I grew up on a farm following my father's retirement from the Air Force. Of course, pets were a normal part of life growing up in the country. After college, I was commissioned in the Army, and for the next 30 years I traveled so much that having a companion pet was not practical. Now that I have retired, I can once again enjoy having a special pet. Unfortunately, my Casper ( a one year plus old Shih Tzu) is currently residing in my house overseas, so I really miss having somone to scratch on the belly and behind the ears while I am in the states half of each year. I figured offering my services thru Rover would mitigate the "hole in my life" of not having my own pet around by taking care of your's as my own.