What Do I Need to Start a Pet Sitting Business?
If you love being around animals and providing for their physical and emotional care, a way to earn extra money is starting your own neighborhood pet-sitting business. A reliable and conscientious pet-sitter provides peace of mind for pet owners who work full-time or travel and don't want to board their animals at a kennel or leave them alone in the backyard. Start-up costs for a home-based or mobile pet-sitting service are usually low.
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Legalities
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If you plan to offer pet daycare in your home, check the zoning regulations in your community. There may be ordinances in place regarding noise, sanitation, visitor parking, and even the number of animals you can have on-site at one time. You need "Special Property of Others" insurance to cover injuries, accidents, runaway pets, and bites. If you care for pets in your clients' own homes, they expect you to be bonded and undergo a police background check since are being given access to their home and possessions while they're away. Homeowners need the assurance they can trust you. Provide each client with a written contract that defines your hours, fees, cancellation policies, extra services provided, and emergency contact information.
Prerequisites
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Whether you're going to specialize in just one type of pet client or accept a variety of animals, it's essential that you know as much as possible about each breed's physiology, diet, allergies, exercise needs and unique personality traits. In addition to feeding and walking the animals, you may also be called upon to give them baths, do basic grooming and nail-clipping, administer medications, and take them to the vet's for check-ups. You must be in good health to keep up with their respective energy levels and also be able to comfortably lift them if you have to put them in the car or remove them from a dangerous situation.
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Space
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Identify what type of animals and how many you can safely accommodate in your home and fenced backyard. While it would be lovely if you could just put them all together and watch them happily get along in a blissful tableau, this isn't a realistic expectation. You're responsible for each pet's safety while under your care and, accordingly, you not only need to have the physical space to segregate them but also provide an environment that is safe from hazards and other family members including your own pets and children. Request that clients provide their own collars, leashes, bedding, travel crates, food and treats. If you want to provide toys, always check with the owner first on what's acceptable.
Advertising
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Distribute your pet-sitting business cards and brochures at dog parks, veterinary offices and pet supply stores. Create a professional looking website that describes your services and fees and includes testimonials from past and current clients. Register with national pet-sitting websites so that potential customers within your zip code can easily locate you. Ask satisfied customers to recommend you to people they know. Word of mouth is a slow but reliable advertising method--although you can't reach many people at once this way, people have greater trust in the experience of family and friends than in marketing material.
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References
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- Photo Credit walking the dog image by robert mobley from Fotolia.com
