While I don’t have pets of my own (yet), I am a very proud single plant dad. I am an above average apartment gardener. In the past several years, I was fortunate to cohabit and eventually be invited to travel with my two best friends and chosen family. Mike, and his boyfriend Ryan and their two mostly perfect dogs. They are the esteemed group who have bestowed me with the moniker "Auntie Pat." Finnegan is around 14 and Apollo is about 12 years old, old timers! Finny is a Beagle/American Pit-bull mix and is an adopted rescue doggo when he was a few years old. Finny is the sweetest, lickiest, most handsome boy, if a bit of a goofball. Apollo is a foundling from the dumpster area of a shopping center in the Southwest suburbs. He is a min-Pin/Chihuahua mix and has opinions, a true diva. These four-legged fur balls have become like family, teaching me that, “Who's the good-est?” isn’t just a question. They live in Orlando now and come fully decked-out for all occasions, complete with Pride flag bandanas, Disney merch, sweaters and puffy-coats when visiting Chicago, raincoats and boots, or tacky Halloween costumes. Prior to my experience with Finny and Pollo, I had zero idea how to care for a dog, let alone two dogs with the exact opposite personality (and size) to each other, mentioned above. It took time, but I listened and followed instructions and over time learned how and when to have fun and when it might be better to be firm. Caring for them has deepened my affection for our furry companions, made me realize that dogs far surpass humans in anything not requiring opposable thumbs. Today, I am fortunate and grateful to be flown out to various locations around the country a few times a year to care for my step-doggo(s) as the need arises. It’s like I’m their personal assistant, only for house and dog sitting. I'm a very low-maintenance human. We all have that one friend/sibling/co-worker who won’t feel a way about running through puddles, nosediving into a shrubbery, or snowdrifts, doesn’t mind the sudden intermittent compulsion to smell and take inventory of every (insert your dog's favorite item to “study” in nature here). I am a Nintendo nerd and carry my OG Switch around with me, I love quiet and spending time on my own, which is perfect for things like house-sitting and drop-in visits. I love the park and Lakefront, which works well in all kinds of seasons for long walks and playtime outside. Writing outdoors on a blanket with a dog or dogs also on the same blanket. Love a day walking near the lake or a lazy Sunday reading on my balcony. Usually I talk to dogs/pets like I talk to other humans, especially my nieces and nephews. Likewise, I find this is helpful in bonding with new little (and not so little) ones. I come from a large family, and I am the oldest. I watched my younger siblings and was a babysitter outside the family too so I have some experience with communicating to parents about their “children”. Not only that, but I also worked in the service industry for almost two decades, so communication with a client/customer comes very easy to me. Asking questions, sending pictures and updates and a fun, positive anecdote while your pet is in my care is something I am more than happy to do.