There is nothing I love more than spending time with and taking care of animals. I have owned a plethora of pets in my lifetime. Over the years I have helped take care of 15 rabbits, three dogs, four cats, and a bearded dragon. For nearly all day every day of the past 14 months (and the majority of the past 3 years) I have watched and taken care of an elderly cat and two dogs, one of whom is hyperactive and very anxious. I have lots of experience building relationships of trust with fearful dogs. My childhood dog was deeply traumatized as a pup, but with effort and love she ended up living a full and wonderful life of joy for 15 years! My best friend's dog was aggressive, fearful, and deeply untrusting. It took years of patience and work to get to this point, but we ended up being extremely close and I was dubbed one of his favorite humans! My current dog has a lot of quirks and anxiety, and it has been truly incredible watching her grow and open up to love. I adore everything about caring for pets, even the messy and hard parts. It doesn't matter if they are misbehaving or causing mischief, I always find joy and fulfillment in meeting their needs and working with them. I have experience taking care of a dog with heartworms, keeping her heart rate slow, for 3-4 months. I have experience from when my cat was in recovery from surgery; I administered her medication, fed her by hand, and cleaned her stitches. My dogs love to roughhouse but can sometimes go too far, and I am good at keeping calm and leading the situation if injuries occur. The wellbeing of animals is everything to me, and I will always do my best to make sure pets are getting the love and care they deserve. Animals are just about my favorite part of life! From August 2024 to June 2025, I worked at Best Friends Furever as a dog handler. I spent most of my hours: -Watching, caring for, and playing with the dogs -Practicing their training skills -Handling crisis situations including preventing and breaking up fights -Bonding with fearful high-stress dogs and building trust with them -Assisting customers with pick-up and drop-off -Cleaning/sanitizing play areas and crates -Washing water and food bowls I have completed the PackPro Professional Animal Care Certification Council (PACCC) certified training course for dog daycare, covering topics such as: -Dog body language -Group management -Customer service basics -Fight prevention/protocol I volunteer as a dog walker for the Baltimore County Animal Shelter. I often cat-sit for my friend, and I make sure I am devoting all my time and attention to the cats. I make sure they have enrichment and affection, while also recognizing when they need alone time. Cats are finicky beasts, but every moment they are comfortable and happy is worth it!