Caring for others holds a special spot in my heart, this includes caring for their four legged babies. Anytime I have the chance to care for somebody's animals, I love to spoil their dog(s) with extra love, extra time, extra play, even extra cleaning when needed. Another thing that brings me peace and joy, is to know my dog owners know their little loved ones are cared for by sending photos and updates. One thing that tells me my dog friends are happy and doing a good job is mobbed with love when I arrive. When allowed, my children also love to pitch in an extra doses of love and play. Over the past year, I have had the opportunity to care for a diverse group of families. One of my families live in the country and at any time have up to six dogs, one cat, and cow. While another family in an apartment is often on business trips, I regularly care for their two Labradors, one at 2 years and the other 13. Additionally, I care for a little grouchy scotty dog, who is never grouchy around me. As well, who can say no to their parents? I also watch my two dog-brothers when my parents leave for their excursions. Most of these families leave their dogs in my care for at least three days at a time. However, I often find myself drawing near to the sixth day mark starting to miss them knowing on the seventh day, these families will return. I have also had the chance to help out in emergency cases where the family had to leave for the day unexpectedly. These are fun for me because the dogs may have been home alone and out of their routine, then I show up and tails wag and sloppy kisses are attempted -some achieved. Most of our dogs range in age, from pup to elders. They are all usually well behaved, trained or not. Recently, I did have a chance to learn how a "Gentle-Leader" collar worked. It was simple enough to place on the dog and he seemed content. Usually when medical care or special equipment is needed during visits, a simple explanation of how to apply medication or use equipment is good enough for me to be able to care for our friends. I am a mother, a student, a teacher, an artist... I love my children, including our own four legged baby. He is a "ChiRussell" as my daughter has dubbed him. His name is PepperJack and we found him - or he found us. We did all the searching we could to find his home, we learned he was a stray who wouldn't even stay the night after being found by several people - several times. He has stuck with us and is laying at my feet as type. We have had him for almost two years now and love every second. At the end of the day, I love everything I do and you can count on me to go the extra mile, every time.