I've had pets in the house since I was a child and became involved in their care early on. When I was 11 we began fostering dogs (working with the rescue we had adopted our family dog from,) which gave me the opportunity to interact with and care for many kinds of dogs (and the occasional cat!) We continued to foster (primarily moms with new litters) almost continuously for the next 5 years, and continued to do so more sporadically after that. During this time, I also volunteered with the rescue to work adoption events cleaning pens, soothing animals and interacting with potential owners regarding different animals needs. In the more recent past, I have worked as a dog-walker and sitter on and off for 4+ years. All of these experiences have prepared me to care for and work with dogs in a range of sizes (I love them all!), temperaments (anxious/traumatized, high-energy, barky, etc) and stages of life (newborn through senior.) I've also cared for dogs with special needs (disability, medication, etc) and pregnant/in heat dogs. Thanks to having family with animal care and veterinary experience, I also have a good foundation of knowledge about common illnesses, injuries, environmental hazards, and other dangers pets face. This allows me be very proactive in keeping your pet safe and expedites the process of getting your pet the professional care they need in the unfortunate circumstance that something goes wrong on my watch.