# Pet/House sitting



## bluhollow-lady (Oct 26, 2008)

Hello, 
I am contemplating getting back into Pet/House sitting. For those with circumstances to do so, this service is another possible independent business. 
Does anyone out there do this? If so, how is your business doing? I live in Montana and it has been sparse in the past. But I expect it may pick up for me if I advertise more. Unless the economy has affected it. 
However I saw a survey narrative on TV just this evening that animal services are doing very well despite the finance problems. 
Appreciate your input. :typomat:.Patsy


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## SFM in KY (May 11, 2002)

A friend of mine used to do this in the Denver area, but of course metro area and she was "uniquely" qualified ... bred show dogs for years, worked off and on for vets ... plus metro area. She pretty much didn't work "outside" except for the pet sitting and obediance classes, but she'd lived in that area for 30-some years and her client base was almost entirely other show dog people/ kennels.

She just recently moved back to Denver and plans to get back into it. She's been gone from there 8 years, so most of her old clients have other arrangements now. She said she went to the big 3-day show they hold there every February with fliers and business cards, posted the fliers and talked to everyone she could ... she's stayed in touch with a lot of the dog show people of course. She said it sounded promising and she has her first job scheduled this coming weekend.


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## Beeman (Dec 29, 2002)

My wife and daughter have done this for people, I've always thought it could grow into a decent low pressure business. What kind of pricing structure do you use? Are you bonded or insured or is it just word of mouth and being trustworthy? They've charged $100 for a weekend, feed animals and water plants.


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## clovis (May 13, 2002)

Look in the threads in this forum. There was a very good thread about this business a few months ago.


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## cahume1 (May 13, 2009)

I have been running a dog-sitting business since September last year (9 months now). We live in a large country town in Australia. The dogs stay in our home which is on 1 hectare in a rural area just out of town, and they have access to the house, a large enclosed shadehouse, and the garden. We don't have any kennels or cages, so the dogs have to be well socialised, housetrained, and we insist in sighting vaccination certificates and ask that their flea and worm control is up to date. 

We have done minimal promotion, mainly flyers at the local vets, and a couple of flyers on notice boards around town. We have a very good relationship with our own vet, who recommends us to anyone and everyone. Kennels aren't for everyone, and there seems to be quite a demand for this type of care for people's pets. We often joke that we are providing peace of mind for the owners as much as a lovely "holiday" for their dog. This year we have been really busy to the point that we have had to set limits on numbers and start saying no to the occassional booking. I hate saying "no". This seems to be the sort of business that can get as small or large as your patience / available space / local authority regulations will allow. A couple of weekends ago we had 10 dogs - far, far, far too many for us. An ideal number we find is 4 - 5 dogs, but then it depends on their temperament. We have 2 little Jack Russell X's that come for day-care twice a week. It's easiest when it's just them! I like it best when we only have 2 - 3 visitors. I know someone who ran a similar business from her home and had 23 dogs one Christmas. Must have been mayhem. Think she was doing it for the money rather than any enjoyment she got from it.

Quite a lot of our business seems to be repeat business, which says we must be doing something right, and is much easier as you and the dog know each other. I think if you wanted to earn lots of money you would be better off setting up kennels just so you could get the numbers in. I know I wouldn't enjoy this and I like having the dogs in our home and having them be a part of our family while they are here, but then I don't earn as much. It all comes down to the right balance for you.

The state of the economy doesn't seem to have affected business. I think many of us care for our pets as much as we care for our children these days, and we want the best for them.

We don't have any insurance for the business, which may be foolish, because the cost was so high compared to the amount of income I anticipated making. I feel that most owners understand that you will do everything in your power to look after their dog properly. If you feel that the owner is going to be "challenging" you don't have to accept their booking, and I always stress that we can't really separate the dogs, so they must be able to get on with other dogs. One concern is that because the owners are visiting your property for business purposes, your home owners insurance probably won't cover them if they have an accident (eg, person trips and injures back).


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## Peepsqueak (Apr 6, 2005)

I am a petsitter and really enjoy doing it. The only thing is you should keep your service area low so you do not drive too much. Also if you do it in-home, you should have plenty of space. I do it out of the home. I do the midday dog walks, catsits while people are out of town, and take care of dogs and birds as well. Try to stay away from multi-animal people with 10 dogs or 20 cats that want a cheap way out of pet care. If they put their animals in a kennel they would pay out of the nose for it. If you have to spend more than 20-30 minutes for a visit, make sure you charge accordingly. To stay in business you have to treat it like a business and not a favor for friends. It is tempting to go that route for nurturing reasons, but try to avoid it. You also do not want to seem calloused and just doing it for the money either. 

You should get insurance for liability, property, and bonding. Look up www.petsit.com and that website will give you a world of info. There are training books and also forms for you to have as well. Service agreements in writing are very important for your legal protection.

Rates should not be too low or excessively high. Do not undermine the business by putting your services on sale. Charge at least what you can make on a regular job (above minumum wage) and take into account your paperwork and gas expenses. And make sure your customers pay on a timely basis or you will be out of business.


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## Oakshire_Farm (Dec 4, 2008)

I run a dog kennel, it is a great business. People think of their dogs and cats as family and are now more than ever willing to put out $$ on their pets! 

I have 30 kennels each dog has their own individual room with a doggie door that has their own little out side run as well. But durring the day most of the dogs are out side running and playing together! It is a great set up! The dogs pretty much only sleep and eat in the kennels, I have 2 big out side runs! The bigger one is just for the "playgroup" all the dogs that get along and they stay out side all day. The smaller run is for the anti social dogs, or the older dogs, ar any one that does not fit into the "playgroup" The most dogs I have ever has was a few christmas ago, I had 54 dogs!!! But the way that my kennel is set up it was easy for me and my hubby to look after them all. I would love to find a good reliable person that I could team up with to offer farm sitting. When people have small hobby farms it is tough to find someone that knows about farm animals and is comfortable to work around all sorts of aniamls. 

Good luck, I would recomend it to anyone! (as long as you are not going to start up next door to me )


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