While several students own dogs as pets at home, few of them look after as many of them as senior Charlotte Steppling does. Along with her team of co-workers, Steppling cares for about 200 dogs of different ages and breeds as a Pet Care Specialist at PetSmart.

Steppling first started working at PetSmart in January. "I found [the job] myself," she said. "I wanted to work there because I have a big love for animals." After submitting her online application (which included a 20-age psychology test), going in for an interview and completing the necessary training hours, Steppling was ready to start working.

Her job consists of two parts: taking care of the dogs in the back of the store alone with six or seven other employees and working in the lobby area to greet costumers and answer their questions. "Taking care of the dogs is a lot of work–you walk them, feed them and do everything else as if they were your own," she said. Take all the effort most pet owners must put into caring for one dog and multiply that by 200. The result is approximately what Steppling's workload looks like.

Steppling has an upbeat personality though, which makes work easier. "Charlotte is the most consistently pleasant person that I have ever met," PetSmart Pet Hotel Manager Kevin Benson said. "She comes to work with a smile and a caring personality and has been like that since day one."

The dogs that Steppling look after either stay at PetSmart for the day while their owners are at work or board there for an extended period of time at the Pet Hotel, with PetSmart employees and an on-call veterinarian working around the clock to make sure they are very well attended to. All the dogs play and socialize in a large room with each other but are not allowed outside the store due to liability issues.

"[PetSmart] is great," client Mike Hogen said, whose dog, Clyde, has been going to the dog day camp for over a year. "It helps your dog get socialized. I bring [Clyde] here three times a week and she gets to play with all the other dogs."

Although her job is a lot of work, Steppling says she would not exchange it for any other one in the entire world. "I love my job and I really enjoy the personal relationships you develop with the owners of the dogs," she said.

Working at PetSmart has also allowed Steppling to decide on some of her long-term goals. After continuing to work at PetSmart throughout the school year and the summer, Steppling hopes to attend Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo where she wants to major in animal sciences and eventually become a veterinarian. "[Working at PetSmart] offers exposure to the treatment of animals, teaches you about general animal health and lets you get to learn the different breeds and personalities of pets," Benson said. "Anything [Charlotte] is a part of, they'll be lucky to have her."

From interacting with clients to playing with and taking care of dogs, Steppling treasures every part of her job. "The best part about [working at PetSmart] is probably being around animals 24/7 and working with the people there because everyone shares the same love for animals," Steppling said. "It's really hard not to be happy when you're around dogs all day."