How to Start a Pet Sitting Business

What exactly does a pet sitter do?

Today’s families and busy career couples travel frequently for both work and pleasure. Their furry companions — cats, dogs, and other assorted pets — need to be cared for in the owner’s home while they are vacationing. This is where your business as a pet sitter comes in.

You as the professional pet sitter would go to the pet owner’s home and care for the animals, which includes walking for exercise, playing for stimulation, and providing food and water for cats and dogs. Additionally, you may have to administer veterinary medicine and brush, groom, and clip the pet’s nails.

The business of pet-sitting services is growing due to several factors, such as increased travel, an increase in pet ownership, and a desire for animals to be most comfortably attended to in their homes instead of being moved to a kennel or dog daycare center.

Today’s pet owners go beyond just spoiling their pets with expensive food and toys; they also spend generously on medical and maintenance care for their beloved animals. These people appreciate the additional focused care that a pet sitter can offer.

Types of Services Pet-Sitting Businesses Offer

• Dog walking
• Disposal of animal waste
• Cleaning litter boxes, cages, and dog crates
• Pet taxi to the vet hospital and grooming appointments
• Housesitting of the pet’s home
• Potty break for dogs outdoors
• Feeding and treat distribution
• Watering and refilling dishes
• Playing indoors and out
• Snuggle and cuddle time
• Petting and stroking

The top priority is to keep the pets in their regular routines, which helps them feel comfortable and secure while their owners are away from home. This is vital because animals behave best when they’re peaceful and relaxed. 

The pet owners should give you a complete list of the pet’s routine, from waking up to potty breaks, feeding, and treat time. The less stress the animal has, the more likely it will stay healthy and happy during your pet-sitting assignment.

How to Have a Successful Animal Care Business

You can start your company without quitting your current job. It’s relatively easy to work around a 9-5 schedule until your pet-sitting business has grown enough to replace your day job.

Most pet-sitting businesses charge by the visit, with the potential for multiple visits per day, depending on the type and quantity of animals. Dogs will require more visits for walks and potty breaks, while cats often only need daily visits.

Bill each visit based on the tasks to be completed during that time. If it’s a regular feeding and walking visit, there will be one price. However, when providing additional services, such as giving medicine, grooming, or extended playtime, you can charge higher prices.

Your rates will also vary based on where your business is located. In small towns and rural areas, you might only be able to charge around $20 for your baseline services, while a pet-sitting business in a major city can earn $40+ per visit. If you need funds to help start your new LLC, there are several options available.

Pick a name for your new company

Before you start your business, you’ll need a catchy name for it. Finding the best name takes some work and imagination. Create a name that communicates both the services you’ll offer and the value and benefit of those services.

In addition to developing some ideas for business names, research the use of your chosen name to be sure it’s not already in use. Your business name communicates a lot about your company, so you want to give it some careful thought and consideration. The best business names are ones that are easily remembered, stand out from the crowd, appear professional, and explain what your business services are.

To pick the perfect name for your pet-sitting business, you will need to choose something unique. In other words, the name of your business can’t already be in use in your state. You should also consider that some business directories are listed in alphabetical order, so names closer to the beginning of the alphabet may gain more traction.

In addition, it’s important that your name describes what your business does. Your business name should give customers clear expectations regarding your pet-sitting services. Also, consider a name that would allow for business growth. For instance, instead of “Sally’s Dog-Walking Business,” try something more general, like “Sally’s Pet Pampering” that can include a larger variety of services.

Finally, you might want to include words that indicate where your business is located. As an example, a pet-sitting business based in New York City might want to include “NYC” or “Big Apple” in its business name.

Insurance Needs 

You need to be protected from any damage that you may cause to your clients’ homes, such as knocking over an expensive sculpture. If the dog you’re walking attacks another person or dog in your presence, you want to have business liability insurance. Your customers will expect you to have this liability insurance to protect their homes and pets while they’re away. There are specific insurance companies like Pet Sitters Associates that have pet-sitting insurance programs.

Do you need a business license for dog and cat sitting?

Whether you need business licenses or permits for your pet-sitting business depends on where you’re located. Check with your state, county, and local government entities to see if there are any permits required to operate your new business in compliance with legal guidelines. We can help with our business license report, which identifies the licenses you’ll need for your business. Many of the best LLC services offer these reports.

Being a Professional Pet-Sitting Business

These are the traits of a true professional pet sitter.

• Trustworthy – Homeowners will give you their house keys and access to their beloved pets, so they need to know you are trustworthy. Sometimes, they will do a background check on you and your business. Also, you may need to provide references they can contact to learn about your past associations and sitting jobs.
• Compassionate – Animals are sensitive, and so are their owners, so you’ll need to be extra careful in your handling of both.
• Relaxed – You need to be the voice of reason and stay calm even when your pets and customers do not. Remember animals can sense feelings accurately and will act accordingly — the calmer you are, the calmer they are.
• Flexible – Today’s travel plans are frequently changed. You need to be able to adapt to last-minute schedule changes and perhaps stay longer or make more visits to the pet’s home than originally planned.
• Reliable – When you become a pet sitter, you’re now responsible for living creatures and must take this commitment seriously. If you fail to show up as scheduled, an animal could become dangerously dehydrated or even starve. Your customers need to know they can depend on you to come as you promised. It’s vital to your continuing business.
• Insured – Having the right insurance policy protects you, the pet, and the pet owner from any unforeseen incidents or damage that may occur during your pet-sitting gig.
• Love Animals – You need a good sense of humor and genuine appreciation for our furry friends who sometimes misbehave when their owners are away. They’ll sometimes disobey, soil carpet, or chew things that aren’t toys. When you love them, you help them through this time of insecurity while their masters are away.

Join a pet sitters trade association

Trade associations prosper because it can be easier to do business together with like-minded entrepreneurs. Together, you can negotiate group discounts for services such as insurance and advertising. As a new entrepreneur, you can benefit greatly from the combined wisdom of years of experience in your chosen field by connecting with other association members who are successful in your area.

Many trade groups have annual or semi-annual get-togethers for education, trade shows, and social events. These functions can be a wellspring of information and inspiration. Here are three pet-sitter trade associations to consider:

• National Association of Professional Pet Sitters – The NAPPS is the only national nonprofit professional pet-sitting organization dedicated to setting the industry standard and championing the welfare of animals.
• Pet Sitters International – PSI calls itself “the world’s leading organization for professional pet sitters.”
• Association of Pet Sitting Excellence – The APSE connects pet sitters and pet owners and empowers them to work together to create an optimal lifestyle for themselves and their pets.