I’ve never met an animal I didn’t love! As a child I had pet rabbits, rats, cats, and dogs, and I spent as many weekends as I could at the local stables, working with the horses and ponies in exchange for riding. My favourite animals were always the frightened ones, the misfits and rescues, the ones who needed a little extra love in order to blossom.

I started my dog walking business in memory of my beloved rescue dog Luna. A beautiful German shepherd mix, she was found by the police when she was around two years old, locked in an abandoned house, hungry and lonely and afraid. I saw her donkey ears and lovely golden coat and knew she was the one for me! When I sat down in her enclosure at the shelter she immediately climbed into my lap and licked my nose. I just knew I had to take her home! She grew into the most wonderful dog, full of spirit and love and affection, but she was highly reactive in the early days, and struggled with fear-based aggression. I worked with a wonderful positive reinforcement trainer, who showed me how to use clicker training to build Luna’s confidence.

I learned so much about animal behaviour, and Luna made incredible progress. After a few months of patient training, she was able to walk nicely without pulling, and I could get her attention and redirect it when she was faced with something that scared her. But she always required careful handling, and I struggled to find dog walkers who had the experience and confidence to understand her needs. When Luna’s long and happy life came to an end, I decided to use what she taught me to give back to the canine community. I signed up for a profile on Rover so that I could offer the services I had once needed so much. It helped me through the grieving process, knowing that what I’d learned from her was helping other dogs and their owners.

Through pet sitting I’ve met some incredible animals and humans, and I’ve been able to build a flexible schedule to support my other passions of teaching, writing, martial arts, and many others! Please don’t hesitate to contact me if I can help with any of your animal care needs.