Pet Sitting Tips to Make $800 a Month in Your Spare Time
Get paid to spend time with cute and furry animals!
I became a part-time pet sitter six months ago when my kids returned to in-person school. Like many pandemic moms, I was stir crazy after resigning from my job to oversee my kids’ remote schooling. Not only was I able to schedule most of my work during school hours, I discovered other benefits to pet sitting.
- It’s a socially-distanced job with little to no people contact. In fact, I’ve never met some of my clients in person. They prefer virtual preliminary meetings provide door codes and written pet-care instructions. I communicate with clients via texts/SMS about their pets.
- Pet sitting various dog breeds is a great way to “try out” different sizes, breeds, and ages of dogs. My kids were begging for a dog but we had zero dog ownership experience. Several of my clients are first-time dog owners with untrained pandemic puppies. Brandon McMillan’s Masterclass on dog training (not an affiliate or sponsored link) provided actionable knowledge to prepare me for pet sitting and dog ownership.
- Do you enjoy browsing real estate and home decorating websites? Pet sitting is a fun way to see people’s homes and décor.
- Become more familiar with your geographic region after commuting between pet-sitting jobs. I don’t use my GPS as often after pet sitting the last six months.
- According to an article from the National Institutes of Health, spending time with animals may decrease your stress and improve your mental and psychological health.
Getting Started
Tip #1: Pick a pet-sitting platform or work for yourself
Decide whether to work for yourself or register with one or more pet sitting companies. Pet sitting services market your services in exchange for a percentage of your pay. Or, market your own pet-sitting business while taking all the profits. I work with Rover, which caters to all types of animals despite their name. I also work with Meowtel, which specializes in cats. I might have more clients if I registered with another company like Wag, but I prefer part-time work without the hassle of self-marketing. Research the companies in your region or start your own pet sitting business.
Tip #2: Clearly state your pet-sitting safety protocols
Clarify any COVID safety protocols in your sitter profile to ease potential client concerns. I include my vaccination status and how I double-mask while caring for animals. In my profile I also include a couple pictures of my masked face with client pets to assure people. List the hand washing or hand sanitizing protocols you use between pet sitting jobs. Ensure dog walking clients that you’ll keep their dogs away from other animals.
Tip #3: Until you’re established, serve a wider geographic region
Whether you register with a pet sitting company or start a pet sitting business, serve a wider geographic region in the beginning. This is a necessity for rurally-based sitters because sparser populations mean fewer clients. A rural pet sitter I know serves a 10-mile radius from her home to attract enough clients. If you live in a dense suburb or city, narrow your service area, after receiving some positive client reviews, to save on fuel costs and commute times. I initially served an 8-mile radius from my home. After I earned a handful of 5-star reviews on Rover and Meowtel I switched to a 3-mile radius. Serving a smaller radius makes it easier to book back-to-back pet sitting gigs, which translates to more money for you!
Tip #4: Don’t stray outside your comfort zone
Be realistic and honest with yourself about pet services and breeds you’re comfortable with and knowledgeable about. For instance, pet boarding and overnight pet sitting pay better. I don’t do either because of my living situation and family obligations. I can offer other valuable experiences to offer, such as administering oral and injectable pet medications. If you’re squeamish around insects, don’t offer reptile or amphibian care if you must handle live insects. I once hunted under stones and logs to feed a client’s turtle, and fed live crickets to a lizard.
Tip #5: Understand the algorithm
If you work with an online pet service, understand their algorithms. Algorithms may rank you by how fast you respond to client texts, how often you update your availability, whether you’re available during holidays. Others consider your percentage of repeat clients (i.e., clients who book you more than once).
Tip #6: You, the client, and the pet(s) should be a good fit
Trust your intuition and instincts when accepting or rejecting clients, and use meet-and-greets to screen clients. During the meet-and-greet, you and the clients meet to discuss the job, and you meet the pet(s). If clients and/or their pet(s) are a poor fit for you, politely decline the pet sitting gig. For example, clients don’t always read sitter profile and availability details. Clients may contact you about a service you do not provide on days you’re unavailable. Potential clients may seem problematic when you meet their pet(s) and learn their pet care requirements. You don’t want to find out you’ll be sleeping in a hoarder’s home after you agree to overnight pet sitting.
After a meet and greet, you and the client can cancel the pet sitting gig if the job, pet(s), client, or you are not a good fit. For example, some of my clients either lied about how many animals they had or didn’t add new animals to their accounts. Why does this matter? Because each animal means more money for you! Am I not supposed to pet the “extra” cats who climb into my lap? Or only let one dog into the backyard to pee if a client owns three dogs? Decide what you’re comfortable doing and consult pet sitting subreddits for advice and feedback.
Tip #7: Smile, you’re on candid camera!
Assume clients have cameras in and around their homes and be careful what you say and do. Some clients disclose camera locations to assure you they are watching and listening to their animal(s) and not you. Animals may get anxious when left alone, and owners calm them down by communicating through pet cams. Other clients are less forthcoming about cameras. To protect myself, I never snoop. I don’t talk on my mobile phone inside or immediately outside a client’s home, and I don’t make disparaging comments about pets, clients, or their homes. Believe me, there were times when I almost did make disparaging comments about the absolute stench of a litter box or a dog’s poor training!
Tip #8: Pet-sitting clients love pictures and videos of their pets
Text clients at least 4 pictures of their pets and evidence of your care. Videos are also great. Show clients you’re replenishing food and water dishes, walking their dog, and/or petting and playing with the cat. Take pictures of the litter box before and after cleaning. I usually try to get a picture of pets eating their food. Include info in your text about what you did and how pets are doing. Dog owners may want to know whether and how often their dog pooped and peed because dogs can’t use a litter box like cats. Anxious animals may act out or get sick with worry when owners are away. Two cats I cared for raided potato chips from their owner’s kitchen cupboards! I texted the owner about how much the kitties must miss her because of their antics and she laughed! The quality of my pictures and texts garners me great reviews and extra tips on top of what clients already pay me.
Tip #9: Give clients more than they ask for
If possible, do something extra for clients. Most clients own a broom and dustpan so I always sweep, but I’ve also vacuumed and mopped floors. Sometimes I tell clients and sometimes I don’t. Savvy people notice the lack of fur clumps, dried food around the pet food dishes, and litter box granules cats track everywhere. On my final visit to someone’s home, I send them a “welcome home” message and tell them I’m available to return if they have any travel issues. Other sitters leave thank you cards, but then you’re spending money on cards. My repeat clients become repeat clients because they know I go above and beyond.
Tip #10: Market yourself
You’ll make more money than I did by marketing yourself. I didn’t do any marketing and I still generated enough part-time work to make $800 every month, on average. Rover provides discount codes and links sitters can share with clients and on social media, Craigslist, and business cards. Leave your clients some business cards to share with friends and family. Meowtel allows sitters to generate coupon codes for new and current clients. Some sitters post flyers near off-leash dog parks and popular walking trails. Another pet sitter I know always asks clients for reviews, because good reviews guarantee more pet sitting gigs.
Final thoughts
Now that we’re coming out of this COVID funk and people are traveling and going to the office again, pet sitters are in high demand. All those pandemic pups with separation anxiety need loving attention, bathroom breaks, and exercise.
While you won’t get rich from pet sitting, you’ll make money doing something mentally and physically rewarding. The exercise and fresh air I get from dog walking and time spent with animals are riches of their own.
My article contains affiliate links to pet sitting services that I actually use and have experience with, and I wouldn’t include them unless I believed they were viable options for potential pet sitters. I may earn some money if you utilize these links to obtain services or make purchases.
