Hello! My name is Oliver S., I am 24 years old, and I have worked with dogs for two years solidly whilst I was living in England, which is where I grew up. My experience includes walking with multiple dogs at a time (leashed and unleashed), consistently boarding a wide range of dogs (some of which I built a strong relationship with as I boarded them consistently), as well as assisting with grooming. Over those two years, I worked with two different dog-walking businesses in two different cities where I was taught a variety of perspectives of dog behavior, and different approaches to handling dogs. In Bournemouth (which is my hometown in England), where I spent the majority of my time working with dogs, I was shown a very hands on and 'dog owner' style to taking care of dogs. Allie, the owner of Barkers of Westbourne, has a very nurturing and calm approach to handling dogs, and she has helped me adopt a strong compassionate quality to my work. The other employer I worked for was based out of Brighton, which is also along the South Coast of England. Kirsten's approach was a lot more liberal and provided such an insight to the instincts of dog behavior, especially how they interacted with each other. I learned a lot in terms of the structures of the pack, and the primal psychology behind the ways dogs think. For example, as I would be taking out up to seventeen dogs at a time with another person, mostly off leash too, I had to assert myself as an alpha in order to manage that amount of dogs. It was very enlightening to be able to see first hand the hierarchies in pack behavior, and how they would test each other in order to climb higher in the pack. I learned a lot with the short time I was working with Kirsten (I was helping temporarily as she had a foot injury at the time), and it was great to be introduced to a more holistic way to care for dogs. It's worth mentioning that despite my hiatus of taking care of dogs professionally, as I was attending UBC in Kelowna, I had a lot of friends that had dogs themselves. I offered my help when they needed someone to look after their dogs, and I was consistently trusted with all the dogs I cared for. A couple of close friends, including a roommate of mine, even had puppies that I helped to train in their early years so I learned even more in terms of dog training during those crucial stages of their lives. With my range of experiences with dogs, I have obtained a very compassionate and deep relationship with the handling of a variety of breeds. As I have been exposed to different approaches to taking care of dogs, I'd say I have a healthy perspective when caring and working with dogs. I will take care of your dog like they are apart of my pack.