Pet Sitting/Walking business

kittylover4ever

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
May 10, 2004
Messages
21,696
Purraise
16
Location
Ohio
Do any of you do this for a living or know anyone that does? My friend Debi is thinking of opening one, but would love to hear your feedback on the pros and cons of trying to do this type thing for a living.......
Thanks!!
 

twstychik

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 27, 2006
Messages
5,720
Purraise
4
Location
Northern IN
I would LOVE to do something like this for a living. I hate my job and am not a big fan of desk jobs in general but I don't think there's a big demand for this type of thing in my area.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #3

kittylover4ever

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
May 10, 2004
Messages
21,696
Purraise
16
Location
Ohio
You never know......could be people that work all day that just want/need someone to come let their dog out to go potty and a little attention while they're gone all day to someone going on vacation and needing someone to watch thier babies while they're gone....
 

pushylady

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jul 26, 2005
Messages
16,398
Purraise
451
Location
Canada
This is what I do for a living.
I work for someone else though, and I have to say, the way to make a real living at it would be to own your own company. However, I am aware of how much work goes into operating your own successful business, and I am not interested in doing that. I know my boss spends a lot of time every day on running it. She started up 7 years ago and is definitely reaping the rewards of owning her own business.
Pet oriented jobs are fun by nature (you will get the occasional stressful client) and each day tends to be different.
In our area (around 400,000) there are at least four successful walking/sitting businesses operating, and a lot more ones that I don't consider "professional".
Good luck to Debbie! It is definitely a fun and rewarding job.
 

strange_wings

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 20, 2006
Messages
13,498
Purraise
39
As someone who's stuck now - can't travel due to pets, I wish there were more pet sitters. There's one that does cover this area but I pretty sure if I told the person what pets I have, their very specific requirements and the fact that some will try to escape their cages, I would hear "uh... I don't do that".


If you really want to make it as a pet sitter, learn that pet doesn't only mean cats and dogs. Too many bird, reptile, fish, and even insect keepers are stuck without knowledgeable people to watch their pets. Unfortunately, and probably why most people won't do it, reptiles (lizards and turtles) need live insects and/or freshly prepared veggies.
 

twstychik

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 27, 2006
Messages
5,720
Purraise
4
Location
Northern IN
I would love to herp-sit! I might have to do some research on my own to find out if there's any real remand for this in my area.
 

darlili

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Oct 16, 2007
Messages
3,310
Purraise
14
Location
Illinois
If your friend is in an urban area that's doing reasonably well in this economy, there's probably a lot of petsitters, etc., in the area, or close by. She might want to hook up with one as an intern/employee to learn the ropes.

And, not quite the same, but poop scooping is also a growing industry, if she's interested in that.
 

pat

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 1, 2003
Messages
11,045
Purraise
58
Location
Pacific NW
Just wanted to mention this site: http://www.petsitters.org/ it is the only national group I know of (doesn't mean there are more!) for pet sitters and should also be a resource for your friend to check out
 

howtoholdacat

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 26, 2007
Messages
1,248
Purraise
22
Location
Georgia, USA
I am a professional pet sitter and own my own company. I LOVE it! It's a very rewarding line of work. It is not a job for people who want to retire early, however, it pays the bills. I usually send people who want to be professional pet sitters to www.petsits.com for general info and I always give two pieces of advice. One, don't even consider doing this without insurance. Two, it is not for the faint of heart. I've been bitten by dogs three times. I HATE being bit. Though, in 10 years 3 bites isn't bad. What's really tricky is convincing animals to do what you want and naturally, they don't cooperate on your busiest days. It takes a lot of creativity, patience and animal know-how. Also, it takes good business sense. If your friend's only desire is to play with animals she just needs a pet of her own. If she is genuinely concerned for the well fare of any animal she meets and is willing to work hard and even get dirty then she's got the spirit it takes to be successful.
 

pushylady

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jul 26, 2005
Messages
16,398
Purraise
451
Location
Canada
Originally Posted by twstychik

Out of curiousity, how many people does your boss employ?
Currently there are 5 of us working for her.
We're busy and getting busier so there's usually enough visits to keep everyone happy, although it does fluctuate quite a bit.
 
Top