Hi,
I'm Margarita!
I’m an in-home petsitter in Lisbon and surrounding areas – taking care of any kind of pet in the comfort of their own home, with the schedule they’re used to, respecting force-free, positive reinforcement guidelines❤️
About me!
My name is Margarita and I'm based in Lisbon, Portugal. I have a lifetime of experience in petsitting, dog walking, dog training and have had my fair share of animal rescuing and rehabilitation as well – rescuing from the street, abuse or neglectful situations and/or shelters, dealing with “difficult” animals, finding them forever homes ❤️Experienced with dogs, cats, horses, rats, guinea pigs, birds, some reptiles and always ready to learn and take on new challenges.
I speak Portuguese and English fluently, as well as Russian.
The photo below is my own dog, Ajax!
Ajax
This is my dog, Ajax. I couldn't not make a page dedicated to him, seeing as he is such a huge part of my life.He's almost 4 years old now and has taught me so much about dog ownership, training & life in general. Weighing 45kg, he's a very large dog that catches most people's eye while out on walks – usually, people will either fall in love with him or scream in terror because of his size, running away (yes, that has happened more than once).Ajax is an Estrela Mountain Dog, a Portuguese breed that has historically been extremely neglected, usually by shepherds, as for the most part they weren't really considered a pet breed. With Ajax, I've always done my best to turn that story around, showing people that they can actually make absolutely great pets.I've put countless hours of research and training into him, and every second of it has been worth it. Ajax is growing into a beautiful, extremely balanced and well-behaved dog, and I don't think I'd change a single thing about him even if I could. He's my "heart dog" – my soulmate in the shape of a dog.
Georgie
A very traveled young dog (born in Ireland, has lived in a couple of different countries and ended up coming to settle down in Portugal), Georgie is a sweet & extremely fun Cockapoo with a huge personality.
Mara
Very sweet 12 year old Mara, rescued from the streets of Romania and currently living her best life in Sesimbra (Portugal). She loves to snooze for the most part of the day, but will come up for snuggles and always does a happy dance at meal time! :)
Ozzie & Oliver
Two very cuddly gentle giants, who have come all the way from the United States of America and settled down in Lisbon!
They're not fans of most other dogs, but they're sooo affectionate with people <3
Elsa, Flynn, Hugo & Parker
4 Jack Russels with ages ranging 7-15, all with very different but such fun personalities :) Originally from Florida, US, they've been living near Lisbon, in the Sintra area, and love big walks!
Majick, Nala & Winnie
An adorable family of 3 girls with very different personalities and a great balance between loving walks and being couch potatoes!
You can just feel how well they get along and how their different traits all complement each other in the best way possible.
Týna & Fergie
Two 8 year-old doggies who've traveled all the way through Europe to settle down in Portugal, both were a bit anxious about their owner being away at the start but ending up relaxing and distracting themselves! So much energy that I could've sworn they're both puppies if I didn't know their age :)
Cheddar
A 6 month old German Shepherd with a through-the-roof amount of energy, a very fun little guy that needed 4-5 walks per day, as well as lots of mental stimulation to tire him out properly!
Archie
Archie’s owners had travel plans for right after he was neutered, so I helped them out, taking care of this sweet cat and giving him his pain medication + took him to a post-operation vet visit to make sure everything was in order.
Peppa
A tiny 5kg rescue, Peppa is on a long journey of learning to trust humans again after everything she went through in the first 2 years of her life. Her owners trust me to take care of her while they’re away, and Peppa ended up loving my company after a few days of a very patient approach.
Sona
An absolutely impressive dog. Sona is a "Covid-era" German Shepherd, with very high energy levels and having had very little exposure to normal street sounds, people, cars and other dogs. She was extremely reactive to all of these, so all our walks focused on addressing these issues, helping her function in a healthy manner with the help of her huge toy drive.
I ended up using most of her energy for trick training, Sona is so easy and fun in trick training!
Maya
I stayed at Maya's owners' home when she was just 2 months old, and had a lovely time with this little ball of happiness that kept prancing around the house and trying to chew up pretty much anything she came across! She definitely kept me entertained at all times!
Billie
The sweetest cat, Billie was a breeze to take care of. I stayed with her for a week and it absolutely flew by – I don't think I've ever met such a "low-maintenance" cat before! She's the kind of cat that climbs into your arms and falls asleep while purring like a little car engine :D
Lemmy
I took care of Lemmy while her owners were away for the weekend and we had the greatest time together, with walks by the river, focusing on correcting her pulling on the lead, which she grasped so quickly and became better by the second! Such a fun dog.
My schedule
This is my calendar, updated regularly with the dates I'm booked for petsitting so you know when I'm available :)
Currently accepting bookings for May, June, July and August.
Contact me if you want to book petsitting for the time you're away, or if you have any questions, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.For new clients, I always schedule a meetup beforehand, so we can chat about any details and so I can meet your pets, of course!
