Matt has grown up with family dogs since childhood, and with dogs of our friends. He has always had a special bond with all of them, knowing how to care for and love them. That bond has continued to this day, and he has consistentliy proven to be responsible, thoughtful and pro-active whenever he has walked or cared for dogs in our family and in our community. Matt is a low-key, calm, friendly person, and dogs really seem to respond positively to him. He has spent years dog-sitting for us, taking care and walking our small Yorkie when we go on vacation or visit grandchildren out of town. As our dog aged, Matt was especially attentive to her need for short walks, gentle playtime, and making sure she had the foods and medicines she needed. For friends and other family members, he has walked their dogs periodically, either when someone was recovering from an operation, needed extra help with dog walking due to other family and household demands, or who had a large dog that needed someone big and strong to walk it. Matt has an intuitive sense of how to stay attentive to every dog's personality and needs, and knows how to keep dogs safe on walks, especially in areas with other dogs who might be too aggressively friendly. He has walked large dogs such as Rhodesian Ridgebacks and American Field Labradors. Small dogs include a West Highland Terrier, Irish Wheaton Terrier, and Yorkshire Terrier.