hadn’t even opened her eyes yet. My parents worried she'd be too much trouble. I begged to keep her and promised I'd take care of her. April became my sister, my best friend, and my greatest teacher. I fed April from a bottle, taught her how to walk up the stairs, and took her to puppy training classes. April taught me the practice of presence, and the value of unconditional love. Our time spent together makes up some of my most cherished childhood memories. At the age of 13, pet-sitting became my first job. I loved it so much, I didn’t even understand how it could be considered a job. I took care of the animals, and the animals took care of me. In my decade+ of pet-sitting, I’ve worked with a range of breeds, ages, and temperaments. Walking 100lb. pitbulls with fear aggression. Administering medication to seniors. Feeding finicky rescued stray cats. I even fostered and re-homed an abandoned puppy that found me on the beaches of Costa Rica. I can confidently claim that I’ve never once had an animal “reject” me as their caretaker, and I think that says a lot. In the last 6 years, I’ve been living and traveling as a digital nomad. My lifestyle doesn’t currently allow for a pet of my own, so pet-sitting is a blessing that allows me the opportunity to care for pets as if they were my own.