Matina

Hi, my name is Matina! I am currently studying Medicine in Rotterdam. I am very open and friendly and severley miss my own pets back home in Zambia. I speak Dutch as well (English is my mother tongue and my Dutch is not perfect). I share my apartment with roommates and we are allowed pets though don't have any of our own, but I would love to either house sit, home board or even just do some dog walking. I was a volunteer for an animal organisation in South Africa (where I did my high school career) called SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and looked after several of their shelter animals as part of my volunteering. One of the pictures I uploaded here (the one with the two puppies) are two puppies that I worked with at the shelter, and helped to get adopted into family homes as pets.

I have loved animals since I was very young and have one large German Shepherd, two mixed shelter dogs at home as well as one cat. I have grown up around animals all my life and have really missed all animal contact since I moved to the Netherlands to complete my studies. My reasoning for becoming a sitter/walker on Pawshake is that I would like to interact with animals again and would love to play with your pets.

I have recently moved into a new apartment around Katendrecht. I live close to a small park, and am happy to pick up your pet to bring to this park, or any of the parks near your place of living. I usually have classes at EMC (now online due to Corona). I do have a bike and am able to travel to places close by to care for your animals. I have been going to a gated dog park near Weena, where I am very familiar with all the dogs there and would be happy to take your dog there as well. It is a great time to spend 1-2 hours there enjoying play time with countless other dogs!

I am currently busy with classes and juggling a part time job as well. At the moment I may not be able to accept as many bookings/requests as I would usually like.

SERVICE INFORMATION:

I offer a variety of services, and am happy to look after all types of animals.

House visits: I typically pass by in the mornings and/or evenings, depending on how many visits you request. A home visit will normally be a half-hour, but I aim to fulfill all needs in that time (cleaning litter, giving food etc.). I do also tend to spend extra time just cuddling/playing with your pet if they enjoy that as well!

Dog walking:

I generally walk a dog for a 30 minutes to a full hour (depending also on the dog and his/her needs). As mentioned above, there is a park that I am very familiar with that I could take your dog for 1-2 hours to play (with a ball, or with the numerous other dogs that come by).

House sitting: As long as my calendar is free I will usually be available (only in extreme circumstances will I still have to reject a request). As I am studying online at the moment, most of my time will be spent with your pet, I will only occasionally have to work around a few physical classes. I enjoy taking dogs for long walks in nearby parks, or just walking to get to such parks. Unfortunately I do prefer house sitting locations that are not too far away from my current area, as it allows me to travel back home easily if necessary.

Home boarding: My roommates and I are very big animal lovers! We are all open to looking after your dogs or cats at our home if you want more on hand care! Due to the corona situation I do most of my studying at home, as such I would be able to give your furry pet as much love as they want while studying!

The last four pictures in my photo gallery are images of our apartment. We do have a balcony though there are currently issues with it, and it is kept shut at the moment. There are three bedrooms upstairs as well as a bathroom. The floor is carpeted, though the kitchen has tiles and both staircases are wooden. We live on the second and third floor of the building. There are quite steep stairs leading into our apartment, which may be problematic for older dogs. Nearby we have the Buizenpark and the Kaapbos. There is a lot of beautiful scenery close by and I always enjoy going for walks with dogs around this area. With regards to home boarding for dogs, we would really need to first see if we would have no problems with you dog first. Both my roommates work during the day and as such a very noisy, disruptive pet would not be very enjoyable for them to have at our home, but we would love to try and see if we would all be a good match! Due to my new schedule with my part time job I may not be able to take on as many requests as I would like to. Unfortunately at the moment big dogs aren't a possibility for us and we would prefer small pets (cats, small dogs etc.).

Overall, I wish you an amazing day and hope to meet both you and your pets one day!