Hello, I was raised with every pet from dogs to snakes. While I am new using Rover, I have done pet sitting all throughout my adult life. I love all animals and hope to spend time with yours! I have taken care of cats my whole life but have spent the past few years in school for law and showing dogs professionally. This comes with experience in whelping litters, emergency and primary vet care, transport, nutrition, conditioning/exercise, training, cleaning and general care for dogs. I also have fostered for many years in both California and Arizona which comes with experience in temperament evaluation and training, medications, quarantining pets when necessary and working with very young and very old animals. While I have a lot of experience in taking care of pets, I respect that everyone has a right to do it differently, and keep an open mind in how to care for pets. I always follow directions from the owner even if they conflict with how I take care of my own pets as long as it is not directly harming the pet. *ADDITIONAL NOTE ON DOG WALKING* For any dog 45 lbs or heavier I require a slip collar and leash that does not have a bungee feature on it. This is for the controllability of the dog which ultimately leads to the safety of both myself and the dog. I have extensive experience using slip collars and know how to properly put them on and use them as to not choke or otherwise harm the dog. I understand people may be hesitant to use these on their pet, however if used correctly, it does not hurt the dog and makes them easier to control. For the leash, I again am aware that some people consider bungee leashes to be safe, however the bungee effect itself can trick the shoulders muscles into relaxing and when the dog reaches the end of the leash, can pop the shoulder out of the socket. Additionally, the bungee effect can make it harder to quickly reel in a dog in the event of an unfriendly dog approaching, a piece of glass or otherwise harmful material on the ground that the dog could step on, etc. While I am not usually willing to negotiate these conditions for my own and the dog's safety, I am open to hearing explanations for individual and unique scenarios. I also understand that some people may be hesitant to use a slip collar, so I am absolutely willing to explain how they work safely, trial it on your dog and then trial an alternative method if need be. I hope you understand that safety will always come first, and for me, this is one of the precautions that I take learning from my own experience and other professional dog handlers.