I've had animals as a part of my household since before I was born. My family's home was often described as a petting zoo because of the number of animals we had (2 cats, 2 dogs, several small animals on average). For the holidays every year, we fostered a dog until we could find it a forever home, a tradition I hope to continue when I get older. I've lived through the lifetime of several of the dogs we owned & fostered, so I am familiar with all ages & lots of different personalities of dogs & other pets. I'm very much a homebody, and prefer to spend the night in, which benefits any pets I'm staying with. I've also pet-sat for several families and friends while I was in school. My schedule is very flexible, and I find it incredibly meditative to walk around Evanston and Chicago in my spare time. I am also very familiar with non-dog pets: I've been a bearded dragon mom, and have experience caring for cats, rabbits, lizards, fish, chickens, and rats, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, etc.