I've taken care of animals since a very young child, and of rescue dogs and cats since I was 10. We first welcomed a dog, Walter, into our family when I was 10, who was a large rescue hound/escape-artist. From then on I walked, fed, cleaned, and helped with training Walter, and escape-proofing our garden! Throughout this time I was also trusted by neighbours and friends to look after their dogs and cats while they were away, including overnight stays for up to 2-weeks at a time. We welcomed a rescue lurcher puppy, Isla, when I was 16, who needed a very different kind of care than Walter - lots of patience and gentle introduction into the world of humans and dogs. Isla is now 11, and I've learned how to care for an older pup, who has gone through multiple health complications - including major surgery, medication, and dietary requirements. As an adult, I looked after a 10-month old german shepherd mix, Koski, for a year. He was brought up as an "outdoor guard dog", so I had to train a lot of behaviours he had picked up, like jumping up, play biting, and house-training. This was whilst living in a tropical country, and so there was also a different set of care needs around cleanliness and diseases/infections. I have continued to dog- and cat-sit for friends since moving house, who have all needed very different kinds of care, including those with separation anxiety and reactivity to other dogs.