After years as a corporate travel agent helping executives get in and out of difficult places and dealing with crises, I’m moving on to a more serious endeavor: pet sitting. I’ve had dogs in my life since I was five years old. My current canine is a 14-year-old Jack Russell terrier adopted from a rescue group. “Are you sure?” a rescue shelter worker asked when I said I wanted to meet the older dog at the back of a cage full of puppies. He didn’t rush to the front to greet visitors as the puppies did, preferring instead to sit back and chew on another dog’s ear. I got his backstory from the attendant: Norman’s owner died at home, leaving the 10-year-old dog alone without food or water for four days. When he was found, the shelter’s vet took him home to nurse him back to health. I’ve had him four years. He still has some anxiety, but love and a regular routine have calmed him down. He can be hyper and headstrong outside at times but still loves to curl up on the couch or bed with me and my husband—especially my husband, who Norman bonded with immediately. Over the years, I’ve taken care of a pack of family dogs, including a large mixed-breed dog, a Sheltie, and a Chihuahua. The dogs in my life have not always been my own. I once watched a Rhodesian ridgehound for three months, and I have cared for friends’ dogs, including a schnauzer and a keeshond, for extended periods. Whether your dog is needy or mellow, I can give it the right amount of love and attention. While I am not a dog whisperer, I do believe I have an empathy with dogs that makes my care special. So, for me, it’s no more worries about flight connections, ground travel arrangements, booking hotel conference rooms, and securing visas to exotic destinations. I enjoy playing with dogs and am especially good at fetch. I can even retrieve the ball myself. Dogs find me easy to train.