My name is Meralee, I have one silly and wonderful dog of my own, Cooper, a Chihuahua, and I'm the go-to person for dog sitting for my family and friends. Over the past 19 years, I have fostered dogs for local rescue groups along with boarding dogs through Rover. I've had well over 100 dogs through my home in that time and I've learned a lot about animal behavior through the experience! Your dogs must be up to date on all shots, including Bordetella. I've had dogs all my life, but my journey really began in 2004 when I adopted my first fur-baby, Abby. Abby was a Manchester Terrier/Dachshund mix rescued from an abusive situation. I learned patience from my experience with her and learned how to communicate better with my dogs. As soon as I bought a house, I began the search for a best friend for Abby and eventually found Grace, a lab, who was the most loving and gentle dog I've ever known. The process of finding Grace, introduced me to fostering for a rescue group. I fostered dogs for 9 years and in the process, I ended up adopting one of my foster puppies and Cooper, a Chihuahua, joined the pack in 2013. My little trio became a duo again in Oct 2018 when Abby fell ill with kidney failure and I had to make the decision to let her leave this world for a better one. In April 2020, Grace's advanced age and failing health forced the same decision. For now, Cooper is an only child and he loves visits from his Rover friends. Fostering dogs can be dangerous to the heart strings, but it's very rewarding to take a dog and teach it how loving a home can be and teach them some basic rules and manners. The hard part is when they find a new family and are adopted, but I just reminded myself that their adoption opened a space for saving the life of another dog. The lessons learned from fostering have been tremendous! I do not have children of my own yet, but I am a foster parent for DHS and I hope to eventually adopt. I do not accept placement of any children who have exhibited aggression toward animals and I do not leave dogs and children together unattended. I typically foster children who are 1-4 years old. I also frequently watch my niece's 4 children who are 8, 6, 5 and 4 years old. They have dogs in their home as well and are friendly, kind, and respectful of their four-legged friends.