Martine V.
Mechelen, Flanders, Belgium
About Martine V.
61 years old
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ceremonial speaker at funerals - petsitter - writer
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Alone
Nice to meet you!
I live in Mechelen, a small town in Flanders (Belgium), close to Brussels. I used to work for television as a human interest reporter, but since a year and a half I work as a ceremonial speaker at funerals. Besides this I work as a professional petsitter in Belgium as well. My petsitter's website is written in Dutch, but you can find some pictures of me on it: www.vakantie-mama.com and on my professional facebook account as well https://www.facebook.com/VakantieMama/
I'm a positive and social person, easy going in dealing with people. I love animals (of course!), nature, books and lazy Sunday mornings.
I'm vegetarian. I try to meditate each day. Being in peace with life and becoming a better and more authentic person is important to me.
Why I want to house sit
I started petsitting for the pets of my friends and colleagues after my own cats – whom I loved very much ! - died. The oldest lived with me for 21 years, so after living so close with them for so many years, I really missed having pets around.
I just love spending time with them. I experience petsitting as being allowed' to enjoy the presence and love of other people's pets. Animals are the best company I could wish for!
My experience
I grew up with cats and a dog. They were my best friends. As long as I can remember we had chickens at home. As a student I took care of two rabbits for several years. And I had some goldfishes.
Later on I had my first cat of my own and one of her kittens stayed with me as well. The youngest unfortunately died at the age of 12. The mother cat was close to 21 when she died. During the last years of her life she needed much care. I had to give her medication at least once a day, I had to prepare her food, carry her into the bed and off the stairway, ... I did all I could to keep her happy. I nursed her as long as I could and as long as she could enjoy life.
Nursing her for a long time I really dare to say I'm very patient and caring with animals.
Since my own cats died, I started taking care of the pets of friends and colleagues - as a living-in-their-home petsitter. This is as much a pleasure to me as it is to my friends and the pets! More and more people contacted me and as the number of applications kept growing it eventually became a business. I took classes on animal communication (cats and dogs), animal behavior and first aid.
As a professional petsitter I had to give insuline injections and other medications, sometimes handle emergencies or sick animals.
At some point I joined the petsitters community Trusted Housesitters, then discovered Nomador. And through these communities I discovered the pleasure of discovering new places while taking care of cats and dogs abroad. I've done 7 or 8 sits as a member of Trusted House Sitter, sometimes twice at the same place, and I got a high rating of 5 stars every time. I've done 3 or 4 by Nomador so far. Now this has become my way of visiting new places and making new furry friends.
Language(s) spoken
English
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French
Compliments received
Community opinion
Carcassonne, France - October 2022
Martine est une personne formidable, très dévouée à la cause animale. Elle s'est occupée de mon chat Rio à la perfection et me donnait plusieurs fois par jour des nouvelles. Nous nous sommes entrecroisés pour les quelques consignes et conseils mais j'aurai beaucoup aimé en connaître davantage sur elle. Martine est quelqu'un avec qui le feeling passe obligatoirement et je la remercie encore infiniment pour son aide et son attention envers Rio. J'ai retrouvé ma maison encore plus clean que ce que je l'avais laissé. Je la recommande sans soucis car on peut lui faire confiance les yeux fermés.
Ivry-sur-Seine, France - March 2022
Martine est une home sitter exceptionnelle , très agréable au contact, elle est douce attentive à l'animal, donne très souvent des nouvelles. Elle s'est occupé de mon chat Mysti à la perfection, soucieuse de son bien être et j'ai pu le retrouver en pleine forme et mon appartement très propre avec de gentilles attentions à mon égard. je la recommande vivement, c'est une personne en qui vous pouvez avoir toute confiance
San Juan, Puerto Rico - March 2020
We had a great experience with Martine! Lots of updates and pictures throughout the weekend and the apartment looked great when we got back. Highly recommended. :)
Schiltigheim, France - June 2019
Hello. For everyone who would like to take Martine as a petsitter, I just can say: DON’T HESITATE, take her! If she has applied to take care of you pet you are a really lucky person, and your pet even more. Martine is a really kind person, with a big warm heart. You can leave your home knowing that she will take care of it as if it was hers, and you will find it cleaner than when you left. You will be informed everyday and she will be always there if you need to know more. My cat spend almost one week with her and when I came back home I felt that she enjoyed the time with Martine: she is not home just to feed her, she is there for everything that your pet need: play time, nap time, love time... I even felt that my cat was sad when she left. Moreover, she had really nice attentions when she arrived and when she left... and at the end, you feel her as a part of the family. For me it’s clear: Martine will be always welcome to my home, more than that, we are hurry that she comes back!