I've lived with both dogs AND cats for almost my entire life. I am very comfortable with caring for both young and senior pets, and am very familiar with coming home to messes caused by weak bladders. Just inform me on where to find the materials to clean up these sorts of messes (such as cleansers, paper towels, etc). I also volunteer to play with and take care of the cats and kittens at the PetSmart in Pasadena on Thursday evenings (so pet cleanup is no issue at all for me). I love all breeds, but I've lived with large to extra-large dogs for most of my life and I absolutely ADORE them... So let me meet your Bernese Mountain Dog, German Shepherd, Alaskan Malamute, etc! ... HOWEVER, I've discovered that I am mildly allergic to Labrador retrievers (their fur makes me itchy and causes breathing problems if I'm exposed to it for extended periods), so unfortunately I will not be able to house sit for them... But I can still do drop-in visits if needed! I've been scratched by cats countless times, so your feline friends can't scare me. :) I can appropriately handle bad behavior without any problems, and I will give you an update if anything should happen.