About 4 years ago I fell in love with a friend's German Shepherd. I then became obsessed with all things dog. I read several books by Patricia McConnell, Ian Dunbar, and Stanley Cohen. Despite trying to stay strong, I eventually caved and adopted a high-maintenance Labrador Retriever while still in college. He came with pretty severe separation anxiety, and I immediately got to work. With the assistance of great vets, and awesome trainer, and medication and exercise, he became pretty easy to live with. I started working as a grooming assistant at Petco for the discounts, and loved meeting and working with dogs. Difficult dogs didn't faze me, and I segwayed that into part-time dog sitting and walking for owners I knew from the dog park. I spent so much time at the Iowa City dog park they even offered me a job as a park attendant. I'm not frightened of difficult dogs. If there's a behavior that I think is outside of my knowledge base, I will point you to resources and trainers that I think will be able to handle it. And also, I can bike ride with your dog if you have one that's especially hyperactive.