I really enjoy caring for and interacting with animals. I have raised a flock of ducks, own two cats, and two dogs. I volunteer at a stables 3x a week and horseback ride once a week. I grew up on farms, so I’m not comfortable unless there’s animal surrounding me. It’s kinda really expensive, but it’s more rewarding than anything else to build a bond with animals and train them and show them love.

I trained my dogs the basic dog stuff, and my beagle picked up some super specific commands over time. My ducks also know some commands and a few know their names. I am working on teaching barn manners to one of the horses I work with and I’m trying to desensitize her to totally mundane things she is a bit scared of. My cats know their names and probably know some of the commands I taught the dogs, but they’re cats lol. They do know to stop whatever they’re doing when I say, “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

All of the critters get excited to see me, aside from my one cat who just exists in my house and likes my mom more than anyone else lol. We usually only interact when she wants something and it’s a HUGE deal if she seeks me out for attention.