Manoella M.
Middletown, NY
Native in cat, fluent in dog
Pet care experience
For as long as I can remember, I've always been surrounded by animals. Growing up in Brazil on a farm with at least 15 dogs at a time to begging my mom to rescue a kitten my horse nearly stepped on, animals have always been one of my favorite companions and greatest teachers. I've spent time training, caring for and playing with all sorts of dogs and cats, from newborn kittens and puppies to senior cats and dogs, I've been through it all, even helping one of our Weimaraners give birth to her litter before getting her spayed. I've been a pet sitter for friends and family in the past and currently live with my roommate and her two cats (ages 5 and 7) and care for/play with them during the day while she's at work and during weekends/long trips. Back home, I grew up with cats as well, usually with two at a time (my parents currently have two tuxedos, ages 6 and 10) but I've also lived with up to five cats at once, wherein one of them was a senior cat. My experience goes far back into my childhood growing up and caring for animals, and I also used to walk the neighborhood dogs as well, so I'm excited to be working with Rover to find families in need of pet care!
Reviews
Manoella has taken care of my two cats and extremely high-energy Aussie with easy. Reliable, provided regular updates, and careful with my pets’ needs. I highly recommend Manoella to care for your pets!
Manoella did an amazing job taking care of not only my two cats for multiple vacations, but also a third bonus cat when a coworker needed a last minute cat sitter. They did an incredible job keeping the cats separate with slow introductions so by the time I got home two weeks later the cats were tolerating each other and not burning the house down! They always send me photo updates when I am traveling of my fur children and I know they are always in good hands.
About Manoella M.
Communication
Skills
Safety, trust & environment
The first thing I do when caring for pets is make a list of their names with age, identifiers, any allergies, and favorite snack, almost like a manifest, so I can make sure I can do roll call before closing/opening doors, starting appliances or leaving the house. Having identifiers written down helps me know what to look for if I'm looking for a specific pet and favorite snack is handy in coercing them out of tight spaces. Once all pets are accounted for, I ensure I have all the keys I need before leaving/entering the house, and make sure all my personal items are with me (usually I just wear a fanny pack). Those two steps are crucial and baseline for any service, be it dog walking, pet sitting or overnight care. For dog walking, I like to ask the owner if there's any specific way they prefer to hold the leash, what side is the dog most comfortable with walking on, are they reactive, or if they need special attention to not pick up chicken bones off the sidewalk (happens more often than you'd think). Aside from that, I like to make sure I really know the pup before we go outside, so I ask if I can play with them for a bit to become friends before we go anywhere. For overnight care and pet sitting, I try to make sure I have a comprehensive list of what the animal likes/dislikes, what they can/cannot eat and, most of all, treat the home like it's my own. As someone who grew up with pets, especially ones with tons of hair, I know how important it is to keep up with vacuuming/dusting/cleaning, so I usually even include a cleaning during my stay (because pet parents are tired too, ok?). In general, my philosophy is to treat the pet and the owner as my friends and their home like mine, because friends take care of each other and make sure to be respectful to each other's spaces.
Information Manoella M. would like to know about your pet
Please let me know if your pet has any allergies, needs any special medical attention (I.V. meds, special food, etc.). Also, I'd love to know their favorite snack, favorite walk spots, any pet friends they can socialize with and if they like to watch anything on the TV.
