South Africans on Portugal's Silver Coast — here with our two dogs, a van full of tools, and a genuine love for looking after homes and animals.
We moved to Portugal's Silver Coast six years ago — drawn by the Atlantic light, the slower pace, and a coastline that felt like home from the first day. We arrived with our two dogs, Freya and Griffon, a van full of tools, and a shared belief that the best life is built with your hands.
We built this business because we kept meeting holiday homeowners and expats who couldn't find someone they actually trusted with their property. People who needed an English-speaking pair of hands that would show up reliably, send photos, and genuinely care about their home as if it were our own.
So we became that. SouthCoast Paws & Home is the business we wish had existed when we arrived.
"We want to be that person — the one whose number you save and never need to search for again."
— Justin & DebbieEverything is personally delivered by us — no one else, ever.
Justin leads all pet care, property management and repair work. He has trained and competed with dogs across South Africa and Portugal for over a decade, and grew up alongside his father Michael building a 30-year reputation in paving, cladding, construction and landscaping. He brings that eye — how to read a building, how to fix what matters — to every property he manages.
Debbie leads all home cleaning, BnB turnovers and window cleaning, and shares garden and property management duties with Justin. She brings the Sterrenberg family's design and decorating instinct to every home she touches — a trained eye for detail and a genuine pride in leaving each space immaculate. For absentee owners, Debbie is the person who makes their home feel cared for.
They are more than pets. Freya and Griffon show up to every job — they are SouthCoast Paws & Home. When Justin walks your dog or sits your pets, our own dogs come too. They set the standard for how every animal in our care is treated.
Justin has trained and competed with dogs across South Africa and Portugal for over a decade. When your dog is with us, they are with someone who genuinely understands animal behaviour — not just a dog-walker.
🐾 Follow Their Adventures on TikTokNo subcontractors, no agencies, no surprises. Every single service is carried out by Justin or Debbie personally — that is our core promise and it never changes.
After every property visit you get a photo or video summary sent via WhatsApp. You'll always know your home is safe, even from the other side of Europe.
WhatsApp reply within 2 hours during business hours. For key holding clients — same-day response to emergencies, guaranteed.
Ten years of dog training and thirty years of construction know-how behind every job. We know what we're doing — and it shows in the quality.
Our clients give us their keys, their access codes and their dogs. That trust is sacred to us. We treat every property — and every animal — as our own.
Six years on the Silver Coast means we know the roads, the tradespeople, the seasons, the quirks. We are not a remote service — we are your neighbours.