I am both a dog owner and a member of a dog rescue, I understand the level of trust needed to turn your fur child over to the care of another. You know another person will never be able to take your place but you want someone to be as loving and competent as possible, and someone that your fur kid is going to feel comfortable with. You also want someone with experience who is observant enough to pick up changes in your pets behavior, medical symptoms, and who knows what to do in case of an emergency. I've had 10 cats, one mouse, one aquatic frog, 2 fish, one hamster, 3 dogs, 3 long term fosters, transported countless shelter dogs to their fosters, walked many fosters through caring for their new foster, spent many years riding horses and caring for them, two years with animal care in a neuroscience research facility, and general experience with more exotic pets like lizards and snakes. I've been through multiple bouts of cancer, neurological issues, kidney stones, diabetes, kidney failure, all manner of digestive issues, blindness, and of course all the meds (pills, injections, etc) that went with it. Right now, I have 2 dogs, Roja, a 10 year old 55lb pitbull boxer mix and Rusty, my goofy senior foster fail. My other dog, Misha, passed away from an extremely aggressive cancer right before Christmas 2016--he was a 5 year old pitbull mastiff who was 85 lbs at his peak, so I have experience with (and a soft spot for) larger dogs. As a side note, I am the least squeamish person you've ever met--cleaning up any kind of mess is not a problem.