Not a typical academic, I love to get outside, preferably with a canine companion. It never fails to make me smile when a dog I meet on a trail decides to show me the stick s/he's found or trot along at my side for a few paces before returning to their owner. I grew up in a rural area with a menagerie of animals to care for - horses, sheep, pigs, chickens, cats, and dogs, of course! When any of them got sick or injured, I was always happy to mix special food, clean wounds, figure out how to get them to swallow pills, and generally do anything else required to restore them to health and keep them safe. As a nerdy responsible type, I've also often cared for dogs and other pets for friends on vacation or travelling for work over the years.