06/20/2026
🐾 Why I Love Working With Animals 🐾
People often ask how I got into working with animals, and the truth is that my love for them started long before I started caring for other people’s pets. Two animals in particular helped shape who I am today: Tiger and Samantha. ❤️
Tiger came into my life in 2007 and quickly became much more than just a cat. While she was an indoor/outdoor cat, she wasn’t very trusting of most people. Over time, she decided I was one of the few people she trusted, and she became my baby. She would follow me everywhere and only really tolerated being handled by me. I’d often carry her around on my shoulder and called her my little parrot. She taught me that trust isn’t something you can force—it’s something you earn through patience, consistency, and understanding. Sadly, Tiger passed away in 2020, but I’ll never forget the bond we shared.
Samantha was my Golden Retriever and truly one of a kind. She was my sidekick through so many stages of life. She loved riding around with me on our John Deere Gator, roughhousing in the yard, and swimming in our pool. When she was 11 years old, she proved that old dogs absolutely can learn new tricks as I spent time teaching her all kinds of new things. She also had an incredible way with other dogs and became a mentor to many of them, including Emu during her first 10 months of life. Samantha passed away in 2023, but the lessons she taught me about patience, training, and unconditional love stay with me every day.
Tiger taught me the importance of earning trust. Samantha taught me the value of patience, lifelong learning, and the incredible bond we can build with our animals.
Those lessons are at the heart of how I care for every animal I meet. Whether your pet is outgoing, shy, young, or senior, I strive to give them the same patience, understanding, and love that Tiger and Samantha gave me.
