When I was about 5 years old, we had a family cat who lived to be 17 years old. My parents taught me at an early age the responsibility of caring for a pet. While I was in high school during the summer I would watch my uncle's dog for him while he was working Monday-Friday. When I had to live on my own I adopted 2 kittens. They are now 2 and 3 years old. I am now married and living in a house with a big backyard. We do take our cats for walks occasionally in the back yard. We now have a 7-month-old Bernese Mountain puppy. I taught her basic commands myself but we do attend puppy classes to help me go over anything I missed or have questions with. I did and still do research on all things puppy and dog-related to make sure my puppy is happy and healthy.