I grew up in Maine & went to school in Boston. Most recently, I lived in Chicago and worked in sports television.
In the summer of 2013, I went to Costa Rica for 6 weeks to care for a dog, 3 cats and a home.
I had an amazing house sit in Grenada for a month in June 2012, caring for a cat and 3 dogs (whose food I cooked). I returned to the same house sit for the month of Sept 2012.
On 2 occasions in 2013, I house/cat sat in Chicago (once for 3 weeks & the other for 10 days). I returned for 3 weeks in 2014.
In January 2013, I traveled to Boston & cared for a dog & cat for 1 week. The dog needed pills put down his throat twice a day.
The first week of March 2013, I drove an elderly, injured dog from Chicago to Oregon. On the return trip, I picked up 2 Desert Storm vets & their service dog in Seattle & drove them to Virginia. Along the way, I picked up a puppy in Idaho & brought him to Wisconsin.
I've house and pet sat in Juneau, Santa Monica, San Diego, Taos (New Mexico), Maine, DC, Quebec, Vieques (Puerto Rico) and Florida as well.
I really enjoy animals & find that I have had to live vicariously through other people's pets in order to fulfill my desires to own one. Animals really do improve our lives.
In college, I earned the nickname Cat Whisperer. I took care of a cat belonging to friends for a week. When they returned, they asked me what I had done to their cat. I said I fed her once a day (as instructed) & I'd also sat with her for an hour each day. They said she was so much friendlier & had began "talking" (meowing at them). Her whole disposition had changed with love & attention.
I was a part-time dog-walker after college in Boston. One of my dog-walking clients had 2 retired Greyhounds. They were crated when left alone because one had seizures & the owner didn't want her to hurt herself. The second one developed a nervous habit of chewing on her front legs when she was in her crate, leading to a skin infection. Once, I provided in-home care for 10 days. This meant putting pills down their throats 3 times a day. I had to soak the foot of the dog with the infection for 10 minutes, 3 times a day.
I took care of a former co-worker's house & elderly cat for 7 months in Massachusetts as well as his 2nd home in Tucson, AZ (no animals there).
In Chicago, I've cared for the homes & pets of many friends. For one friend, I cared for her cat, frogs & fish. When left alone for long weekends, her cat would refuse to eat. But when I would provide in-home care, I gave him so much attention, he didn't stress out & ate well. Other friends went to Australia for 3 weeks & I cared for their 2 cats & home in their absence. Another girl had me care for her Boston Terrier over long weekends. Bella was trained to go to the bathroom in the living room on a shower curtain (I know, not ideal, even though she also had 3 daily walks), so I had to clean that multiple times a day.
Cleaning has also been a strength, dating back to childhood when my sister & I would clean our mother's best friend's house every week for $6 each. I also used to clean & organize the closets/dressers of my roommates in college. They were flabbergasted when I would volunteer to do it. My sister's 3 kids have most recently become the beneficiaries of my need to organize. Cleanliness is next to Godliness!
Thank you for reading and I look forward to speaking with you!