I am a mature (young 'n old spirit) licensed naturopathic doctor (lic in AZ). I love dogs, cats, small mammals and generally get along with most of the animals that I meet. (I'm highly terrified of snakes, just have to add that.) In the past years I have found my happy place is watching people's pets while getting to explore new places, both domestic and internationally. I have spent the last year, 2022-2023, travelling in Europe, Israel and Morocco while pet sitting, and the years before that, while living in Arizona, pet sitting locally and in nearby states. In the USA, I pet sit for monetary compensation, although I have yet to use Rover until now as it has been through friends and word of mouth connections. When abroad, I am a member of TrustedHousesitters (THS) because it is a safe, vetted, reliable and wonderful community of pet owners and sitters that has made travelling a furry and therefore fabulous experience. I have included many of my reviews from my year abroad from pet sits via THS and other reviews from pet owners in the states. About me....simply put, I am a caring, thoughtful individual who loves dogs and cats. I enjoy the companionship of a furry one and I like having them in my daily life. Like any pet owners, I enjoy their unique personalities, the cuddles, naps together and going for dog walks (even cat walks, while I was in Spain). I like taking care of living things, plants too! and I feel happy knowing I am making sure a pet feels safe and secure when their people are away. I felt the exact same way as a pet owner and it was the most reassuring feeling to know that my dog was in the best care and was happy in my absence. My history.....I have been a dog and cat owner for the majority of my life and that has always been important for my own happiness. Currently, I do not have a pet and have been without one for the past 4 years. Before then my dog Leila was my heart. I got her when I was living in Tel Aviv, when she was 2 months old and enjoyed every day with her until she passed in 2019, at age 14 years. Since Leila, I have yet to "meet" my next pet, but have found that pet sitting truly appeals to my lifestyle and love of animals. Some skills and niches....I would never claim to be a dog trainer, but with Leila, I became very experienced with her dog training. We worked together diligently for 1.5 years to make sure that she was able to be safe and obedient while being mostly off leash in Tel Aviv. It was well worth the time and energy investment because trained dogs are much more enjoyable pets. Training her taught me so much about dogs behavior, boundaries and how dogs learn and respond to direction. When I am dog sitting, I am very comfortable reinforcing and carrying on an owners positive-training routine while they are away, as long as it is not the beginning weeks of their dog's training and my duties are to continue to reinforce already learned behaviors. For my own safety and the safety of others, and from past challenging experiences, I will not sit for dogs that are completely untrained or are large breed dogs who can/will jump on humans. For senior dogs and cats....they are so sweet and loving. I felt it was a privilege to care for Leila as she aged and I know it is a labor of love. I have pet sat for many older dogs and cats and I am comfortable with administering medication (pills, topicals, injections, insulin, etc.) and attending to their comfort levels, cleaning up after them, being patient, going on slow walks, being attentive to making walking surfaces inside and outside safe, etc. These are all part of the aging process and it's all part of the love and care of having an older pet. About me professionally, I have been a licensed naturopathic doctor for 8 years and before that worked in the field of sociology and the world of nonprofits. My nature is all about facilitating healing and caring for the well-being of people and this extends to all sentient beings and furry family members. My instinct is to try to help when I see there is a need or to assist someone or something when they are hurting or need care. I think this is also what draws me to want to care for animals and to help people who are also pet lovers, have a sense of security and ease when they have to be away from their pets.