I’m really grateful and excited to begin the next phase of my
life as a pet sitter.It is so wonderful
to be able to do something I love as my career.
Throughout my childhood, my family had dogs and a cat.The dogs, Abe and Joe, were German Shephard
mixes and truly wonderful dogs.As most
children, I wasn’t involved in the day-to-day care, but I loved them
nonetheless.Our cat, Charlie, was a
beautiful Seal Point Siamese.
As a young adult, I adopted a phenomenal cat, Aloysius. She was huge! She kept all the dogs in line. I volunteered to work as a safe house for dogs. One summer day, my life changed. A tiny, malnourished Pit Bull/Lab puppy appeared on the property. Because the animal shelter was closed, I offered to take her home for the weekend.
My friend and I didn’t think she would survive.Nora survived.For the next 10 years, Nora taught me so much
about Pit Bulls.Years before she died,
I knew I would always have a Pit Bull in my life.Twenty years later, I have two Pit Bull mixes
who I love more than anything else.
My two girls, Scarlett and Lucy, are my life.I am protective of them and always keep their
welfare a priority.On the rare
occasions I am away, I’m very particular about who cares for them.I leave pages of notes and instructions.I call at least once a day (and I’ve gotten
better; I used to call several times a day).I’m fully aware of how our clients feel when they are away.I treat all of our clients’ pets as if they
were mine.
When I’m not caring for client pets, my time is spent with
my girls and foster dogs.I’m fortunate
to be involved with Ring Dog Rescue.For
the past two years I’ve opened my home to lots of puppies.Off and on I’ve had about 20 puppies of
various ages come through my home.Some
only stayed a night or two before heading to another foster home; others have
stayed for several months.To say the
least, I’m extremely patient and have a wonderful sense of humor.
Big or small, I love them all. I've learned so much from all the dogs who have graced my life, and with all of the dogs in my life, I've realized that I have much more to learn!
About Scarlett...
I adopted Scarlett, my 11-year-old Pit Bull/Hound mix, in August 2001,
after Nora died from bone cancer.When
Scarlett and I met for the first time, we connected.She was my angel:on the same day Nora died, a kind couple
found Scarlett wondering on the side of Route 301 In Hanover County and brought
her to Hanover County Animal Control.
After Scarlett arrived home, I noticed that she had two light patches of
fur on her shoulders:her wings - a true
indication that she is my angel.
Scarlett
is perfect.She is very even
tempered.She gets along with just about
all dogs and every person she meets.At
times she has a busier social life than me!Before I started fostering, she taught many puppies a thing or two about
life.Once I started fostering, she
decided to retire.Scarlett retired last
year but still consults on occasion.
About Lucy...
Six years ago, all of Scarlett’s friends moved away.I thought about adopting another cat, but
after a couple of trials with various cats, I decided that wasn’t the best
idea.Around the same time, Hurricane
Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast.A
friend of mine collected food and medical supplies and headed to Louisiana to
assist with the animals.
Before she left, I mentioned to her that I would be
interested in obtaining a female Pit Bull but only if the dog needed a
home.Two weeks later, Lucy, an
Australian Cattle Dog/Pit Bull mix, arrived.
She and Scarlett became best friends immediately.Lucy has taught me that Cattle Dogs and Pit
Bulls are wired differently.Lucy does a
tremendous job with all the foster puppies…once she accepts them into the
pack.Lucy taught many puppies how to
play properly and the house rules.Honestly, without Lucy, I wouldn’t be able to foster as many puppies as
I have.
