Pet sitting is one of the few side incomes that works around a day job, does not need a car, and does not require learning a platform's rules. We started with two neighbors' dogs and a note in the community group. Six months later it was eleven regular clients and a spreadsheet, and the number in the spreadsheet was better than most people expect, as long as you already like dogs and do not mind a houseguest who sheds.
The numbers at month six
| Service | Rate | Monthly volume | Monthly income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overnight boarding at our house | $45 per night | About 9 nights | $405 |
| Daily walks, 30 minutes | $18 | About 10 | $180 |
| Drop-in visits (cats, feeding) | $15 | About 4 | $60 |
| Total | About $645 | ||
That is with a deliberate cap. Boarding is limited to one dog at a time, and walks are limited to weekday lunchtimes, because one of us works from home and can take a half hour. Someone with more time could double it.
Platforms versus direct
We started on one of the pet-sitting apps because it provided the first clients and a payment system. The app takes 15 to 20 percent. After the first stay, most clients asked whether they could book directly, and we said yes. Direct booking means cash or a transfer app, a text thread instead of an app, and no commission. The app still brings one or two new clients a month, and we keep it for that.
The real costs
- Liability insurance. A pet-sitter policy costs about $15 a month and covers vet bills if a dog is hurt in our care and damage a dog does to other people's property. We would not do this without it.
- Supplies. Paper towels, enzyme cleaner, a spare leash, a crate for dogs that are used to one, treats. About $20 a month.
- One destroyed rug. Not covered, not charged to the owner, written off as tuition.
- Time you cannot leave. A boarded dog is a houseguest. Weekends with a boarder are weekends at home.
What makes clients come back
Photos. Two a day, unprompted, with a line about what the dog did. Owners who get photos rebook without being asked. The second thing is a short written intake: feeding schedule, medications, vet's number, one thing the dog is afraid of. It takes five minutes and prevents most problems.
Who this suits
Someone who is home a lot anyway, has a fenced yard or a routine that includes walks, and genuinely enjoys animals. It does not suit anyone who wants to do it on a strict schedule, because dogs and their owners are not on one. At its current size it pays our grocery bill, and it is the only side income we have tried that the children volunteer to help with.
The intake form we use
One page, filled in by the owner at the first meeting: the dog's name and age, feeding times and amounts, any medication with dose and time, the vet's name and number, one thing the dog is afraid of, one thing the dog is not allowed to do, and an emergency contact who is not the owner. It takes five minutes and has prevented every problem we have had, including one dog that could not be near the vacuum cleaner and one that would eat socks. We keep the forms in a folder and ask owners to update them each time.
Pricing without underselling
We set rates by looking at what the apps charged in our area and taking 15 percent off, which is roughly what the app would have kept. Owners pay less than the app price, we earn more than the app payout, and nobody feels shortchanged. Rates go up once a year, announced in advance, and nobody has left over it. Holiday weekends are 25 percent more, which is standard and which owners expect.
