I’m Kathy, an animal/wildlife appreciator. Growing up, I always had a pet to adore. My family generally had either a cat or a dog, and occasionally a rabbit or gerbil or guinea pig. We also rescued a couple of baby squirrels after the mother was hit by a car. We raised them until they were able to fend for themselves. I’m very comfortable around animals and they seem to be comfortable around me. I’ve traveled extensively and have had lots of encounters with exotic animals. In the Amazon, I had a “baby” howler monkey crawl up my side and wrap its legs and arms around me and stayed sitting on my hip the entire time I was touring Monkey Island – a reserve for rescued baby monkeys. In Antarctica, I was sitting near the water watching a large group of penguins long enough that the penguins decided to check me out. One penguin got up on my lap. In Kenya, I ran a marathon on a course full of wildlife. At one point during the race, I was running behind a zebra. Currently, because of my travels, I don’t have my own pet. So working as a pet sitter gives me the opportunity to be around others’ dogs or cats.