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Sitter available

An animal lover & wanderlust victim.

Spain

Testimonials

They have 15 testimonials (view below)

Pet experience

Dog(s), Cat(s), Horse/Donkey(s), Chicken(s), Bird(s), Rabbit(s), Farm animal(s) – I'm a veterinarian, and a certified Veterinary Acupuncturist.

Police check

They don't have a police check

Availability

From: 30 Apr 2023
Until: 1 May 2025

Occupation

Veterinarian & Project Manager (weird, uh?)

References

They don't have referees/references

About this sitter

Most of all, I'm a traveler and an animal lover. Not necessarily in that order.
I'm the kind of person who will try to catch every opportunity in life: I've lived in five countries, traveled to more than 40, studied a career, then changed professions... worked as a vet, a project manager, an audiovisual producer, a horseback trekking guide, a translator... some people call it inconsistency, I call it flowing along with life.

Why they want to house sit

I've done it many times! I love it, it's like traveling but at a much slower pace, and it gives me the chance to live in a different place, to learn about other people's customs and to spend that time doing something good like taking care of animals.
By the way, it'll be hard to convince me to house sit if there's no animal to look after!

Their experience

Yes! I started when I was twenty-something: first my friends, then their friends, then my friend's friend's friends...
When MindMyHouse came along I got a house sit for 7 weeks in Rome, it was the first assignment for which I had to travel to a different country.... and I ended up moving to Rome for almost a year.

What can they bring to the assignment

Even if I haven't been working as one for a long time (long story!) I am a graduated veterinarian and a crazy animal person, so you can rest assured that your pets will be very well looked after and very loved. I'm an aspiring photographer and I love animal portraits so your pets will be modeling a lot ;)
I am quite a "handywoman" too, I know how to fix most things around the house without panicking throughout the process.
I'm very easy going and I'm the complete opposite of a party girl.

Last updated: 11 Mar 2024

Available to house sit

Africa, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burma, Cambodia, Canada, Caribbean, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Laos, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Middle East, Monaco, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, North East Asia, Norway, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South East Asia, South Korea, South Pacific, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam

Availability dates

From: 30 Apr 2023
Until: 1 May 2025

Do they charge?

They sometimes charge for house sitting services

Personal details

Age: 36-45 years old

Membership

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Testimonials

Paula is great!

I highly recommend Paula as a house, cat, donkey and pony sitter. My animals got more attention from her than they do with me. She is very present and very knowledgeable when it comes to animals so I knew they were in good hands. All my cats, even the very shy ones, would come and get in her lap, you can't get better than that! I hope she's available next time I'm away.

Leslie, France, 19 Jun 2024

  • Tidy
  • Organised
  • Good at pet care
  • Reliable
  • Kept in contact
  • Friendly
  • Good in the garden
  • Handy around the house

Paula was just brilliant. We left her in charge of our home ,dogs , cats ( too many to mention ) and chickens and couldn’t have felt more at ease and confident . The animals were comfortable and happy in her presence and her knowledge and skills enabled her to deal with the medication needs and health needs of all our animals. We could not have been more delighted to return home to a well kept house and happy healthy animals. We hope that Paula will pet sit for us again in the very near future. Highly recommended

Lorraine, Portugal, 29 Jun 2023

  • Tidy
  • Organised
  • Good at pet care
  • Reliable
  • Kept in contact
  • Friendly

Probably the best house sitter in the world

We cannot recommend Paula enough, she came to our home and looked after 2 elderly dogs, 2 head strong horses and a nervous semi-feral cat with such care and dedication that they were very sad to see her leave. Our home was beautifully cared for, and she dealt with every challenge without batting an eyelid, from being left without a car due to ridiculous insurance issues to repairing a damaged fly mask, which we are still using. This lovely lady cared for our animals as if they were her own and we could not have asked for anything more.

