As a loving dog owner myself, I sympathize with the need for customized care while you're away. I am here to help keep your pet’s usual routine, exercise and enrichment activities while you're away. As a responsible professional, I take my commitments seriously. This includes following your directions and caring for your pet the way you prefer. I am a stickler for details and safety. Personally, it’s difficult for me to trust people with my own dog, so I know how important it is to follow an owner’s directions and make sure your pet has the environment and enrichment that they need. Caring for dogs has been a lifelong hobby for me. I grew up with dogs as pets and have watched my friends’ and family’s pets throughout my life. I truly enjoy my time with dogs, which I think helps them be at ease while you’re away. There are very few other things I'd rather do than take a dog for a walk! Pooches keep us humble and remind us to live in the moment. My full-time job is in secondary research, and my favorite "off hours" topic is dogs. Learning about their behavior, needs and evolution is endlessly fascinating to me. While I'm a relative layman (much respect to trainers & vets!), I'm well versed in canine safety and understanding their behaviors and context. I was motivated to work through Rover because my own dog doesn't do well with boarding, and we have found our amazing sitters here (my dog is home with his Dad while I’m sitting for you). So, when I saw the need in our community for more pet care options that take on only one pet (or family) at a time, I realized it would be a natural and rewarding use of my time.