Tessa

Hi there! 

I am Tessa and, as unexpected as it may be, I love dogs. I grew up in a small village in the East of Belgium, always wanted a dog but we never had one, which meant that I always went to my neighbours to walk and play with theirs. I was always intrigued by the relationship between the dog and the 'owner': the bond, connection and communication that is possible between human and animal is extremely fascinating, and the way dogs are sensitive to our emotions is extremely powerful. I studied philosophy, so from a philosophical perspective there is a lot to think about (for instance, I prefer to think about dogs as who they are rather than as 'pets' which implies a relation of superiortity, in Peter Singer's tradition).

When I do a workaway abroad I prefer to combine house- with petsitting. In my very first workaway, I lived for a month on an organic farm where the beautiful Lara (as is to be seen on my profile picture) could show me around in Penkun (Germany), I did a few in Portugal with more shepherd's and mountain dogs, I sporadically petsit my friend's big dane Bagheera when he flies back over the ocean. Towards the end of my best friend's dog Kinta's life, I gave her Reiki (healing potential of touch) to elavate the pain. 

At the moment I live in a shared house in Etterbeek/Brussels and I don't have the resources yet to live somewhere with a garden and to meet the dog's needs in the best way. Hence, my biggest motivation to do 'pet'sitting is hence to help others (people + dogs) out so that their needs are met, as well as mine :). 

Concerning my services on Pawshake,

- for dogwalking: the duration can be variable, from 30 minutes to maximum 2 hours, it depends on the ability of the dog and the wishes of the 'owner'; it is up for discussion; the location will probably in the neigbourhood of the home, ideally in a natural environment. 

I am happy to discuss needs and wants and find a common ground :) 

During the week, I am mainly available in the evenings until the end of October 2023. From then onwards also sporadically during the day. Weekends are usually open!

Hope to see you soon!

Tessa

(The languages I indidated to speak are not all to the same degree: Dutch and English fluent, German, French and Spanish rusty but manageable)