what to pay a dog sitter?

[ptrbryant]

and even lets our dog sleep in the bed with her aw: ...I think he'd have a nervous breakdown by himself! We pay her $25/day, make sure the kitchen is stocked with her favorite foods and buy a small gift for her from WDW, too. She actually spends a lot of time during the day with our dog, too, so I feel we must be underpaying her, but she seems okay with it.

Karla B.

 

[baileybelle]

Last October my family went to WDW for almost 2 weeks (we drove down from Maine) and we had our son's friend (age 20) house and pet sit. We paid him $200 and I had the peace of mind that my "baby" (my nervous cocker spaniel named Bailey) had someone with her who she knew and trusted.

 

[lesroi]

Wow, I agree with the poster that said you all have some pretty cheap pet sitters!!!

We have 4 dogs and a cat, and when I had someone we could trust to stay overnight, I would pay $50 a day.

Now, we have found a very reputable, insured, bonded pet sitter who comes 4 times a day. We pay her between $50 and $60 a day.

I don't think I could even trust someone that I only paid $10 a day. THESE ARE MY CHILDREN!!!

You all are lucky, that's for sure!

Tracy

 

[epcotfan]

Wow y'all have some cheap pet sitters! Where I live to board a dog at a kennel runs about $22-26 per day I was going to hire a neighbor kid to come watch our dog for our next trip and was thinking of paying him $20 a day

I pay $30.00 (for two 30 minute visits) a day for my petsitter to feed my cats and Guinea Pig. I would rather have someone who is bonded and insured to care for my animals while I am away. She can also take them to a vet and is trained to administer medication if necessary. I am more at ease knowing she is a professional and can care for them if they become ill. My petsitter is worth her weight in gold and always puts my mind at ease.

 

[adisneymama]

We have 2 dogs, but they are 100% outside dogs. We will be in Disney for 6 days and will have a teenager across the street (we know the family well) aiding another neighbor in feeding them and making sure they have water. She will only have to come 3x's and we plan on paying her $40 plus a gift from Disney. My other neighbor is doing it for free as we trade services to one another while we are away from home, trade off babysitting etc. I think it all depends on what they will be doing. Since she isn't going to have to come inside our home, walk the dogs etc, we wouldn't dream of paying $15 per day/per visit etc. She will literally come over 3 times and put food in their bowls and check their water.
HTH

 

[vanyel]

Just to explain:

Our niece would be happy to stay for nothing as a get away from home. She still lives at with her parents and sisters while she goes to college and this is a little vacation for her. She's also reliable (no parties or messes) and loves our animals. After all, she lets our "baby" sleep with her!

We pay her $10 a day because we don't feel she should do this for nothing. In a way it's a compromise because everytime we go, she says (and her mother), you don't have to pay her. It does help our budget but it also eases our mind.

My previous dog sitter was our 20+ daughter who moved across the country. She was even cheaper, just a gift lol!

 

[adisneymama]

Just to explain:

Our niece would be happy to stay for nothing as a get away from home. She still lives at with her parents and sisters while she goes to college and this is a little vacation for her. She's also reliable (no parties or messes) and loves our animals. After all, she lets our "baby" sleep with her!

We pay her $10 a day because we don't feel she should do this for nothing. In a way it's a compromise because everytime we go, she says (and her mother), you don't have to pay her. It does help our budget but it also eases our mind.

My previous dog sitter was our 20+ daughter who moved across the country. She was even cheaper, just a gift lol!

I agree, if I had someone staying in my home and having to take my dogs for walks etc, I would pay them more. I was just pointing out that it depends on what you have them do as far as what to pay them. In our case since she is only opening a can of food 3x's I don't think it warrents the higher price.

I'm glad your neice is there to help. I'm sure she enjoys the break from being at home! LOL

 

[dreams91]

Just remember that she is doing more than a local kennel would provide. Kennels generally 'let your dog out to run'. They don't give them the special care, attention nor walks that your dog will be receiving. aw:

 

[vfb2girls]

Wow I can't believe how much money people pay to have their pets taken care of, I babysit for the nieghbor boy who is three and I only get paid 16 dollars a day and on that money I feed him, provide him with all of his juice and on top of that the mom wants me to potty train him, I put my foot down on that one! Maybe I should look into pet sitting for a living!

 

[nuke]

My son's babysitter will come and feed our cat when we are on vacation. She comes in once a day, gets the mail, feeds and waters the cat and will cuddle him for a while. I usually give her $50 and a souvenier from whereever we went.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Wow! You all have inexpensive dog sitters. In our area they charge $20-$22 a visit! (for 3 dogs). Our dogs don't do well with kennels, and then we had to pay to treat Kennel cough after their one visit.

We only go with licensed, insured dog sitters. The last ime we tried a non-pro (except my brother), they left the door open (the dogs were wandering around, neighbor called the police, another neighbor got very angry because we have strict leash/poop-pick-up laws here). they also took advantage of our house (ugh! We found quesionable things in our house upon our return)

Never again. It just isn't worth it! Plus, one of our dogs has become diabetic, so now we have to be very careful to find a sitter who knows how to give shots. Dog sitting is one of our biggest travel expenses! The pros are also required by law in our state to pick up affter the dogs. Friends aren't, and around here, that can mean a hefty fine!

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

Last time I watched my aunt's dog for a week while she was at Disney, she brought me back a Disney light up Minnie Mouse pen, birthstone Mickey earrings, and a box of Hunny Pots (caramels) She didn't leave me any cash.

I think it depends on how well you know the person, how much cash you can afford to give/spend and how much care your dog ug: demands, plus are they caring for your animal in their home, or are they staying at your house and house sitting as well- watering plants, taking care of mail, etc.

