Mike and I have been married for over 20 years, and when we first got married, we added Niki and Max, 2 Shih-tzus, to our family. We spoiled them for almost 15 years before we lost them. We miss them terribly, but we are not in a position to get another pet right now. So we thought if we could love and care for another dog whose family is away for a short while, this would make everyone happy, especially the pet whose normal life is being disrupted. Because we miss our pets so much, we get so much joy out of taking care of other furry friends. We spoil them just like Grandma and Grandpa would! We live in a condominium with outside stairs and a large patio leading to a one-level living space. My husband is retired and is almost always at home. I work locally (5 minutes away). A typical day is both of us rising early, and any pets we are caring for would go out for a short walk first thing in the morning. We have lots of greenbelts and parks close by. We just finished caring for Zoe, a Maltese princess. Her family was in Italy for almost 3 weeks, and the time we spent with Zoe was priceless. She brought us much joy. Where Zoe lives, she doesn't get out for walks much. So, when she stayed with us, she was thrilled to be outside for walks and chasing lizards and rabbits on the greenbelts. She never caught them, but she sure had fun trying.