If I wanted to become a $100K dog walker/ pet sitter...

[pearlieq]

Here is the link to our pet sitter's website. I know she is quite busy and has employees that work for her. For anyone living in the far West Chicago suburbs, she's FANTASTIC!

http://www.homesweethomepets.biz/services.html

Her prices are a good deal and we're in an average COL area. I would think someone in a more urban or posh area would be able to charge more for her services.

If you're in an area that can support it, it's not a bad business at all for an animal lover.

 

[dvcgirl]

Key is the location you live in.....and the existing competetion.

New York City, parts of California and other high cost areas it's going to be a lot easier then in low cost areas.

Facts of life... the $100 K dogsitter on the other thread lives in a high cost area.

Bingo

I have commuting clients with healthy six figure incomes. I have dogs I walk in the AM and late afternoon for some exercise. Those are the woman who stay home and play tennis in the mornings and shop in the afternoons. They send their kids to a private school where the tuition is over 20K a year in a town that has one of the best public schools in the country.....just because they can. They pride themselves on having "the best" of everything. And so that's how I make almost 100K walking dogs.

Oh well, off to walk more dogs....lol!

 

[disykat]

In the cities you also see people walking more than one pet at a time, servicing several clients at once because they all live in the same building.
In the suburbs, driving to clients homes makes this impossible.

 

[derocas]

Just wanted to say that I live in NJ and we have "speciality" vets in this area. What I mean be "speciality" are vets that work in oncology, neurology, pet dentists, etc.
Two years ago my dog was diagnosed with Lymphoma. We paid for chemo treatment for her which increased her lifespan by 9 months. It was money well spent because she felt much better with the treatment and she had a good quality of life. With that being said, my advice would be to get referrals from one of these types of "speciality" vets. We didn't take any vacations during the time of her treatment but if we NEEDED to go away I would have paid just about anything to know that she was being well cared for and that she was receiving her medications. That's just my advice. Good luck with the business.

 

[PatriciaH]

My husband and I did it for about 7 years. It was a lot of fun but also a ton of headaches. We did it full time for about a year and part time (mostly nights and weekends) after that. It was not about the money for us. We love to go on vacation and know how hard it is to leave your animals so we started the business after we were both laid off around 2001. We had a much easier time in MA/NH than in FL doing it. In FL we ran in to a lot of problem clients (only wanting 1 visit every 3 days, wanting to share visits with neighbor kids or family-big NO NO, not paying, etc.)

You need insurance, great references and an awesome web site with a good domain name. Join Pet Sitters International and get on their web site. If you are a vet tech, trainer, or have worked with animals in a shelter/farm, etc. you have a better chance at being successful. There are SO many more pet sitters now than when we started. People had no idea what a pet sitter even was when we first started advertising!

It is a HUGE responsibility and when the economy was going south we gave it up. I was not putting an animal at risk because the owner did not want to pay for a visit every day. There were too many people haggling over price and visits. It was sad. I would never share visits with another person either because it becomes a he said she said thing and you are relying on the other person to show up. You need to have the control. I also liked having my husband with me for safety. We would enter houses with doors unlocked and neighbors or contractors inside! Even after having the client sign paperwork saying no job sharing allowed and no one else at the property please for your animals safety. On some of the pet sitting message boards I have read about nightmares with housekeepers feeding the animals and them getting sick, etc. Too much liability for us at this time. Maybe if times get better we would do it again!

 

[TCPluto]

Bingo

I have commuting clients with healthy six figure incomes. I have dogs I walk in the AM and late afternoon for some exercise. Those are the woman who stay home and play tennis in the mornings and shop in the afternoons. They send their kids to a private school where the tuition is over 20K a year in a town that has one of the best public schools in the country.....just because they can. They pride themselves on having "the best" of everything. And so that's how I make almost 100K walking dogs.

Oh well, off to walk more dogs....lol!

But with your own figures, you have to make 14 "visits" a day to make 100k, each and every day of the year.

And then you say you made just under 100k, but that business is up 35% for the first half of this year. Now you're up to 19 "visits" a day, each and every day of the year.

I'm not seeing how this works out.....

 

[pearlieq]

I'm not seeing how this works out.....

