Desiree

Professional animal hugger

Antwerpen
17 times favorited
3 recurring guests
Last contacted 9 days ago
Lives with 1 dog and 2 cats
Lives with American Stafford Darco
Usually responds within one day
1w ago
Last activity
<9h
Response time
Dog walking
Min. 30-minute walks
5 EUR for each additional pet
10 EUR
/walk
All services and rates

About Desiree

I'm an Antwerp-based biology student with years of experience with raising and taking care of cats, dog-sitting and walking, horses and several types of rodents. I just love animals! I discovered my love for them at a very young age and read more books about animal behaviour and how to take care of pets than I can keep track of.

Most of my experience comes from cats, which I've had my whole life. Some of them (four to be more precise) were rescues that were either abused and abandoned by humans or simply grew up on the streets. I found that with enough time and patience as well as understanding and empathy and most importantly love, all of them turned out alright in the end and were able to live their best and happy lives.

Of course, not all pets of mine were rescued. But all of them are happy just the same! I also have experience with raising several kittens from birth.

When it comes to dogs, I love them just as much and have a lot of experience with house sitting and taking dogs on walks. I am not a trainer though, but as long as the dog is friendly towards people, I am happy to look after him/her and walk and play until your friend is feeling satisfied. I also recently (august 2022) adopted my very first own dog! Darco is an old guy, 13 years old to be precise, and when i took him in he was very sick and nervous, although even then he loved to be around people. At his age and with his health related problems, nobody wanted to adopt him and there was talk of him being put down. Needless to say, I couldn't let that happen! Fast forward a couple of months and he's doing so much better.

I also used to ride horses for four years and took many camps during that period in which I was taught how to take care of them. Although I wouldn't feel comfortable going back to riding a horse just yet, I know how to feed them, clean them or just walk with them.

On top of that, I have experience with hamsters and chinchillas, and I'm not scared of any other type of rodents or even pet insects and spiders or toads and frogs.

Desiree's services

At your home

Dog Walking
An experienced dog walker will pick up your dog from your home for a 30 min walk
5 EUR for each additional pet
10 EUR
/walk
One home visit a day
Book a pet sitter to stop by your home to feed and play with your pet
10 EUR
/day
Two home visits a day
Two drop-in visits for your pet
18 EUR
/day

Desiree also offers

Grooming

Cancellation policy: Moderate

Full refund if canceled before 12:00 p.m. 7 days before the booking, 50% refund afterward.

No refund is payable if the booking is canceled on or after the start date.

Note: All times are based on the sitter’s time zone

Doggy day care and Dog walks always have a flexible cancellation policy:

Full refund if canceled before 12:00 p.m. one day before the booking, 50% refund afterward.

No refund is payable if the booking is canceled on or after the start date.

Reviews

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Communication
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Treatment of animals
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Value
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Dog Walking
Tom, 2024-10-11

Desiree zorgde prima voor onze Muska. De dagelijkse wandelingen waren Top!

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Home Visits
Jantien, 2023-09-09

Heel tevreden! Alles heel goed in orde. Ze heeft een hart voor dieren. De katjes konden het meteen goed met haar vinden. Bedankt voor de goede zorgen!

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Availability

Desiree's Pets

Duts
Cat
Kumo
Cat
Darco
American Stafford

Skills

Specific Skills

I speak English & Dutch
+10 years of experience
I’ve had pets ever since I was five years old. Many of them (but not all of them) were rescue cats with severe trust issues and behavioural problems. Ever since I was a child, I believed in never giving up on an animal. And through a lot of experience, seeking professional advice and consuming book after book about how to take care of many types of animals, I have learned how to read and befriend them and win their trust. I have also raised several kittens before. My experience isn’t just with cats, though! I rode horses for several years and know how to take care of them, I used to have a pair of hamsters, have a lot of experience with dog-sitting (where I used to stay in the house with the dogs for several days as the owners were on vacation) and I even took care of a chinchilla for a year. So I’m fine with cats, dogs, horses and rodents. Most of my experience is with cats, but I love taking long walks through the fields and forests which would be perfect for dogs. Despite living close to the centre of Antwerp, there are many forests, lakes, hills and natural parks (and even a beach!) conveniently close in my neighbourhood. Perfect for your four-legged friends. I will take any type of dog for a walk, whether it needs a long or a short walk, as long as it’s well-behaved and doesn’t get aggressive towards people or towards other animals. It doesn’t need to be well-trained but I won’t take a dog that has behavioural problems. If you do have a cat with some trust-issues, I am willing to work with it though, as I have experience with that and it always turned out to be a happy ending. Of course, I will take care of any animal with all the love I can offer!

Experience with

Rescuing pets
Behavioural problems

Stats

Phone interviewed
Verified
SMS
Verified
Desiree

Desiree

Professional animal hugger

Antwerpen
Dog walking
Min. 30-minute walks
5 EUR for each additional pet
10 EUR
/walk
All services and rates
Contact Desiree

Cancellation policy: Moderate

Full refund if canceled before 12:00 p.m. 7 days before the booking, 50% refund afterward.

No refund is payable if the booking is canceled on or after the start date.

Note: All times are based on the sitter’s time zone

Doggy day care and Dog walks always have a flexible cancellation policy:

Full refund if canceled before 12:00 p.m. one day before the booking, 50% refund afterward.

No refund is payable if the booking is canceled on or after the start date.

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Contact Desiree