Dogs have been an important part of my life since I was young. When I was born, my family had a female Golden Retriever named Kirby. When I was growing up she was always by my side. Since then we've had two other female Golden Retrievers, Sam and Shea. Shea is our current family dog, a five-year-old therapy dog I helped my mom to train and get certified. (Please note that I don't currently live with Shea, the family golden retriever in all my photos. I get to visit her often, but she won't be around when I'm taking care of your dog.) Between Rover and other services, and years of taking care of friends' and family members' dogs, I have worked with all breeds and ages of dogs — often staying with multiple dogs at once. Shea also has a rare autoimmune disease that causes her jaw to periodically stop opening; I've been closely involved in her treatment, and I have experience dosing and administering canine medication too. During my childhood, I had a pet gerbil and a bunch of pet fish. We also had a family cat, Lilly, who I loved hanging out with. Unfortunately, one of my older brothers grew allergic to cats and we had to move Lilly in with my grandmother. I still get to see Lilly every once in awhile, and I've enjoyed getting to know all sorts of animals. Although dogs are definitely my favorite, I would certainly offer care for just about any type of animal, even if I had to learn their care from scratch. As a dog sitter on Rover, I've gotten to meet many dogs (and their owners) in Seattle and Chicago. I've worked with all sorts of dogs, from an 8-week-old female Newfoundland puppy to a father-and-son pair of Australian Shepherds. Being a sitter gives me a chance to see new parts of cities, gain more experience working with all types of dogs, and meet tons of friendly people. And by using Rover I always feel confident that the logistical side of my service is safe and well-supported. Because I'm not worried about anything else, I get to dedicate all of my focus to working with dogs and communicating with their owners.