David, United Kingdom, 17 Sep 2022

  • Tidy
  • Organised
  • Good at pet care
  • Reliable
  • Kept in contact
  • Friendly
  • Good in the garden
  • Handy around the house

Top Cat-sitter

I was so pleased that Paula was available to cat-sit for us recently and knew from her very first contact that she was going to be great. She was quick to reply to messages and easy to deal with when we were making arrangements and while we were away. She has a calm, capable manner and seemed genuinely positive about taking care of older cats. I felt totally confident about leaving her in charge and I especially appreciated her flexibility in case our travel plans were subject to change... It was lovely to come home and find supper waiting for us in the form of a delicious courgette pie. Paula is very interesting and good company, and we would have liked to have spent more time with her - perhaps we will have that opportunity in the future. In the meantime, I have absolutely no hesitation about recommending her for house-sitting and pet care assignments.

Victoria, Spain, 30 Dec 2021

  • Tidy
  • Organised
  • Good at pet care
  • Reliable
  • Kept in contact
  • Friendly

Ms

Paula took on a difficult assignment when she agreed to housesit for us because our home is an old watermill in the Spanish countryside 3kms from the nearest village and with various animals to care for. However she coped with everything. We normally insist on a couple but Paula did it all alone. She proved to be extremely competent, resourceful, reliable and honest and we would be delighted to have her back. Oh yes, Paula is a vet which means that if you have any animals they will be extremely well looked after.

Paul, Spain, 28 Nov 2021

  • Tidy
  • Organised
  • Good at pet care
  • Reliable
  • Kept in contact
  • Friendly
  • Good in the garden
  • Handy around the house

House and petsit in tuscany

Paula looked after my 4 horses and my cat for 3 weeks and i was totally satisfied with how she cared for my animals. she is very fast in understanding what you need for your animals and house and even if I had only 1 day to explain (normally it takes me 3 days) she got everything immediately. one of my horses had a wound that was difficult to heal and she managed it better than i would have done (thanks god she is a vet!) she has alot of experience with horses and can manage most things by herself but still tells you the important things and does everything like you want it. My cat (which can be quite demanding) was cuddled more than i do and definitely missed her when she was gone. She gave me regular updates when wished but without stressing me. She didn't even told me that my pellet oven was stuck (only when i asked her) but managed to fix it with the help of my neighbour. she can handle problems by herself when something comes up and had no difficulties staying in a rural old farmhouse where always something can happen. she is easygoing , friendly and reliable and waited with a nice meal for us when we came back. If she wants to come back for another housesit she is more than welcome!

Andrea, Italy, 28 Oct 2021

  • Tidy
  • Organised
  • Good at pet care
  • Reliable
  • Kept in contact
  • Friendly
  • Handy around the house

Two weeks of care by Paula

Paula took care of our condo with 2 cats (one needing daily medicine), fish tank, many indoor plants, and outside veggie garden for two weeks while we were out of the country. She was very responsive from the time we first connected with her, following up promptly despite time zone differences, and asking good questions to be ready for the sit. While we were gone she stayed in touch, providing updates with photos of our pets. We felt very sure that our pets and place were in very capable hands with Paula! Upon our return she had taken care of her laundry and left us with a tidy record of notes about the cats. We'd definitely recommend her!

Gregg & Kellie, United States, 20 Aug 2021

  • Tidy
  • Organised
  • Good at pet care
  • Reliable
  • Kept in contact
  • Friendly
  • Good in the garden

Paula Lema

If you’re looking for the best possible house and pet sitter, you’d be fortunate to have found Paula. She is ethical, smart, resourceful and ready for anything! I had to step it up upon return, as all my pets were properly spoiled and we look forward to seeing Paula again!!

Steven, United States, 10 Jun 2021

  • Tidy
  • Organised
  • Good at pet care
  • Reliable
  • Kept in contact
  • Friendly
  • Handy around the house

Paula Lema - the perfect housesitter

Paula exceeded all our expectations by a mile. We hadn’t done this before so were a little apprehensive. We needn’t have been. Paula is a bright, interesting, warm, friendly person and while our dogs were thrilled to see us when we arrived home I am fairly certain they would have loved it if Paula could have moved in permanently with us ! Paula took excellent care of them and sent us pictures and updates on a regular basis. Our neighbours and friends loved her and she became part of the community in the three weeks she was here. Sadly , Paula’s boyfriend was unable to stay for the duration due to a family bereavement but Paula insisted on sticking to her commitment and stayed on alone. We really appreciated that. Friends who had not heard of Mindmyhouse were so impressed by her and will make use of the website in the future. Thanks to Paula! Our house was spotless on our return and the plants and garden had been cared for. We could not have wished for a better housesitter. We shall certainly ask Paula to come again should we decide to travel . William and Walter will be very pleased about that!

