**I want to provide advance notice that I will be boarding multiple dogs for the holiday! Time to get out and enjoy the world, safely of course! (*Meet and greets are required for all new clients.) Hello! My name is Melissa and I relocated to the DMV area in November of 2013 from Michigan. I fostered over 50 animals from 2011 to 2013 which included cats, kittens, puppies, small dogs, big dogs, pitbull mixes, nursing moms and their litters and many others! I thoroughly enjoyed my fostering experience! I learned how to bottle feed newborn animals as well as administer medication. I also have experience in clicker training to work on behaviors. While fostering, I was exposed to a variety of different behaviors and personalities which helped me improve my pet sitting skills. During my time as a Rover sitter, I have also been able to provide lots of care to senior pets with special medical needs as well. Why I love dog sitting I have always had a love for animals! I started volunteering with the behavior department at the Capital Area Humane Society in 2010 which ultimately led to me volunteering in the clinic and then fostering. I was able to learn so much about training and caring for animals. Meet my pets I have a toy poodle named Hershey and a short hair domestic cat named A Milli. I fostered both of them from the Capital Area Humane Society in Lansing, MI before adopting them in 2011 and 2012. Hershey was a licensed therapy dog who I volunteered with in hospitals, mental health clinics and nursing homes and the Ronald McDonald House in Washington, DC for 8 years. About my yard I have a huge and safely fenced in yard for pups to run around and play! My experience administering medication I am experienced in administering oral medication in pill and liquid form. I also have experience administering insulin via syringes. In addition I have also applied topical medication to both dogs and cats. I work full time as an educator in a school about 5 minutes from my home. I am only available for boarding drop offs weekdays after 430pm but flexible on the weekends. I have the same breaks as students so I am off for the summer and all school related breaks including holidays! I come home everyday around noon for my lunch break to let the dogs out to potty and play before returning back to work. I do not have restrictions of pets being on furniture in my home but will adhere to all owner requested guidelines. I also will follow all homeowner requests in terms of access while in your home. I require a meet and greet for all new clients whether boarding in my home or petsitting in yours. I like to meet in advance to get a feel for the pet's personality and to see how they interact with other animals. Due to COVID, I strongly adhere to all CDC guidelines to ensure safety for all!