I've been an animal lover since I could remember. I grew up with many breeds of dogs and cats, birds, fish and the occasional small furry creature or fish. As an adult I've raised puppies and kittens as my fur-babies until I had real babies of my own. Now as a family we love dog-sitting, cat-sitting, or whatever-pet-you-have sitting so that we can spread the love. My pet sitting really ramped up when we moved to Germany for five years and I got to know so many international people that traveled often. We were so lucky to be able to cat sit and dog sit for countless pets in our home. I'd like to be able to continue this work in Anchorage. In particular I enjoy hiking, and I take all "my dogs" with me wherever I go when I dog-sit. (That includes taking "my dogs" on vacation with me!) I have also taken dogs to the veterinarian while they stayed with me, and I also have been known to send "my dogs" home freshly bathed. Where we live now is perfect for dog-sitting and walking, at the intersection of several major city trails. Pets are not just pets to me, they are the world's greatest companions. I have three children that are in school during the weekdays, and I have my days free to take care of your pet.I will likely have an occasional substitute teaching or substitute nursing day, but obviously I wouldn't double book after having accepted one or the other responsibility. I live in a very small neighbourhood with a beautiful shared greenspace, and we are a 5 minute walk to the intersection of several city trails. Getting dogs outside and exercised will never be an issue, and in particular I love hiking with dogs. As for inside-the-home time, I have always gotten to know a dog in the first days of having them, and figure out their personalities and routines. The owners play a critical role in letting me know what to expect. For example, I've had dogs that would have accidents in the house if they weren't kept in their kennels when left alone. Or dogs that get anxiety if they aren't kept in a small space with their favourite blanket or toy. I love having this sort of input so that we can all have a great stay. I do have two cats. One of them came with us from Germany, after we rescued her from Greece, and she has been around every dog and cat that we have had in our homes. She's resolved to not be the only animal around at this point. Our other cat is a kitten that we rescued from the ANC animal shelter the day after we arrived in ANC. He is still a kitten and adaptable. All in all, I like to say that we are the "grandparents' house" of dog and cat-sitting- we spoil them terribly with love before we give them back to you! I am not currently working a full or part time job at the moment, choosing instead to devote my time to my true loves- my family and animals. I will be potentially substitute teaching and substitute nursing in the Anchorage School District, but that will be on an as needed basis. I choose to do this because when I was in Germany I was unable to legally work under either of my licences. (I'm a licensed Registered Nurse and a licensed Attorney - both in MN for the moment.) When I had to find other things to do with my time while my kids were in school, I realised that my heart was really with taking care of other people's pets. It started by me watching a friend's dog for her trips and then it blew up from there and we routinely had dogs on vacation at our house! I have the basic taxi-mom duties right now but otherwise I am here to give your pet a vacation of their own. I live in a townhouse in a very small neighbourhood with a beautiful shared green space. We are a block away from Westchester Pond and all of the trails that emanate from there. When I dog sit, "my dogs" go everywhere with me, owner-allowing of course! If you are out of state or the country on vacation and you have your dog with me, I have been known to take "my dogs" on my vacations as well as long as you are okay with that. But when I am in town, I am often on the trails and at the parks and playgrounds nearby. There are countless opportunities for recreation right in our 2 mile radius. Despite that, I love to get out into the forest and mountains with "my dogs". They need to get great exercise, fresh air up their snoots, and mud between their paws. Don't worry, I send your fur-babies back to you smelling pristine! In Germany it is customary to have dogs off the leash in the forest and I would get chastised if I had "my dogs" on-leash. However, unless your dog is very well trained, I will be unable to take your dog on the trails off-leash due to their safety concerns. There are dogs that I've been able to long-line train to be off-leash in the forest, but that will require multiple sessions to get to that point. Just ask if that's something you want for your pet! As for when I am home, we just love our pets-on-vacation just as much as our own. Your pet will never be bored at our house, and will be horribly spoiled when you get them back. We will try to keep your pet from lounging on furniture, but if they are used to that at home it's a hard habit to break and that's okay with us. I love having a snuggle with your lap-dog (even 100 pound lap dogs) while I read my newspaper. We will also try to keep your dog off the bed at night if that's your preference. Anything that you do at home, we will try our best to replicate that. (For example, I've had dogs that had to be in kennels when we left the house- I don't love kennels so instead I would just limit outside trips OR I would take the dogs with me instead!) The maximum amount of time I would be away from my home without your pet (if I even had to leave without your pet) would be under 2 hours.