How to Become a Pet Sitter
To become a pet sitter, you need to love animals. Pet sitting can be rewarding if the pets are happy. Pet sitters usually stay in the home or visit during assigned periods throughout the day. Some pets will be more demanding; learning more about different types of pets is important. Taking a few steps towards becoming a pet sitter is easy to do as long as you know everything about the animal in your care.
- Difficulty:
- Easy
Instructions
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1
Obtain insurance. Pet sitters need to have insurance to cover themselves from any mishaps that may happen while the animal is in their care. The insurance will require that the pet sitter is bonded if they do in-house sitting. Some states and communities do require a license, but this is more for small businesses that have employees.
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Spend time at an animal shelter to learn about the different pets people might have to care for. More experience with different types of animals will help. Only pet sit for animals that are easy to care for and not ones that will require more of your attention than you have available.
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Hand out business cards to people at vet offices and dog parks to find business. Spread the word through postings at grocery stores and pet stores.
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Nurture your love of animals. Becoming a pet sitter means having a love for all animals. Not all animals are going to be friendly and special precautions may be needed before taking care of the animals.
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Talk to potential client while the pets are in the room. The more information about the pets a person has will allow the pet sitter to care for them properly. Make a checklist of everything the owner says about the pet and follow the owner's directions.
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Tips & Warnings
Read up about the pet breed before taking a job.
Check local requirements to determine what, if any, licenses are needed for you to operate a pet-sitting business.
Always keep the pets at home where they belong and do not take them to places that are not approved by the owner.
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Resources
- Photo Credit pet dog image by NorthShoreSurfPhotos from Fotolia.com
Comments
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sitterpatsy
Aug 12, 2010
The owner of the pet sitting business does NOT have to bond themselves. Only employees. Get Patty Morans book on pet sitting and it explains everything you need to know to become a professional pet sitter. -
sitterpatsy
Aug 12, 2010
I found the article to be totally lacking in every respect. Being a pet sitter for 20 years I know the ins and outs and requirements. What about a business license? What about a business phone and being in the phone book? Pet first aid? An owner does not have to bond themselves. Being a pet sitter is not as easy as it sounds. There are so many things to consider.
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wildcat65
Apr 25, 2010
Pamela, you give thorough info, and have offered some creative ideas. For someone like myself who wants to make extra cash that could potentially turn into full time income, I am looking for simple and inexpensive. I don't have money to invest in all of these extras. They do sound nice for later on though. Summer is around the corner. I am eager to get started right away. I don't want to have to go through all of these loopholes and extra expenses. I still need to get some volunteer experience in a shelter in order to get pet-related references, which I have no problem doing. My pet-sitting business will focus on cats, although, I know that even a top-ranking cat-sitter in my area has chosen to take on small dogs and other animals to boost her business. Bonded and insured? Both sound like logical things to do, but again, between liability and bonding insurance, I would have an up...
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Angela Antonelli
Apr 01, 2009
Very well written article! What a fun job!
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Ciecie Cool
Mar 30, 2009
Your article on How To Get a Pet Sitting Gig was truly delightful. It's always good to read up on ways to gain extra income and have fun doing it. Smile!
