Natalia

Hello, my name is Natalia and together with my girlfriend María José (or "Cote") we offer our help with taking care of your pets when you are away! We are both from Chile, I'm 28 years old and Cote is 27, and have experience in taking care of pets. We've been living in Montreal since begining of October. We are currently living in Hochelaga area, and are available for home visits, house sitting and dog walking. Sadly for the moment, we can't take care of pets in our place (renting policy).

Since we are taking reservations together, your furry beloved four-legged will always have someone to play with, and being taken care of.

My description and Cote's:

I'm 28 years old and I'm from Chile. I really love animals, to the point that I think I value them more than human beings. I'd love to volunteer in Africa, that's my medium term dream. In my plans is to get to study some matter related to them and environment, I already studied something but it's not related at all (industrial engineering). I've got the Working Holiday Visa, that is work permit for 1 year.

I discovered from a young age that I loved animals, everyone of them, but I didn't get to have a pet until I was a teeneger. My dog Blanca was my first one, my very first beloved dog, I'll never forget her. 

When I was first in Canada back in 2017-2018 I got to do something I wanted to do for a long time: being a volunteer. I volunteered at a farm that was also a petting zoo. That was my first experience taking care of all kind of animals: sheeps, cows, horses, pigs, alpacas, even kangaroos, and many more. I loved the experience I wanted to stay longer, but I needed to keep going in my adventure. Over there I stopped eating meat, they were vegan. It was always in my mind to being a vegetarian, but I haven't done until that time. Since then I'm a vegetarian.

Back in Chile I became a volunteer of an NGO that helps street dogs and cats in Iquique (city of the North). There are many street dogs and cats over there, it's so sad. I had to do feeding routes, sometimes be their temporary home, give them a wash, take them to the vet, and some other things. 

With girls I met from facebook we created our own NGO specially focus on rescuing cats, because in Iquique dogs have more help than cats. The job was to catch the pregnant cats, search for a permanent/temporary home for her and/or her babies, do feeding routes, share their story through social media, get them a nice responsible home, and doing all the formalities.

I still help the organization the way I can from here. 

I have 5 rescued pets, 2 cats and 3 dogs. There are 3 of them that were living with me at my apartment, my two cats Chino and Agustín, and my dog Princesa. My other two dosg stayed at my parent's house. Since I'm in Canada, a friend of mine is taking care of my cats at the apartment and Princesa is being care of by my girlfriend parents. They are all good, everyday I have news from them. I miss them so much. I have more info of them in their pictures.

Besides my current pets, I rescued some others through the NGO or myself and gave them to loving familys, I still get in touch with them. 

Had a rescued dog named Diego, he was a poodle medium size, who was abandoned at a supermarket. With my partner we discovered him walking in circles, his hair was all matted, and full of fleas and ticks, and he was also blind. Was the most sad thing I've seen and experienced with a dog. He was a very old dog. He stayed with us for around 8 months, and then he passed away, he never really recovered completelly even though we tried really hard. Vets told us it was very difficult because he most probably had had distemper.

I learned many things through these volunteering, like intramuscular inyections, how to give pills to (specially) cats, how to make dogs listen to me, how to take them to a walk, how to pet them, how to take care of them when they are ill.

I really love animals, and I'd be so happy if I have the chance to take care of them while I'm here. Sadly here I don't have a place to pet sitting in my place, but I can go to yours. Avaliable for dog walking and petsitting dogs and cats.

My girlfriend, Maria José, also loves animals (vegetarian too) and has been surronded my animals since she was very young, she has had birds, turtles, rabbits and dogs, and from almost two years she joined me with the caretaking of my two cats Chino and Agustín, and our dog Princesa. She took a course related to Veterinary, named: Veterinary Clinical Assistant, she knows how to administer medications to cats and dogs.