I have always had a wide variety of pets in my life with dogs, cats as well as pet chickens and ducks in our backyard. They bring such joy and unconditional love into our lives. When I was young I had a favorite chicken who would walk into the house to visit me in the kitchen where she would join me on my shoulder for breakfast. In my teenage years my mother took me horseback riding and I was instantly in love. I helped clean stalls, feed and lead out horses to their pastures for free rides every available weekend and holiday I could get. I also had several pet birds that were the energetic entertainment for our family. I have worked in various animal shelters where I have cleaned out dog and cat stalls and walked dogs as well as worked to socialize semi-feral kittens to help them get adopted. Right now I have an Australian Shepherd who I trained to become a certified therapy dog for The Dog Alliance. She and I used to go to the Austin courthouse to provide some much needed dog love and support to the kids in CPS and the much deserving social workers handling difficult cases. Over the last couple of years I have taken care of my neighbors' homes and pets while they were on vacation. Walking dogs, letting them out for potty breaks and playtime, feeding horses, watering plants, taking in trash barrels and getting mail are some of the things I did for them.