Dog Walking / Pe Sitting

thepedestrian

how much are average uk rates - some business people I know ( Dinky`s ) have used me before to look after that large dog whilst they are away paying £10 day for the dog to stay at mine ( they provide food ) and for me to walk it at least once a day for 30 mins a day or so
now they are jetting off for a week,but they say they want to lower the terms a bit - I initially said ok ( more out of shock and trying to be polite )
but now thinking about it ,I think they are taking advantage as they knowi that I don't have any work at the moment
I'm thinking of ringing them back an telling them to forget it - I think its a cheek - they didn't give any reason - just want to pay me less
I get on OK with them ( and the dog ) - but feel they are now using this to pay me less

Wow what a rant ! - what do you think ?

Tia

myothercarisaferrari

hmmm, depends. I pay £15 per day for my two dogs, £8 for one. They get 3 walks a day so I think £10 per day for one walk is a bit steep x

thepedestrian

myothercarisaferrari wrote: »

hmmm, depends. I pay £15 per day for my two dogs, £8 for one. They get 3 walks a day so I think £10 per day for one walk is a bit steep x

thanks for your opinion ! - really you think £10 for 24 hours care is steep ?
its hard to judge as I know people who have paid £5 just for someone to pop in and feed the dog and give it a bit of company for an hour ( no walks ) - when you compare that to £10 for 24 hour care and a walk ??!?

Great_Hairdresser

I think £10 is a good deal (dont suppose you live in the warrington area?) I have been quoted £20 per day.

Value for money isnt the point thou, if you charge £10 a day thats what you charge.

You wouldnt dream of telling your window cleaner I am going to pay you less from now on, they wouldnt turn up!!

Tell them this is them £10 a day are your fees and if they dont like it tuff, advertise and replace them.

Good Luck

Belisarius

I have a cat, and pay £10 per day for two visits plus litter-box emptying & some playtime. This is a more casual arrangement; a professional would probably charge me £15 for the same service.

I think you should keep the price the same, but throw in another walk. Once a day does not seem much for a dog.

myothercarisaferrari

great hairdresser, i live in warrington x

GVP_2

£10 a day seems fair to me. My wife has a sideline business working with dogs, and looked into dog walking/pet sitting, and admittedly prices varied considerably amongs other people doing it.

If that's the only dog you're looking after, so it's getting all your attention, then £10 is a great price. I'd only go down in price if you were looking after multiple dogs at the same time.

thepedestrian

Belisarius wrote: »

I have a cat, and pay £10 per day for two visits plus litter-box emptying & some playtime. This is a more casual arrangement; a professional would probably charge me £15 for the same service.

I think you should keep the price the same, but throw in another walk. Once a day does not seem much for a dog.

yes thanks for that - I did say she gets at least one walk a day though ) thanks for all your comments - I have looked just now on a pro dog sitting /walking site and the price they charge is £16 for one dog ( they pay the sitter £7 )

myothercarisaferrari

Sorry I am used to oaying for two dogs! £10 is better than the kennels I guess - at least they get constant human companionship rather than 4 walls.

Go for it! x

WolfSong2000

Just bear in mind you may need to take out insurance to cover yourself if you're regularly accepting money for this...my mother worked as a dogsitter, and charged...what was it, about £15 per day? Something along those lines...wasn't an easy job, though, as if you do it properly you're only allowed to leave dogs alone for a certain period of time, so you don't have much time away from the house. She also used to walk them 3 times a day, etc, etc...you have to do it for the love of dogs more than the money if you're going into it seriously.

I would just tell these people to go elsewhere if they're asking to pay less...I'm guessing they wont find anywhere else cheaper.

thepedestrian

WolfSong2000 wrote: »

Just bear in mind you may need to take out insurance to cover yourself if you're regularly accepting money for this...my mother worked as a dogsitter, and charged...what was it, about £15 per day? Something along those lines...wasn't an easy job, though, as if you do it properly you're only allowed to leave dogs alone for a certain period of time, so you don't have much time away from the house. She also used to walk them 3 times a day, etc, etc...you have to do it for the love of dogs more than the money if you're going into it seriously.

I would just tell these people to go elsewhere if they're asking to pay less...I'm guessing they wont find anywhere else cheaper.

yes I think youre right - my own fault for not asking at the time ( why they wanted to pay less ) and not wanting to upset them - yes I do love dogs , but having one in your house 24 hours a day stops you getting on with other things - and I do need the money - I think she must want to pay me about £8 a day ,which is about what I would get from an agency I guess - whilst they only pay half what they would do thru an agency

- ah well - the rich get richer !:cool: