I have been around dogs my whole life. Growing up, my family had three dogs that I was closely bonded with and brought me such joy. Later, after moving out of my childhood house, cats were a bigger part of my life. On two separate occasions in the last few years I took on the role of long-term cat sitter for some kitties whose owners moved or went on extended vacation. Although I have not owned my own dog since teenage years, I have been around friends' dogs almost constantly - most notably, Mahoney (Mo Mo), a dog belonging to a friend I was living with a couple years ago. Mo Mo had some old trauma and therefore trust issues, meaning he sometimes took months to warm up to people. However, he tentatively let me pet him on our first meeting, and warmed up to me relatively quickly over the following 2-3 weeks. We became good friends, and since my friend traveled frequently, I was often entrusted to take care of high-energy and high-maintenance Mo Mo for days or weeks at a time. More recently, I had the pleasure of living with a friend/roommate with a new golden doodle puppy. We bonded strongly; I helped care for her and train her, and I took her with me on walks, hikes, and the occasional road trip. I have always felt a special and easy connection with animals; I adore caring for them and I could spend time with them endlessly.