Dog Sitting in Vila Nova De Poiares

Tess

Erica watched my senior dog and cat for 12 days while I was traveling internationally. She was organized, responsive, and took excellent care of both my animals and my apartment while I was away. She sent me photos during the stay and my pets absolutely adored her. She has watched my pets before and I always trust her to take excellent care of them. 

Traveling internationally and leaving my pets in the care of a sitter always makes me a little nervous, since I won't always be immediately reachable. However, Erica's communication and obvious competency made me feel very comfortable about leaving my pets in her care while I was away. It's very obvious she adores spending time with the pets and caring for them.

I came home to a clean apartment and very happy and healthy pets. I would highly recommend Erica for any of your sits!

Wendy & Rob

Joe and Casey were very easy going and reliable. We organised the sit way in advance with a video chat and we had adequate communication leading up to the sit. We handed over the house and animals after a fairly swift explanation of everything. Being experienced sitters Joe and Casey didn't need us to over explain anything (hopefully they felt the same) and we could see very quickly that they were animal lovers. They asked us how much communication we needed whilst away and we said "no news is good news". So we received just the right amount of updates along with the most adorable photos and reassuring words about all the animals. It was clear that they quickly understood the character of each of the animals. We forgot to mention that Tipper likes to dig dirt beds around the garden which creates quite a mess and it was obvious that these were kept under control. The garden and pool were well cared for. We enjoyed a relaxing couple of weeks away knowing that the animals were being loved and the dogs definitely looked for Joe and Casey when we arrived home. Our pets, home and garden were well respected and cared for and we would not hesitate to invite Joe and Casey to sit for us again.

David

Diane and Les were excellent pet and house sitters. Jet was a very happy dog when we returned and Diane had shared many photos of their days together while we were away on holiday. The house was very clean and tidy when we returned and some milk , bread and sweet treats had been left for us, which were very welcome after our 2 long flights home. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Diane and Les as sitters for your home and pets, everything was done to a high standard and Jet was happy in his usual environment , which is all we wished for. Many thanks to you both.

Stewart

Joanna and David were wonderful sitters for our dog Broderick and our apartment. Before starting to sit for us they took time to come and meet Broderick which we were very appreciative of. During their time sitting for Broderick we got great updates every day and wonderful photos of our pup, and they were very responsive whenever needed. When we got back home we found a happy puppy, healthy plants, and a spotlessly clean apartment - they had even taken the time to wash sheets and towels and left us a kind thank you note. We would have them sit for us again in a heartbeat!

Velia

Care and compassion for my dogs was at the top of the list of John's attributes. He was the first sitter I have used through zeewoi that was close enough to come meet the dogs before the sit. John not only came for an initial meet and greet, but he made time to meet the pups a second time prior to my departure to better familiarize himself with both the dogs and my home. Having put the fear of God in him about Penny's reactivity (I might have been a bit over the top, but better more attentive than less!), he was cautious with her in the beginning. Later in the sit, they trooped off to the beach on multiple occasions - all good! My 10-yr-old was on some meds for a serious battle with arthritis, and John managed Cooper's needs beautifully. John even made a call and a trip to the vet to re-up Coop's prescription when it was clear he needed to continue the protocol. I received daily updates by  text, including photos and video; communication is hugely important to me. I feel blessed to have had John care for my fur-babies.

Eddie & Alvin

Shannon and Travis stepped up at the last minute when an earlier sitter canceled. Shannon and Travis took care our our large brood of animals for two weeks while we were out of the country over the Christmas holiday. They kept us informed about what was happening with the animals and our home. Our dog Pepper doesn’t like most people, but loved Travis and Shannon immediately. I would not hesitate to welcome Shannon and Travis back for another sit. They are very honest and friendly people. Their dog Dime is also awesome.

Caroline

We were so happy with Lynda's care for our senior pup. 

Lynda was extremely accommodating with the key hand over situation we had considering our early flights out of Berlin. She was easy to coordinate with and made this part of the holiday very smooth.

We could also tell Sesame was in the best care. We received updates and photos of Sesame on walks and getting cuddles. We know Sesame can be sassy sometimes but Lynda was great with her little attitudes and handled her with ease. It was also really heart warming to see that Lynda truly enjoyed her time with Sesame and created a strong bond with her. We love to know that our dog is loved and treated with the care we would give her if we were home. 

Both my partner and I were able to fully enjoy our holiday as we knew from updates that Sesame and Lynda were doing well. Our apartment was clean and tidy when we returned and the sheets had also been washed. We would definitely have Lynda back and would recommend her to anyone else looking for an experienced sitter to stay with your pet.

Anne

The two-leggeds and four-legged members of this household give Tess a 5-star rating! We think she's one of the best sitters you will find - highly communicative, friendly, competent, reliable, and great with pets. Tess was also flexible about start and end dates to accomodate possible winter weather complications. For this sit, Tess was able to bring along her mom, Cathy. Tess introduced me to Cathy during one of our Skype conversations prior to the sit. It was a bonus to have her here with Tess. Their travel to Marquette was complicated by weather. A fierce winter storm swept across Michigan just before the sit. It took Tess and Cathy two days to drive here but they arrived, as promised, in time for us to fly out early the next morning. We even had time for a lovely dinner together and to introduce them to the dogs and house. We left the next day and never had a moment's worry while Tess and Cathy were caring for our pets and home. Tess sent us regular updates and photos. The dogs immediately accepted them as great new additions to their pack of friends - even our cranky, old chihuahua, Nike! We returned to happy pets and a spotlessly clean home. We plan to invite Tess (and Cathy if available) to return for future sits. Thank you, Tess and Cathy!

Sarah

Stephanie, Brian and baby Martin took fabulous care of our home and pets for two weeks. 

From the outset, communication was quick, smooth and friendly and it was clear that both Stephanie and Brian are reliable, professional and warm sitters who take all the various elements of a sit seriously.

They kept us up to date with photos and messages, dealt proactively and competently with any unexpected issues that popped up, and most importantly showered our dogs and gerbils with attention and care throughout the time we were away. We returned to a spotlessly clean home (with thoughtful touches of fresh milk, bacon and bread waiting for us) and happy, settled pets. 

In short, we would recommend Stephanie and Brian to anyone looking for reliable, attentive and proactive sitters for their pets and home. We would be delighted to welcome them back for another sit, should they ever find themselves in the area again.

Heather

Veronica House sat for us for a month.  She cared for our two Dobermans and our cat.

Veronica is so enthusiastic about animals.  They immediately pick up on her joy and love for them.

When some bold alligators made our dogs’ normal exercise routine unsafe,  she was faced with the challenging situation of keeping two Dobermans with very different temperaments exercised and entertained in the height of Florida summer with its bugs, heat, and humidity.  She met this challenge by taking the dogs for individual outings. She drove our young social dog to the dog park, finding the times when he would most likely have other large playmates and drove our socially anxious dog to the quiet areas of town for walks.  This took a lot more time than our normal routine, but it kept our dogs safe and happy.

A lasting benefit for us is that our younger dog, once a terror in the car, now rides much more calmly and our anxious dog, once fearful of what the car ride would bring, now happily hops in.
 
Our cat was so content and well-groomed​ upon my return, it was obvious that she had been getting lots of daily attention,  too.

Veronica communicated with us on all the happenings with our pets and property every day.

I came home to happy and healthy pets and a well cared for home.

We feel so fortunate to have had Veronica as a house sitter and look forward to her sitting for us again.