Hello! I'm new to Rover, but have many reviews online. Scroll to the bottom to read some of them! <3 ~~ I've spent most of the last 18 years living and working in California and New York, but I'm from South Texas. Throughout these years, I have cared for so many pets (and humans) that I have honestly lost count. I absolutely love animals and care for every home as if it were my own. I also have experience managing homes during emergencies, including natural disasters... my most recent occurring in January 2025 when I was pet sitting minutes from the devastating fire that swept through beautiful Altadena, CA. After rushing out with the pets and driving through the hurricane winds, I ended up being displaced again due to the Hollywood fire starting less than 12 hours later. Day later, upon reuniting the cat and dog with their owners, I extended my stay in California to volunteer at The Pasadena Humane Society. There, I fell in love with being able to learn so much so quickly and I will never forget being able to help families and animals when they needed it most. ~~ Background: I was raised always having at least one animal at home. My first dog was a black lab and then my family got a dachshund. We raised her for 11 years until seizures resulted in her losing all of her senses. Even as a young college kid who went to school 5 hours away, I traveled and was by her side during her hardest times. The longest seizure cluster I held her through lasted more than an hour. She fought and surprised every vet until another seizure took her final sense, her sense of smell. So, we decided to put her down. It was devastating It took my family a while to get another dachshund. This time, we got a male. Unbeknownst to us, he had epilepsy. So, we raised this baby boy who experienced regular seizures. After 11 happy years, his seizures left him immobile and our hearts broke again when it was time to say goodbye. Years passed and then I spotted a 5-week-old Dachshund on Craigslist. The owners desperately needed to find her a home before the Covid lockdown the next day. I rushed to get her. Lady is now 5-years-old. She's my baby girl. Since I cared for my parents during the lockdown, I raised her with them and I don't have the heart to separate her from my mom and niece. I now travel often, and pet sit a lot, until I can get home to her. She's a ham. Family & pets— Mom is retired. She was a middle and high school principal. She grew up in a rural part of Houston where her mom took care of animals that wandered onto their property. The animals were wild and free, but they all became somewhat domesticated because they loved mom and my grandparents. Some of these animals included a bobcat, a raccoon, dogs, a chicken, large birds, etc. That’s who I come from: people who animals are drawn to. I’m like mom in that I get along with most animals. I’ve cared for dogs, turtles, ducks, pigeons, cats, ferrets, and I even set up mom’s 55-gallon fish tank of angel fish and (later) more cichlids. I also raised my own betta fish. Garden & Plants: I have experience caring for freshly planted grass, plants, and I even helped mom plant an entire garden complete with flowers and trees in 2020. Between living in New York, Texas & California, I’ve helped plants thrive through all seasons. ~~ Some Reviews from other Pet/ Home Sitting Platforms: 1. Omeed. Sherman Oaks, CA, US · 13 Jan - 17 Jan 2025 "Nicole continues to set the bar impossibly high! This was her 8th time sitting for Lucy and Dinah, and once again, she proved why we trust her completely with our home and beloved pups. This time, Nicole had to contend with the challenges of the Los Angeles fires, and she handled the situation with incredible preparedness and grace. Not only did she come fully equipped with a plan to keep herself and our dogs safe, but she also shared invaluable tips with us to ensure we had a go-bag ready for Lucy and Dinah. Her calm and proactive approach gave us such peace of mind during what could have been a stressful time. As always, Nicole’s care for Lucy and Dinah is unmatched. She keeps us updated with adorable photos and messages, showing just how happy and loved our pups are while we’re away. And when we come home, our house is immaculate, as though no one had even been there! Nicole has truly become part of our family. Her kindness, resourcefulness, and genuine love for our dogs make her irreplaceable. Thank you, Nicole, for everything you do – we are endlessly grateful and can’t wait to have you back again soon!" 2. Illana. Pasadena, CA, US · 24 Dec 2024 - 08 Jan 2025 "Nicole was absolutely outstanding. She watched our home and our fur babies during the onset of the Eaton Canyon fires near our house and brought them to safety. We are truly grateful for her care and communication during a natural disaster. Prior to this incident she was an excellent care taker and communicator and just a generally lovely human being. Our pets loved her and she sent updates regularly. We would love for Nicole to sit for us again and could not recommend her more to others. Thank you for everything Nicole!" 3. Giorgio. Burbank, CA, US · 03 May - 24 May 2024 "It's always a pleasure to have someone as warm as Nicole over again. She took great care of our young dog and cat (as well as our house) who can be a handful for one person. She even managed to get our skittish cat to warm up to her and ask for pets, and that's saying something. We loved that she was, as always, very communicative and was so considerate to send us a steady flow of pet pictures during our absence. On a few days, Nicole did have to take on some unplanned last-minute event jobs, but she worked closely with us to make arrangements and be sure the pets were looked after and taken care of. When you are hundreds of miles away from home, you can't ask for someone better than Nicole to watch over your pets. She's a kind, self-sufficient person who took wonderful care of our home, and we'd recommend her to anyone." 4. Karee. Claremont, CA, US · 26 Mar - 05 Apr 2024 "We felt so lucky that Nicole was able to sit for us. She was great from the first time we communicated--responsive and clear about her plans, asked great questions, kept in touch, etc. We have a senior dog who, in addition to arthritis, had pulled a leg muscle, but Nicole was terrific at medicating and keeping her moving in a way that let her heal, but kept her arthritic joints from stiffening. Our very good dog was happy and well on the road to recovery when we came back. Nicole also took great care of our 9.5 pigeons and numerous bonsai. The house was clean and in great shape on our return. Would definitely love to have her back any time!" 5. Paola. Brooklyn, NY, US · 01 Jun - 06 Jun 2022 "Nicole was the best! Jolene was so happy upon our return which is always the best sign. She was kind, kept us updated and genuinely loves dogs. Our home was in perfect condition. I could not recommend her more." 6. Elyse. Pasadena, CA, US · 06 May - 16 May 2022 "Nicole was AWESOME!!!! She was super reliable, and she went above and beyond in every way! She bathed our dog and started him on his ear medication because she knew we were leaving on another trip quite soon - so thoughtful and forward-thinking! She even wrote out a chart/calendar for us with his different treatments on it! See, totally above and beyond :) She was also just the loveliest person. So glad we met her! HIGHLY recommend!!"