Over the years, my family has owned the full gamut of animals as pets ranging from cats to snakes to guinea pigs. However, our family has had a particular affection toward dogs. Growing up we had two amazing Labrador Retrievers named Bogey and Cooper. They were incredibly well-behaved, smart, and very friendly with human and canine strangers––and taught me the true meaning of unconditional love and responsibility. I’ve known for a very long time that I wanted to work with animals as well as take care of fellow humans. During college at Western Washington University, I was a regular dog walker for a family as my part-time job for four years. They had a rescue mutt named Jasper who was anxious and somewhat aggressive with other dogs probably due to early trauma, but he learned to be calm and sweet with me. I have a lot of experience handling larger dogs and am adept with different temperaments and special needs. Upon graduating, I began to save up money to attend nursing school by working at a doggy daycare called Riverdog in Issaquah as a dog handler as well as boarding, house-sitting, and dog walking with Rover. I currently work full time at Swedish Medical Center in Ballard and am continuing to save more money for school. My schedule is 7:00am - 5:30pm M, T, Th, F. Unfortunately, I’m fairly busy four days of the week. However, when I’m not working, I am particularly active and would love to take your dogs on walks/hikes on trails in Discovery Park, Volunteer Park, Washington State Arboretum, Green Lake, Magnuson Park, and the list goes on! There’s no better feeling than getting your heart pumping with a furry companion by your side while taking in all the beauty of our natural world. I’d love to go exploring with your pup is up for it, but I also enjoy staying and cuddling with them or playing with toys if your pup is a senior dog or prefers less intense activities. I have had quite a bit of experience with dog sitting and walking and am comfortable with all types of dog behaviors. I have handled aggressive dogs, anxious dogs, energetic dogs, etc. I’ve also been with Rover for a while now, so I’m familiar with how it works, what questions to ask before booking with a client, and how to communicate well with owners. I connect with dogs by treating them as if they are my own pet. I don’t see this as a job but as a privilege. I give them plenty of love and attention so they know I am not just a stranger in their home. I also observe their habits with myself and other dogs to see if there is a specific way to handle them in certain situations, and getting to know the personality and quirks of each individual pup is perhaps my favorite part of working with our furry best friends.