Why trust me with your pets? Well, when I was a little girl about age 7, my parents let me and my siblings have a dog. I took care of the dog we called Todo. I was in love with Todo and was devasted when we had to give him because he was having horrible allergies to the California climate. We gave him up to a family that was moving to Florida. I lost touch with how Todo's life turned out and from that point on, I longed to have a dog of my own. Because I never lived in a place that would allow dogs, I had to wait until my husband and I finally had a home of our own. My in-laws had 2 Jack Russells that I had the good fortune of knowing, and I fell in love with the breed immediately.

I took it upon myself to research everything about the breed over a 2 year period. In my quest for knowledge I learned that this was the most misunderstood breed...with much thanks to Hollywood for glorfying the dog as an apartment dog who can also run free about the neighborhoods being loved and adored by all. Without going in to the sad details of Jack Russells who are given up each year, and breeders who breed for the money...I adopted my own Jack Russells from two separate families who "just didn't have the room for..." or "just couldn't keep them because of...." and the rest is history. Here they are... I now work part-time in rescue with JRT Rescue in Southern California and with the local humane society chapters in San Diego, doing breed-specific counseling, transportation, home inspections and rescue. A sad but often rewarding job.

When my love for the breed & animals in general combined with my love for art, Jessica Designs Dog Art was born. I started painting Jack Russells after I got my first Jack Russell Socci. Two years and one more Jack Russell later (Xena), I've painted and sold over 200 animal portraits to people all over the world on both ebay and off my web site. My love for dogs is something I cannot measure. I am one of those people that can't pass by a dog without greeting it. I talk to dogs like they are young children, in an effort to make their tail wag and to communicate with them. I would have been a vet, but I am deathly allergic to cats! Since I am now self-employed, I thought I would offer pet-sitting as one of my services. I hope this gives you some more perspective on why I enjoy pet sitting as both a hobby, an interest and a way to earn a living. Back to the rates & services for pet sitting.