Dog Walking / Pe Sitting

ymakesmile

Can I just ask how most people find their pet sitters and dog walkers? I live in Grimsby and would be able to offer this service but there doesn't seem to be any agencies to join in my area. Do most people just start up by themselves?

thepedestrian

ymakesmile wrote: »

Can I just ask how most people find their pet sitters and dog walkers? I live in Grimsby and would be able to offer this service but there doesn't seem to be any agencies to join in my area. Do most people just start up by themselves?

Hi - I joined the firm Guardian angels in Norfolk ( they dont pay much though ! £7 for looking after the dog for 24 hours a day ) they charge the customer £18.50 inc vat - and tax my £7 as well !

in a coupe of weeks they want me to house sit 2 American mens house ( couple !) and have 2 dogs - Im expected to be there 21 hours a day to provide a prescence ,awnser the phone ,tidy the garden and take the trash out for £20 a day ( they charge £48.50 inc vat ! )

nexuss

You may need to be CRB checked as you are going into peoples houses and also have public liability insurance.

pinklover

Glad to come across this thread as I'm really interest in getting into the pet sitting business, though I haven't got any formal qualifications, I do look after my two dogs and two cats very well and am consider enrolling on some animal care courses as well. I'll appreciate if someone that is into this business can give me some advice of how to get started? Obviously getting insurance, will be a good start?! I live in Army barracks and have plenty of secured space for walks, have a good size van as transport and a prehaps a good customer base (when other husbands got postings overseas/tours and if the wife works, then they will need someone to walk their dogs?!), I figure working with animals is the only thing I can see myself enjoy doing rather than my current Mon-Fri Admin work..which I must say so hard to give up when the pay is good especially in this economic climate. So, anyone out there start this as a part time job and build up from there?

Again, any advice will be great!

Lexxi

We had to get a walker for our dog, we can end up working 9am-1am, she charges £10 for 1 walk/hour but he has a great time. She also takes out up to 4 other dogs. The price comes down if we have him walked more than once a day. She will be looking after him while we are away and we are paying her £20 per day, this is steep but he will be getting about 3 walks a day, lots of company, the piece of mind we wouldn't get if he stayed at the pub and a bath too!!
I found her webiste by googling the area and dog walking, she came to see us and meet the dog and brought refernces with her written by the other dogs owners and she works at a kennels too.

WolfSong2000

My mother set up in business herself, not through an agency as they do take an extortionate amount of money! She operated via word of mouth and was so popular she was turning dogs away. It was just a case of building up a client base...maybe advertise in the local paper/post office, etc.

It's not an easy job, though, and carries a lot of responsibility. I was living with my parents at the time, and we had 3 dogs of our own...every potential dog had to be "vetted" by our dogs first in a neutral area (usually out on a walk with our dogs and the other dog and its owner)...I think of out of 200+ dogs our dogs (including what was then 2 entire males...one has since been castrated) turned down around 5 or so, which wasn't bad going. You do have to make sure that if you already have dogs they're going to be okay with all the extra visitors. I think ours found it a little stressful sometimes when we had too many dogs.

You also have to take into account stuff like vaccinations...our dogs aren't vaccinated every year (haven't been at all since they were pups) as my mother figures that booster jabs are for the most part unecessary, but some dog owners wont let their dogs stay with other dogs who don't have regular boosters and my mother always insisted that other dogs were properly vaccinated (not necessarily boosters, but had had all the main jabs). You also have to watch out for stuff like kennel cough, which can spread like wildfire...

Also having entire males around can cause dominance issues, and when you through a !!!!! in heat into the mix...well, basically you have to be very careful with the dogs you take on. My mother wasn't happy taking on un-spayed !!!!!es for this reason...that and they can bleed when in season. Entire male dogs can also be very enthusiastic about marking territory, etc.

I know my mother had every owner fill out a contact sheet with their details and details of vet, any allergies, medicines, etc which was helpful.

What else...oh, you have to decide where the dogs will sleep. In our house it was a case of wherever the dogs slept at home was fine - so kitchen, lounge or even bedroom! lol. Also do you want the owners to provide toys and bedding, food and bowls, etc? bedding is great as it gives the dogs a reminder of home in case they become insecure, but toys is usually a no-no as dogs are like kids - everyone elses toys are better than their own, which can lead to problems. We had a "toy box" of our own which the visiting dogs loved. As for food/bowls, etc, owners provided their own bowls and especially food (it would be unrealistic to carry every conceivable brand of dog food yourself "just in case").

So yeah, lot to think about...

Oh, and for the lady who's doing house sitting...that's utterly ridiculous what they're paying you - doesn't even equate to minimum wage! A friend of my mothers house sat and I know for a fact she charged *at least* £70 per day, if not more.

Anyhow, if anyone has any further questions, feel free to PM me...my mother dogsat for over 7 years and we had literally hundreds of different dogs stay. lol.

Emzycal

thepedestrian wrote: »

in a coupe of weeks they want me to house sit 2 American mens house ( couple !)

Ooh-Err

thepedestrian

yeeeessss! - actually they rang to day an invited my partner and I round for a meal on Friday night before they go away - should be nicccee !:rolleyes:

and I knocked the customer back who I mentioned in the original post - I srt of thought she would be going to offer me £50 for like 7 x 24 hours spell
considering the afore mentioned Guardian Angels would charge £130 odd pounds for this ( yes I know they have a few overheads etc ) even so

actually I went thru the contract I have with them and yes I have to stay at the house for 21 hours with 3 off - to get round minimum wage law I am only paid for 2 of these hours and the rest is classed as voluntary ! :cool:

Terms & Conditions of Pay

1. In the case of Home Angel assignments the care of domestic poultry and small pets requiring little or no attention carries no supplementary income.
2. Your salary is subject to Tax and National Insurance.
3. Following discussions with the Inland Revenue in order to eliminate complicated administrative problems associated, it has been agreed that Holiday Pay shall be included within the Basic Daily Rate.
4. In order to conform to the requirements of the National Minimum Wage Act 1998; a daily average agreement is established under which each employee agrees to undertake no more than two hours per day as the basis of their remuneration for Home Angels and a total of no more than one hour per day for both Pet and Boarding Angels; for pet visiting this will include driving to and from the clients property.
5. The work you undertake should not exceed the aforementioned average working time (as stated in point 4) unless previously agreed. The company, on your behalf, will discuss this matter with the Client.
6. In the case of Home Angels employees are required to maintain a voluntary security presence on the premises every three hours during the day and throughout the night to respond to emergencies no matter when they occur.
7. Providing a spouse or partner has been approved by the Company’s vetting process and providing we have received written approval from the Client, you may have their company on the premises during the assignment. The approved spouse or partner will be covered by the Company’s Insurance.

pinklover

Thanks for all the sound advice! I certainly have to keep in mind regarding my male dogs being around other dogs etc, as I've two pups and both have not yet been castrated yet, besides I also have two house cats which means the dogs I take in will need to get along with them all. It is still early days, so I'm just getting some idea at the moment. I think I much prefer going down to the grooming route which seems easier to set up, meaning doing the course and getting a start up kit, advertising etc.

Once again, thx for the tips! x

Great_Hairdresser

lol small world x