How To Create A Dog Walking/Pet Sitter Business

Some things will always be in demand. Pet care is one of them. Pets are very rarely considered just an animals to people who have them. Most often, people cherish them - most often referring to their pets as their fur-children. I am one of those people - at 4 dogs and 17 cats (before anyone starts on me - only 3 of the cats are indoor, and the female ones are fixed, and about 70% of them are rescues).

According to Fortune Business Insights:

The global pet care market size was valued at USD 235.32 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow from USD 246.66 billion in 2023 to USD 368.88 billion by 2030, exhibiting a CAGR of 5.92% during the forecast period.

But more to the point: The fact that people feel this strongly about their pets means that people will always be willing to pay money for their well-being. Not everyone has the time to walk their dogs, and some people need to go away for a few days and can't take their animals with them.

That's when they turn to things like dog-walkers, and pet-sitters. And if you want to make a living out of taking care of animals, this is one surefire way to make a business starting with almost nothing.

First, you're going to want to think about your safety.

Working with animals can be unpredictable. And if you are handling more than one animal at a time, things can go south. Even if you are doing this casually as a way to earn extra income, I strongly suggest having insurance in case you get hurt in some way and having contracts that release you from liability for anything that may happen to your client's dog that is out of your control (*IE: They get in a fight, the dog attacks someone, etc.)

This is important, and you can easily generate a release of liability contract online. This is the first step and the one I consider extremely important. Your safety is a priority, and protecting yourself legally is another.

Also, as someone who used to be a groomer and has worked with rescues and hasa million pets of my own - you should also consider adding a requirement to your services that people's pets have to be vaccinated.

Secondly, you are going to have to figure out where you're starting.

Do you want to start your business with just dog walking? Or are you going to also offer pet-sitting services? Do you offer pet-sitting services in your own home, or do you go to their home to take care of them daily? Or maybe, you only offer pet-sitting services to dogs who are dog-walking clients so that you only work with animals that you are familiar with for the most part.

Or maybe you even offer bathing and grooming as a package?

These are all things that are going to affect your start-up cost and time. You will need to think about getting things such as vet references, proof of vaccinations, animal behavior, and medical background. These things will help you set up what kind of business you are going to have, and how much money you will make in the long run.

Dog walking basics.

Generally, when walking dogs, you will need to create a schedule. Some people want to hire a walker for a set amount of days a week, at certain times. You will need to plan around your and your client's timelines.

Eventually, if you get enough clients you could be walking up to 8 dogs at a time. Having a daily planner could help you keep track if you're old-school. If you're scaling your business up and going for a good number of clients, I'd suggest keeping track of it digitally and on paper.

I would also suggest having a customer data log book, (specific to dog walking of course) so that you can take notes on the dog's behaviors (such as if one dog is aggressive to others when it's in its yard or if one is food aggressive, or if one is an avid squirrel chaser and it happens to be as big as a horse... you know, important stuff).

I would shoot reminder texts to each customer you have planned for the day in the mornings or the day before. A simple text such as: "Hey! It's _______, just reminding you I'm going to pick up Rocky at 2 PM for his walk! Please let me know at least an hour ahead of time if you need to reschedule or cancel."

Not only do clients really appreciate this gesture, but it helps you not waste time picking up clients who aren't going to stick to their schedule that day.

So what if you have more than one client at a time? Holding a ton of leashes with a lot of dogs can be catastrophic. Dogs get tangled, you get tripped, it's rough. Luckily there are options for leashes that can walk multiple dogs. There is a no-tangle 5-dog lead that is extremely affordable, this 3-dog leash has some good reviews, and this bungee cord that can hold two is meant for big boys who can actually be ridden rather than walked.

Working with animals can be rewarding, and with the correct marketing, it can be really successful, and create a great side income for you. This success story about Woofies is incredible - and while you may not expand it that far, you can still make a very comfortable living doing something that makes you happy.

Remember to do research on how much the average dog-walker charges in your area, and advertise and market, starting with your own neighborhood. You can print out fliers or pamphlets and hand them out. Create a Facebook page for your dog-walking business and post on the Facebook marketplace.

With a little bit of effort, you could be making a good $500 to $1000 dollars extra a month with just 5 to 10 regular clients.

Good luck with your business endeavors! I hope I helped!

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