Joan, South Africa, 26 Sep 2019

  • Tidy
  • Organised
  • Good at pet care
  • Reliable
  • Kept in contact
  • Friendly
  • Good in the garden
  • Handy around the house

The perfect house and pet sitter for our home

We are so happy that we have met Paula. She took great care of our dogs and our home and kept us always informed about our home, the dogs, incoming mail and all other important things. We do highly recommend Paula and would love to have her again taking care of home and our darlings.

Rüdiger, Germany, 1 Feb 2019

  • Tidy
  • Organised
  • Good at pet care
  • Reliable
  • Kept in contact
  • Friendly

5 stars for Paula

From the start communication with Paula was easy, fast and efficient. She arrived and was immediately up for the job looking after our farm with all the animals, in the Alto Alentejo in Portugal for a month in August. She was amazing with our two big dogs, very caring for the two cats, looked after our 25 chickens and cared perfectly for two donkeys and a horse, she watered the vegetable patch and resolved all the little problems that tend to turn up in a very rural setting. Paula kept us updated and asked for advice or feedback if necessary but dealt with day to day jobs perfectly by herself. She is very organised, reliable and very professional and on top of that, the loveliest person you can wish to meet. Thank you so much and hope to see you again soon.

Schuster, Portugal, 8 Aug 2018

  • Tidy
  • Organised
  • Good at pet care
  • Reliable
  • Kept in contact
  • Friendly
  • Good in the garden
  • Handy around the house

Thank you!

Paula looked after our home and animals for a month, she coped really well with s few unexpected things, in particular our elderly dog needing a weekend at the vet. She even gave him a bath when he came home. We felt very comfortable leaving the animals in her care and they enjoyed their holiday with her. The house was lovely and clean and tidy when we returned as well, and there were some peas and broad beans in the freezer too. I would highly recommend Paula, and would not hesitate to ask her back to look after our animal family.

Joanna, Portugal, 12 Jun 2018

  • Tidy
  • Organised
  • Good at pet care
  • Reliable
  • Kept in contact
  • Friendly
  • Good in the garden

Paula Lema

We would have liked to have spent more time than we were able to with Paula either end of her sit for us but time was tight. Paula settled in immediately without fuss and took great care of our 3 collies whist we were away. She is highly independent and perfect for the job. We would have no hesitation at all in welcoming Paula back to our house. Meantime, happy travelling Paula. David and Magda

David, United Kingdom, 22 Apr 2018

  • Tidy
  • Organised
  • Good at pet care
  • Reliable
  • Kept in contact
  • Friendly
  • Good in the garden
  • Handy around the house

Perfect sitter

We had the pleasure of Paula doing a sit here recently and both humans as well as cats were very, very happy. Cats bonded with Paula instantly and clearly had lots of attention over the 10 days we were gone. Upon our return the flat was considerably cleaner than when we left. We'd have her back any time.

Anette, Denmark, 25 Dec 2017

  • Tidy
  • Organised
  • Good at pet care
  • Reliable
  • Kept in contact
  • Friendly

Reliable and caring

We had the pleasure of having Paula as our house sitter for three weeks, leaving her with our two dogs, pool and garden. We spent the day before leaving getting to know each other, and from the beginning both dogs (and our son) were comfortable with her. Paula is very calm and easy going and she kept us up to date about everything, which made us not having to worry at all. All arrangements and agreements were kept and we came home to a lovely clean house and car! And even with a delicious zucchini pie in the oven for us (which saved us after a long trip). We can definitely recommend her and we will for sure keep in contact.

Mette, Denmark, 7 Aug 2017

  • Tidy
  • Organised
  • Good at pet care
  • Reliable
  • Kept in contact
  • Friendly
  • Good in the garden

References

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