Dogwalking is a calling which began in my childhood. Granted, I had to go to school and get a "real job" in Germany, where I lived for 33 years... but dog walking has been a constant in my life. I was about 11 years old when I started ringing door bells at my neighbors' homes: "May I walk your dog?" That way I made many beautiful friendships with dogs of various temperaments, sizes, breeds, and ages. I so wished to have my own dog, and that wish came true when I was a teenager and we moved to a house with a garden. Don, a chocolate-coloured German Shorthair, stayed my ever-so-playful and energetic companion for 11 years. After he passed, I remained dog-less for a long time. I helped animal-loving friends to take care of their furry companions until my partner and I were ready for a new commitment: we adopted Kika, a 6 month old Jindo-mix, from the Oakland Animal Shelter on June 2nd, 2001. She is the greatest gift I have given myself and I feel truly blessed by her companionship. I have taken several classes with her, among them Agility, Obedience, and Rally-O. She recently passed the Canine Good Citizen test.
Inspired by my own experience of struggling to find an excellent caretaker for her when my partner and I went to Europe to see my family, plus being pretty burned-out by my work as a Mental Health Specialist in a local psychiatric hospital, I decided on a major career change: I longed to spend a lot more time outdoors with animals and to put my knowledge and experience in the realms of animal care and human social work into practice. I found myself enjoying meeting all these beautiful and loving canines, felines and their humans. I realized how much "dog sense" I had already developed over the years and that my love of the animals made my work hardly feel like work at all. I have been a long time volunteer at the East Bay Humane Society in Berkeley, where I teach dogs and volunteers alike. In December I will graduate from the Canine Behavior Academy (CBA) at the Marin Humane Society.Since starting my own pet-care business, I have been graced with making the acquaintance of many deeply dedicated dog and cat guardians; I strive to treat their animals as if they were my own.
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© 2003, Birgit Hafermann