About Michele

I have 20 years of child care experience as a babysitter, nanny, preschool/kindergarten teaching assistant, lead teacher, and substitute teacher. I have taken care of children in more than 25 private homes including a lot of pets. I used to nanny for a family where the father was a veterinarian and the mother was a horse geneticist which was great for candid veterinarian advice regarding dogs & cats. After working with that family, I've never met a dog that I couldn't gently put into submissive position to show new dog that I'm the alpha dog in the pack. I've taken care of and also owned small fish, hamsters, gerbils, baby bunnies, rabbits, chickens, small turtles, earthworms, kittens, cats, puppies, and dogs. I've worked with tiny dog breeds such as Tibetan Spaniels (10 lbs) all the way up to giant breeds such as Leonberger (120 lbs). I owned four large golden retrievers throughout my childhood including two litters of puppies. I've taken care of a great mastiff, pit bull, bull dog, doberman police dog, Labradors, and toy poodles. My cousin has rottweiler guard dogs so I'm also comfortable around them. My father has a 5-year-old black Labrador that I naively assumed would grow to be 75 lbs like my golden retrievers but he's actually champion bloodline and a very strong 150 lb giant. My daughter absolutely loves taking care of animals and will probably grow up to be a Veterinarian. She has this magical ability to walk giant dogs with minimal difficulty using a leash and get them to do tricks since she was 3-years old. I'm also learning how to take care of ponies and horses because of my daughter's equestrian obsession but I wouldn't exactly say I have adequate skills to qualify for a horse sitting position. I can bring my daughter with me to pet sit if it would be beneficial for your animal, perhaps you have children too and your dog would enjoy a game of fetch while your family is away on vacation. I can pet sit alone if your animal is uncomfortable with children.