I first became a "dog Mum" 15 years ago to our Westie, Elland, who sadly we lost recently. I sadly was that annoying "Dog Mum" who had pictures of her on my desk and booked holiday for her birthday each year. I took voluntary redundancy nearly 6 years ago so have been fortunate to spend quality time at home with her and take her out and about on our own or with her other doggy friends. Unfortunately she lost her hearing about 3 years ago so learnt quickly how to communicate with her with some basic sign language. She also developed dry eye disease so I had to administer drops 5 times each day. Two of these were determined by time so I had to ensure I was available to give her these on time. The last 5 months of her life, her arthritis worsened so I bought a buggy to help her whilst out for daily walks/sniffs. I have also looked after family dogs whilst they have been on holiday and have accomodated raw feeding for one of family dogs. I live with my husband in a bungalow. He still works but is here in the evenings and at weekends. I work during examination periods at a local college but can accomodate pet sitting around this as dates are known well in advance. My contract with the college is ona casual basis so dog sitting will be my priority. We have used a local dog sitter who stayed in our home when we went on holiday. I therefore understand the importance of providing important information to the pet sitter when leaving the pet. When I first stopped working I volunteered for a local hospice helping support a family who used their services, by walking their dog on a weekly basis to give them some respite and also encourage the dog to socilise. I did this for 12 months. I also volunteered at Wood Green Animal Charity during Covid restrictions. Although I was there to help in the fundraising office, we often had dogs who weren't settling in kennels, come and sit with us in the office for the day. Some were quite withdrawn so I learnt how to slowly gain their trust.