pet/plant/house sitting

kaylouise

a few years ago i started setting myself up as a pet sitter, offering to visit people's pets while they were on holiday, etc, feed them, walk the dogs, give a bit of attention, open/close curtains, move post, buy in milk/bread for owners return, water plants...
Unfortunatly, personal disaster happened, and I couldn't go ahead with it (which in any case might have been a good thing as i've now got another three years worth animal experience (pets)).
Do you think this is/was a good idea? I already work full-time (i wasn't first time around when I looked at starting), so visits would fit in around this, the only exception i might make for the pets is dogs, if the dog is too big/fierce, etc, I'll not do it, I've only had one dog in the past (as compared to one rabbit, 6 rats, 6 gerbils, three cats, 4 mice and a hamster) and i'm not much of a dog-person. Smaller animals I could offer hotel to, if the owner would rather.
Not sure what is a fair rate..? I had though back then about charging per visit, but i guess that depends on how long each visit would take, how many pets, etc.

Does anyone else do this already who can help me?

thanks

Cyaniide

I don't know about rates and things but I know someone that does house sitting for some people who go away regularly and they say they get a fair trade from it so it might be worth looking in to again

Person_one

If you work 9-5 full time then it wouldn't work for dogs I don't think.

People don't generally want their dogs to be left alone all day so a pet sitter that did this wouldn't be worth paying for.

RoxyK

Afraid I agree that this wont work for dogs - or probably cats either. Most pet sitters do that as their only job and need to be able to get to their clients house when the client wants rather than when you're available.

You'd also need a license from the council too.

tabskitten

I have done this and my advice would be that you cannot do it around a full time job, why would someone pay you to look after a hamster- generally all the jobs I got were dogs and horses which require lots of attention!
Also ALL my work was got through word of mouth and reputation as why to would someone give a stranger keys to their house?
Honestly its not a career move unless you are animal potty- i did it for next to nothing most of the time just to help people out as I was young, free and single and had a very flexible job....

lozza1985

I'd be wary of leaving keys with someone I didn't know - when we go away cat goes to the cattery, if we're only away for a weekend then MIL comes and feeds the rabbits for us and checks on the hamster, if we're away for longer then the hamster goes to MIL and the rabbits go to the "bunnery" lol. I suppose it would work IF you can get some work to start with, from people that you know, so that they then tell their friends etc and you build up custom that way. Otherwise I don't see many people trusting you with their house keys, and pets unless its through a referral.