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 studio in Sint-Gillis/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 :) 

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)