My journey began: Since I have always looked for opportunities to help and spend as much time as possible with animals, I signed up to be a volunteer at the South Lake Animal League in the early 2000s. While volunteering, I met and adopted my beloved dog, Nutmeg, who is still with me today.  A fellow volunteer and friend thought I would be a great dog sitter and suggested I register on Rover, which I did in 2017.

I’m inspired by: Cesar Millan, since I have always been a bit envious of someone who has a special relationship with dogs and could actually find a way to be compensated for it.

A saying I live by: “It’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it, since dog sitting is, at times, definitely a dirty job. Also, I’m glad to be that ‘someone’ because for me, the positives far outweigh the negatives.”

I love what I do because: I am living my lifelong dream of being surrounded by animals, especially dogs. I have had the opportunity to know and love so many dogs from the time they were young spitfires to becoming seniors and beyond. 

I want everyone to know: I truly love “my” dogs, and I have set my house up for their comfort and enjoyment. They have the run of my house, including the furniture. I have a doggy door which exits onto a screened-in patio with a grassy area for them to roam and do their business. 

A fun fact: When I was a teenager, I came home with a duck which I named Robert. He was an amazing pet and much smarter than you would imagine a duck to be. When Robert started laying eggs, we realized he was actually a she, although I stubbornly kept her name as Robert. I was known around the neighborhood as the girl who walked the duck.

I’ve learned: Dogs are not so different from humans. They each have their own personality, likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, and one new dog can change the dynamics between all of them. I have also been amazed at the superior intelligence of many dogs by observing the things they do. 

My dog sitting link is: rover.com/sit/heleneC3