And to some of you who pay 30 dollars a day- I am in the NJ area and I will take care of your dogs anyday! lol. Truth be told, I love dog sitting because I still live w my parents and we had a dog for 17 yrs that passed away just about 10 years ago- they don't want to get attached to another dog, but I would *love* a new puppy! I volunteer to pet sit whenever I can - especially smaller dogs (little house + big dog = aw: aw: )

Good luck! aw:

 

[ceecee]

I'm with the above poster! I want to start a pet sitting service!!! I love dogs and have even done rescue work (but get too attached). We have one lab and are worried sick about where to put her....she was a rescue dog and was found in a shelter with kennel cough at 1 yr old, since she was a full bred, rescue got her. We are afraid to put her in a kennel (we did find a very nice one though) or a lady that does lab rescue and usually has 5-12 labs plus cats offered to watch her, but with that there is the sickness issue since not all rescue dogs are well. This is the real downside to our vacation!

 

[ceecee]

ug: I'm with the above poster! I want to start a pet sitting service!!! I love dogs and have even done rescue work (but get too attached). We have one lab and are worried sick about where to put her....she was a rescue dog and was found in a shelter with kennel cough at 1 yr old, since she was a full bred, rescue got her. We are afraid to put her in a kennel (we did find a very nice one though) or a lady that does lab rescue and usually has 5-12 labs plus cats offered to watch her, but with that there is the sickness issue since not all rescue dogs are well. This is the real downside to our vacation!

 

[bscs]

I have a dog that every time I go on vacation I have people asking me if they can dog sit. I bring him to their house and say "thank you" when I pick him up. That's it. I also have 2 cats aw: aw: and have friends come feed them and clean the litter box everyday and they simply get a "Thank you" from me when I get back. Maybe I'm cheap or maybe I just have good friends. :thewave: Don't you all have good friends that do things for you just out of kindness, and you don't have to pay, just be as kind if they ever need your help?

 

[bugs13]

I house/pet sit for many people. I am paid $15.00 per day. The money is worth having your pet stay in their own environment.

 

[PrincessKitty]

I have a dog that every time I go on vacation I have people asking me if they can dog sit. I bring him to their house and say "thank you" when I pick him up. That's it. I also have 2 cats aw: aw: and have friends come feed them and clean the litter box everyday and they simply get a "Thank you" from me when I get back. Maybe I'm cheap or maybe I just have good friends. :thewave: Don't you all have good friends that do things for you just out of kindness, and you don't have to pay, just be as kind if they ever need your help?

No, I cared for a friend's dog several times while she vacationed and she declined to do the same for me (only one of the reasons she is a FORMER friend ). But seriously, since my dog is an indoor dog, I need somebody to come over 3 times a day to let him out. All my friends work (except one who is retired, and she lives 30 miles away ), and that is too much to ask.

We have a neighborhood teenager who would love to pet-sit for us (for $$), but as I mentioned earlier, we've had some major problems with a pet-sitter in the past, and I just would have trouble trusting a teenager to be as conscientous as our regular pet sitter.

 

[epcotfan]

Don't you all have good friends that do things for you just out of kindness, and you don't have to pay, just be as kind if they ever need your help?

My friends and family don't work or live or work in my area so I wouldn't expect them to drive back and forth to feed my cats twice a day. I would rather pay someone else to do it and not have any "you owe me" strings attached. Even if one of my girlfriends offered to do it for free, I would still offer them compensation for gas and travel time.

 

[WDWBetsy]

Our little Peanut goes to a local pet resort when we travel for more than 2 nights. It costs $25 per night but he gets 6-8 hours of social play in grassy areas and large indoor runs with other dogs of similar size/temperment. Each dog has their own room with a soft pillow/bed and they play soft music to relax them. We always leave him a brand new rawhide which thrills him. Usually, it makes me sad to take him, so the DH will. But due to some crazy things one morning before we left for vacations, I took him and as soon as I took him off the leash in their lobby, he took off with the employee without even saying good-bye to his mommy!!! He loves it there so I no longer feel sad/guilty that we're leaving him. We get him groomed when he's there, so that's convenient, too. In the summer, they have little baby pools for the dogs to play in. Honestly, he plays so much that he's pooped and sleeps the whole day when we pick him up.

We also buy him a special ham dinner at least once while he's there. They feed him kibble otherwise. He gets a report card and we also get a photo of him playing with the other dogs (they have additional ones on their website that you can download after you return).

If we're only going somewhere for a day or overnight, one of my older nephews stays at our house and watches him. I usually pay $20 and they are thrilled to come play video games and make a little extra money. Plus, they love Peanut.

We used to take him to our vet where it cost $10 a night, but we had to pay for 15 minute increments of playtime and he was kept in a little cage. He was terrified to go and would cling to us when we picked him up. So it was time for a change!

Here's a pic of him and a new friend from his last pet resort stay - he's the bigger one.

We also have a cat (Chad) who stays home and friends come by to check on him and feed him every other day. I usually bring a really nice souvenir to compensate.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Our last dogsitter moved away, but she was great because our dogs seemed really relaxed when we came home. At a kennel, they seemed really stressed. I can only imagine that listening to other dogs barking all day and all night while being locked in a strange cage is stressful.

So I asked the owner, and sure enough, she said she'd love to have more sitters! The last two sitter company owners we've worked with have said that their business was plenty big enough, and that they frequently had to turn away new clients because they just couldn't spread themselves any thinner.

So to those of you who are interested in dog-sitting, there seems to be a high demand for it in our area, maybe there is a high demand in your area too!