"I get love at work every day. How many people can say that?" says Darlene Ehlers, of Cleves, Ohio, the 2006 Pet Sitter's International Pet Sitter of the Year. "It's gratifying to me, but I get so much more back in return. You can't get that at your typical corporate job."

It's unlikely that the person in the next cubicle is as happy to see most people at work as the dogs and cats are to see Ehlers. And no wonder, she gives most of her clients' toys.

"I'm surprised to have won (the Pet Sitter of the Year honor), I suppose the fact that people know they can depend on me, and that I'm organized has something to do with it," says Ehlers.

Still, the unexpected can happen, even to the most organized person. Once Ehlers set her keys and cell phone down in an owner's house, went into the garage with the three dogs in her care and closed the door behind her. Now, she had no way out. Ehlers didn't panic. Turned out panicking would have been a waste of time. One of the dogs stepped on a garage door opener. At first, Ehlers had no idea how the garage door even opened!

Ehlers, 52, has been pet sitting for nearly 10 years. She was in charge of auto finance distribution and lease contracts for Reynolds & Reynolds for several years, and before that was a manager at a doctor's office. Ehlers was still employed at Reynolds & Reynolds when she saw a magazine story on pet sitting and then picked up the book "Pet Sitting for Profit," by Patti Moran (founder of Pet Sitters International).

"I was never the kind to make impulsive decisions, but being with animals all day sounded fun," she recalls. In 1997, she began to pet sit part time, making it her full-time career in 2002 after the death of her mom. On the day of her mother's funeral, an orange cat just showed up at Ehlers' home with a huge wound, presumably a bite. It took months for vets to repair. Ehlers named the cat Jasper.

Ehlers, who'd been her mother's caretaker, says, "I really believe my mom sent me Jasper so I had someone to take care of." Well, today, she also has three other cats and two dogs (an Australian shepherd and an English springer spaniel). She's married to Ron Ehlers, an engineer, and has two stepdaughters.

There were five finalists for Pet Sitter of the Year. One was Gail Keener, of Fort Mill, SC. She's been pet sitting for eight years, and this was her third time around in the Top 5. After working as an executive in the corporate world, and being downsized, Keener says she wanted to have more control over her own destiny. "And I thought it would be wonderful to work with animals, maybe preferring that to working with people in some ways."

With one exception, she turned out to be right. That exception was the one job Ehlers refused: pet sitting for a humongous snake. "My only rule is that I won't care for anything that can eat me," she said.

Ehlers adds, "Pet sitters have the best stories in the world. I can't tell you how many times I've crawled through doggie doors in order to get inside. Once, as Y2K was approaching, an eccentric teacher didn't tell me she had changed all the locks. No one had the new key. I had to get inside to give heart medication." Keener called a locksmith and was able to get inside without damaging the doors.

Her toughest job was this past year, caring for a 16-year-old cat named Casey. He'd been ill but seemed to rally some before the owners were scheduled to leave town. When they departed. Casey again fell ill, and this time appeared to be dying, given his various medical conditions and a confirmation from a nurse practitioner and the vet. The owners asked that he be allowed to die at home since it seemed he was in no pain. Keener stayed by Casey's side until the end. "It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do," she says, attempting to hold back her emotions.

Taking classes in pet CPR has paid off. Keener has actually saved several pets' lives. On one occasion, a golden retriever named Barney was just walking along fine one moment, then stumbled, and in seconds blood was trickling from his mouth, he'd arched his back as if in pain, and had some diarrhea. Keener instantly sprung into action by jumping into the street, flagging down a car ("He pretty much had no choice — either stop or hit me," she recalls) and hightailing it to the vet's office. Her quick response no doubt saved Barney's life. It turned out he had a pulmonary embolism.

Keener, 54, is married, has two cats and three dogs, all rescued, Sally B, a nearly 15-year-old Bassett hound; Winston, a 13-year-old Lhaso apso, and a 2-year-old shih tzu named Pinky. "I was shopping around at the pet store, and this woman was complaining about the disposition of the dog, and that her husband was demanding she find another home for her. I made it out the door as far as the parking lot. I also heard her say she'd give the dog to the pound if she had to," Keener says. "I went right back into the store and took Pinky home with me."

Keener adds, "When I was a very little girl, I remember telling my mom I had a destiny. I always thought I had, but never knew what it was. Now, I know."