Hello! My name is Rebecca and I am a student looking to make ends meet doing something I love: working with animals. I have lots of experience with animals of all kinds, ages and sizes. I grew up with two cats and a dog and have been taking care of animals in some capacity or another since high school: almost ten years now. I also dabbled in horse-riding as a girl and volunteered at an equine therapy program as a teenager. Professionally, I have the most experience with dogs and cats but I also have taken care of guinea pigs, a cockatoo, even a turtle! My experience volunteering with, fostering, walking, and taking care of all sorts of dogs has exposed me to many different canine temperaments. I have experience with basic obedience training by helping friends/family with new puppies, volunteering at a shelter, and fostering an untrained dog to get her ready for a permanent home. I have experience taking care / working with puppies, adult, and senior dogs. I do not have an age, breed, or size restriction with dogs. I have worked with dogs under 10lbs (a small yorkshire terrier) up to upwards of 60lbs (a very large mixed dog). I am young, active, and do not have a problem with hyper, large, or multiple dogs. In regards to cats, I have helped take care of foster kittens, senior cats, and many different household cats. I have cleaned many (many) litter boxes, clipped cat nails, administered medications orally via a syringe, swaddled cats to give them eye drops/ tick treatments, etc. If you are still reading, I quite appreciate your attention to my profile and hope that my love for animals combined with my experience is enough to allow you to trust me with your pets in whatever capacity you, and they, need. One of the reasons that I choose to do pet care is that my schedule is somewhat irregular but also very flexible. Pet care fits well into such a schedule. Outside of laboratory work and occasional in-person class/meetings, I can complete the majority of my responsibilities "from home", which affords me the flexibility to do pet care. For safety/trust my most important tool is to let the animal come to me. This goes for both dogs and cats. I will approach an animal most of the way, but then let them close the gap at the end. If an animal does not respond to this greeting, I will not come into their space. I allow the relationship I create with the animal to be on their terms, which garners long-term trust and comfort. Keeping a calm, friendly, demeanor is another tool I use to garner trust and keep an animal feeling comfortable. This works with cats who often startle easily and subsequently tend to hide from things that startle them. This works with dogs as they tend to use the emotion of people/dogs around them to read a situation and adjust their own emotions/demeanor accordingly.