Unless someone can explain it with semaphore flags and interpretive dance, I think the posters on this board have exhausted all their options. Plain English certainly hasn't worked.

I'm not sure what you want at this point. Copies of her tax returns? If you're that bound and determined not to believe her, just write her off as a big old fraud and pop her on ignore. Problem solved!

 

[MyDizneyBoyz]

But with your own figures, you have to make 14 "visits" a day to make 100k, each and every day of the year.

And then you say you made just under 100k, but that business is up 35% for the first half of this year. Now you're up to 19 "visits" a day, each and every day of the year.

I'm not seeing how this works out.....

That presumes each and every visit costs $20. I know our sitter charges different fees for different services. Rates are also adjusted based on how many pets are being cared for at each visit and if there are any "extras" being done (watering plants, etc.). She also offers "adventure days" where she'll take your dog to the beach or park for a few hours and that costs quite a bit more than a "walk visit" but I know several people who do that every so often. An overnight stay (in our house) to care for pets will run from $50-$80. Our sitter also charges a nominal fee for mileage if you're outside of a 15 mile radius of her office.

Here's a PURELY HYPOTHETICAL but feasible day:
8 - 10am
4 single dog walk visits @ $20/ea = 80

10:30 - 11:30am
2 single dog walks plus feed fish, water plants and empty kitty litter box @ $30/ea = 60

12:30 - 2:30pm:
One 2 hour adventure day at park @ $50 = 50

3pm - 4pm:
2 multiple dog walk visits @ $30/ea = 60

6pm - 8pm (when folks are home)
2 training/behavior visits @ $45/ea = 90

That's $340 for the day and once you've built a client base is quite feasible. I can see an established business making on average $250/day without killing yourself with the hours which would work out to $91K annually or so in revenue.

I'm not putting this out there to be nitpicked apart as it is purely hypothetical - but rather to show that $100K/year isn't out of the realm of possibility if you can establish a client base and you're willing to put in the time. If you've got an entrepreneurial spirit and are motivated, it's definitely worth a shot as the start up costs are so low.

I say good luck to anyone willing to try!

 

[NinaBella]

We have lots of dog walker businesses and doggie daycares here in Tampa. After one of my neighbors divorced, he hired a company to come walk his dog mid-day while he was at work. It seems to be quite popular among those who work full-time with dogs to take them for a walk mid-day. As one person, how many mid-day walks can you fit in? You would need clients close to each other. Also, I wouldn't let anyone in my house who is not license, bonded, and insured.

I've seen this company driving around. One day she was panic and asked me if I saw a dog (she described him) because he ran away from her when she opened the home to the door.

http://www.wholetthedogsoutpetsitters.com/

When I google Tampa Dog Walking Service, it comes up with so many services. I would start with googling who is already available in your area so you can start market research.

I like this name too Houston Dog Butler, best mid-day walker.
http://www.houstondogbutler.com

From a couple websites I just looked at, looks like dog photos and GPS tracking are popular additional services beyond just a walk.

 

[busy mom]

You may want to check out Rover.com for potential customers. My daughter walks/dog-sits for several clients through Rover.

 

[barkley]

it's been 9 years since this was posted-wonder if the op ever made their financial goal?

 

[usnuzuloose]

.

 

[Judique]

I actually considered dog walking as something to do in my retirement. Extra money plus some exercise so I enjoyed reading this and other information on dog walking. But, I'm just not around enough. I have a full schedule of vacationing to keep up with! Maybe when I get bored with going places.

 

[WVMomof3]

I actually considered dog walking as something to do in my retirement. Extra money plus some exercise so I enjoyed reading this and other information on dog walking. But, I'm just not around enough. I have a full schedule of vacationing to keep up with! Maybe when I get bored with going places.

I know someone who sold all of their belongings and went into the pet/house sitting business. They take clients all over the US and even other countries, I believe. If they are ever between gigs, they use that time to visit family or stay in a hotel, but I think it is pretty full time. So they vacation/work at the same time!

 

[crisi]

One of my friends dogsits through Rover. People bring their dogs to her house while they vacation. Its been very good to her, she turns clients away regularly.