Lara

Hey everyone!! 

House and pet sitter here! 

I registered with Pawshake because I absolutely love animals, always had cats and dogs since birth, and now really miss them. They are like family to me. 

As a baby, our dog Pierrot would never leave my side, while I was sleeping, crawling or playing. In college I had a Border Collie named Blue. Beautiful, extremely smart and sometimes jealous. He always had to sit between my boyfriend and I and would sometimes stretch out his legs while pushing my boyfriend away. Too funny! 

My cat Kitty aka Bolletje, was 19 years old passed away during Corona. I miss her. Unfortunately, the Corona Pandemic made it very difficult to find a new cat via an animal shelter (everyone was looking for a pet those days) but I decided to hold off for a little while longer so I can travel and possibly even search for where I would like to live next. 

When I was in elementary school, I also had a couple of hamsters named Spike and Spikey and adopted/sponsored an Otter name Rice where my money would go to his special needs and his favorite food, you guessed it, rice. 

I'm Dutch but feel like an expat sometimes. Born in Belgium and raised in NY. Moved to The Netherlands directly after high school to study and to learn more about my Dutch roots. I decided to stay to pursue my career. In 2014 made a small sidestep to Dublin for 2 1/2 years where I started a business, but back in Amsterdam since. 

Fast forward to now, I'm 49, live in the center of Amsterdam on a canal with no pets or children, single and relatively flexible where I can work. I'm a Partnerships Manager for an international company selling workspace solutions.   

Having been an Airbnb host and guest in The Netherlands and abroad, I know what it’s like to take care of other people’s houses and what it’s like for others to take care of mine.

Having been around pets my entire life enabled me to anticipate their needs and understand them. I'm not easily "grossed out" by them, and I really enjoy learning about their characters and how they communicate. Each one is so unique and innocent!

I have reviews and references from various sources: Pawshake, Trusted House Sitters, Facebook, and Airbnb. 

Home and pet owners say that I am reliable, trustworthy, caring, flexible and good at solving problems ;0)

Feel free to also reach out to me if you need someone to just hang out with your pet at home for the day (so not stay over.) 

Looking forward to hearing from you! 

- Lara