A typical day
I try to treat a walk like an adventure, and make sure to take the scenic route whenever possible. As someone who enjoys hiking and the outdoors, I love researching places near me where I can go explore and most of the time you'll have reviews from pet parents either recommending a specific path or suggesting a better place to go walk your dog. When it comes to dog parks, I'm cautious about going to those unless it's explicitly asked by the owner, otherwise I'll try to avoid those as you never know if there's a reactive dog or any kind of situation that can break out. I do always ask the owner if the dog happens to have dog friends they're used to seeing and playing with and, if possible, arrange to meet them at a park or in the owner's preferred location. Outside of going on walks, I like to play with the dogs, either if they have a backyard or out at a park/beach and make sure they get not only good exercise but also mental stimulation. If I'm serving them food or a treat, I try to use lick mats or puzzle bowls (not sure if they have another name, I've just always called them that!) to enrich their eating experience and make sure they're eating at a slower pace. With cats, I try to add broth or water to the lick mats to make sure they get enough hydration. Also, if the dog/cat likes to cuddle, I love spending time on the couch and watching movies and sometimes even reading while I have cat tv in the background and the cats are entertained.
Services
Manoella can watch in your home
Availability
I work remotely for a company which offers flexible scheduling, so I'm home all day and available for any kind of service, whether it's pet sitting during the day, walking your pet, checking in on them for food/water/play breaks, etc. I'm also a single 28-year-old woman who doesn't do much on the weekends, so I'm available for pet sitting and/or overnight pet care.
About Manoella M.
Communication
Skills
Safety, trust & environment
The first thing I do when caring for pets is make a list of their names with age, identifiers, any allergies, and favorite snack, almost like a manifest, so I can make sure I can do roll call before closing/opening doors, starting appliances or leaving the house. Having identifiers written down helps me know what to look for if I'm looking for a specific pet and favorite snack is handy in coercing them out of tight spaces. Once all pets are accounted for, I ensure I have all the keys I need before leaving/entering the house, and make sure all my personal items are with me (usually I just wear a fanny pack). Those two steps are crucial and baseline for any service, be it dog walking, pet sitting or overnight care. For dog walking, I like to ask the owner if there's any specific way they prefer to hold the leash, what side is the dog most comfortable with walking on, are they reactive, or if they need special attention to not pick up chicken bones off the sidewalk (happens more often than you'd think). Aside from that, I like to make sure I really know the pup before we go outside, so I ask if I can play with them for a bit to become friends before we go anywhere. For overnight care and pet sitting, I try to make sure I have a comprehensive list of what the animal likes/dislikes, what they can/cannot eat and, most of all, treat the home like it's my own. As someone who grew up with pets, especially ones with tons of hair, I know how important it is to keep up with vacuuming/dusting/cleaning, so I usually even include a cleaning during my stay (because pet parents are tired too, ok?). In general, my philosophy is to treat the pet and the owner as my friends and their home like mine, because friends take care of each other and make sure to be respectful to each other's spaces.
Information Manoella M. would like to know about your pet
Please let me know if your pet has any allergies, needs any special medical attention (I.V. meds, special food, etc.). Also, I'd love to know their favorite snack, favorite walk spots, any pet friends they can socialize with and if they like to watch anything on the TV.
A typical day
I try to treat a walk like an adventure, and make sure to take the scenic route whenever possible. As someone who enjoys hiking and the outdoors, I love researching places near me where I can go explore and most of the time you'll have reviews from pet parents either recommending a specific path or suggesting a better place to go walk your dog. When it comes to dog parks, I'm cautious about going to those unless it's explicitly asked by the owner, otherwise I'll try to avoid those as you never know if there's a reactive dog or any kind of situation that can break out. I do always ask the owner if the dog happens to have dog friends they're used to seeing and playing with and, if possible, arrange to meet them at a park or in the owner's preferred location. Outside of going on walks, I like to play with the dogs, either if they have a backyard or out at a park/beach and make sure they get not only good exercise but also mental stimulation. If I'm serving them food or a treat, I try to use lick mats or puzzle bowls (not sure if they have another name, I've just always called them that!) to enrich their eating experience and make sure they're eating at a slower pace. With cats, I try to add broth or water to the lick mats to make sure they get enough hydration. Also, if the dog/cat likes to cuddle, I love spending time on the couch and watching movies and sometimes even reading while I have cat tv in the background and the cats are entertained.
Location
Middletown, NY
Manoella M.
Middletown, NY