[Darby1]

Does anyone have any experience as a professional pet sitter? I had a neighbor who I barely know ask me to watch her horse for a weekend. I said I would and then got to thinking that I could probably make money doing this. I love animals and since I don't work outside the home, I could definitely be available for the schedule the pet owner wants.

Anyway, if anyone has any advice or suggestions, they'd be greatly appreciated.

[nelie]

You could certainly start your own pet sitting business. One thing to consider is maybe work for someone else for a while to 'learn the ropes' so to speak. I was thinking when I get older I may look at pet sitting as my retirement career.

[Darby1]

That's a good idea, being an intern, of sorts.

My mom started pet sitting after her dog died, and is building up her business so she can retire and still make an income. She's doing really well, and it's been all word of mouth!

[GatorgalstuckinGA]

Pet sitting can be a profitable business. It is also a very demanding business. Some pets you sit may required to be visited 3-5 times a day, depending. I definately would start out smal, maybe with people you know and see if it grows from there. Also, make sure you know a lot about those animals you are watching, for example horses are different from cats/dogs etc. But if you are comfortable with those..then go for it. Also, i think a lot of people are becoming licensed in order to pet sit. But not everyone does. Just a few things to think about. Also ,remember, pet sitting is the busiest during holidays. That is when you will be making the most money and the most profitable times. So if you want to be profitable, consider holidays already booked. But it is a great way to make money and the schedule can be flexible to some extent.

[tigerente]

I am a pet sitter and dog walker. It is the best job ever! A good place to start is Petsit.com. Once you join their org, you can get insurance through them and advertising. The thing I suggest first doing is getting licensed and insured. Even if you are doing it for friends/ family/ neighbors, you still want that safety of having insurance incase anything bad happens. I think my annual membership fee and insurance runs about $300. WAY cheaper than getting insurance elsewhere.
Another good thing to do if you decide to do this for extra income, is to advertise at local vet hospitals and find out if there are any local orgs or web groups for local dog walkers/ pet sitters. I have gotten all of my clients through word of mouth from clients and other pet sitters. I too just started by pet sitting for my family and friends and it snowballed. Three years later, I make a full time living off of it, and plan to open my own private dog ranch/ dog park and boarding facility in the next few years.
Good luck!

[Darby1]

Thanks so much for your responses and great advice! I've been looking at the sites for insurance and professional associations. Who knew there would be so much involved?

I'm experienced with dogs/cats/horses. And Gatorgal, I didn't even think about the fact that holidays would be the busy times. That's great! I'll finally have an excuse to get out of holiday get-togethers/bbq's etc.

tigerente-good luck with your future doggy plans! They sound wonderful.

[GatorgalstuckinGA]

lol at draby...i know isn't it a perfect excuse to say..no i'm sorry i can't visit for christmas i'm too busy petsitting. Great excuse.