My name is Nicole. I have been an animal lover since I was old enough to know what animals were. Between catching potato bugs, feeding the spiders in my windowsills, and moving worms off of sidewalks, I’ve always had a particular connection with the animals that most people don’t understand. As soon as I was old enough, I marched off to the Sonoma County Animal Services to volunteer. From there, it was love at first bark. When I turned 18, I immediately went to animal care as my first real job and was lucky enough to work at Rohnert Park Animal Services for several years. I opened my home to many different rescue critters including snakes, tortoises, rats, lizards, and birds. I rescued my first dog and she is still my best friend to this day 10 years later! Over the years, I was blessed to foster many different exotic animals and worked with the Sacramento SPCA through the pandemic. Shortly after, I made a huge cross-country move and ended up in Louisiana working with all kinds of critters at Northshore Humane Society. From there, I ended up back in my hometown of Sonoma County. Throughout all of these changes, the one variable that never changed was my love for animals and passion for making sure they were safe. Through my 8+ years of shelter experience I have worked with the most feral of feral cats, wildlife brought in shoeboxes, all sizes and shapes of dogs, and so much more. I have met and befriended many pets that were reluctant to be befriended and worked with virtually every breed of cat and dog on the planet. I am fear-free certified and have extensive experience with medication management, basic first-aid, canine CPR, and basic training for both dogs and cats. I am experienced with walking large breeds including reactive dogs and can handle heavy pullers (I have TWO huskies!). I have also volunteered with the Bird Rescue Center of Sonoma County and have a special skillset with exotic animals. My two personal rescue dogs are half husky and bully breed which are two of the most misunderstood dog breeds, so there will be no breed discrimination from me. My favorite furry friends are often shy, tricky to befriend, or nervous. Making a scared baby comfortable means the world to me and I love the challenge. As stated above, I also have extensive experience caring for exotic pets including rats, mice, birds, snakes, tortoises, turtles, fish, lizards, invertebrates, and spiders. I am perfectly comfortable with your exotic pet’s diet and am familiar with feeding snakes and other reptiles frozen-thawed rodents. The only animals I won’t consider petsitting for are species that are illegal to own or venomous. If I had to summarize my truest passion, it would be making sure that every single animal feels safe and comfortable. Even if they’re not perfect, they all deserve kindness and patience. We don’t expect perfection from humans, but we so frequently expect it of animals. So if your pet is a little bit quirky or one of those types that gets dismissed as “scary” or “mean”, you’ve found a person that will give them exactly what they need to feel loved and cherished. Because no pet is perfect, but they are perfect for you. My promise to you is that I will do my best to be your baby’s new BFF. No pet sitter will truly replace you, but I will make sure that I’m the second-best thing.