My first animal sitting experience was when I was 6. I had already been asking for a dog for three years and was ecstatic over any animal with which I made contact. Our neighbor would occasionally travel and my mom and I would look in on her cats, hedgehogs, and tortoise! I could never wait for the next time our neighbor had to travel because it meant I got to visit all of her wonderful animals. At 9 I got my dream dog and she was my best bud until she passed when I was in college. During my high school years, I cared for my family's small flock of goats and I never missed an opportunity to pet the horses that roamed our property. While in college I took any chance I had to watch a friend's cat or dog. When I graduated I got an orange tabby of my own, Redford (named after the dashing Robert Redford). To this day, I don't meet a cat or dog that I don't want to make friends with.