I've been caring for animals in other people's homes for over ten years, but the connection goes back my whole life. Growing up, animals were my constants: from my own dog (a Yorkie named Sparksey) to the next-door neighbor's corgi Bailey, the stray dogs in our area, and the kittens born under the house during the flood (Tiger and Whiskey, though I endured many scratches to earn their trust). I understand the companionate side of pet ownership in a way that goes beyond the professional.

I have a particular soft spot for the ones who've been through something. Before I ever officially called myself a pet sitter, I became an unofficial caretaker for a rotation of shy, reactive dogs and feral-adjacent cats: the ones who needed someone patient enough to earn their trust before asking anything of them. The dog who won't make eye contact, the cat who hides for three days. I learned how to sit with them and how not to rush them.

It's hard to quantify the impact of caring for these "harder cases" up front. Gaining experience this way prepared me for the "easier cases" and raised the floor for everything that came after.

I'm a legislative policy volunteer with Humane World for Animals and a longtime volunteer at Austin Farm Sanctuary. I recently earned my Fear Free Shelter Certificate, a credential focused on reducing fear, anxiety, and stress in animal handling. After years of doing this work alongside everything else, I'm finally ready to devote all of my time to it.

TL;DR: Your pets already love me. They just don't know it yet. I look forward to meeting them.