Dog Sitting Charges

elsien

Mutt went to a house with cats even though she was unpredictable with them, so it's not a blanket agency rule.
I told the sitters that if they ran she'd chase and probably damage them, if they stood up to her she'd back off and run a mile and they decided that as the cats were generally out during the day and would give mutt a wide berth, they were happy to give it a go. And it worked out fine.

the_becoming

Hi monkeychops, do you mind me asking whereabouts in the country you are? I run a dog walking/pet sitting company but we do visits in the dogs own homes rather than boarding as we all have kids/dogs of our own! I am looking for home boarders and have all insurances in place.
I think the people haggling with you are expecting a bit much to be fair, your charges are VERY low - I have a website with all my charges on and nobody has tried to argue with them! My company charges a lot more than this and I have so much work I cant keep up!
Really sorry to hear about your dog, they really do break our hearts dont they?

chris_n_tj

the_becoming wrote: »

Hi monkeychops, do you mind me asking whereabouts in the country you are? I run a dog walking/pet sitting company but we do visits in the dogs own homes rather than boarding as we all have kids/dogs of our own! I am looking for home boarders and have all insurances in place.
I think the people haggling with you are expecting a bit much to be fair, your charges are VERY low - I have a website with all my charges on and nobody has tried to argue with them! My company charges a lot more than this and I have so much work I cant keep up!
Really sorry to hear about your dog, they really do break our hearts dont they?

Can i ask what area you are in please x

the_becoming

I'm in the midlands, we cover Shropshire and parts of Staffordshire x

monkeychops

OH wants to get a puppy but it is far too soon for me. We will get one but, to be honest, as long as the dog owners had no objections, I think it would be good for a puppy to be socialised with lots of other dogs (once it was fully innoculated and neutered of course)

gettingready

Monkeychops - glad you posted and had so much replies on here.

Essex, well I am almost in Essex - VERYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY East London

Day care here is £20.00 per dog in sitter's home. Small discount on second dog.

BUT as other said - sitters are insured, have pet first aid cert, have cars/drive (important in emergency - to get dog to vets FAST) and this all matters...

Perhaps you could walk neighbour's dog or walk dogs for a charity... to start off and get some experience of looking after other people's dogs? It is not the same as having your own...

All the best

Welshwoofs

My sitter charges £15 for 24hrs boarding in his own home and he gives 3x walks a day in that. You take your own food. He's low though (he only takes on a few of his walking clients for sitting jobs) and most other places round here are £20-25 for 24hrs.

The people haggling you down from £10 are taking the proverbial.

Kimberley

How about fostering dogs in your home for a rescue? You won't get paid but they supply the food and pay all vet bills.

However whether you dog sit or foster for a rescue you may have dogs who get stressed when left alone and ruin your furniture. I did both dog sitting and fostering and gave them up because i had carpets ruined and furniture and doors scratched and dogs weeing and pooing indoors. Also if you do go ahead with the dog sitting then you need to have that dog stay overnight and for a day or 2 before you take them for the first time to see how they behave being left. Ensure the dogs have pet insurance, are treated for fleas and their vaccinations are up to date.

Padstow

"Thank you for all your replies. To be honest I put the ad in on the spur of the moment and to see if I had an responses."

I did something similar many years ago when I advertised a curtain sewing service for those with their own fabric. I had a new baby at the time and wanted "pin money."
The phone started ringing at 7am and by noon I had to unplug the phone, such was the demand. Lesson learned, always research first.
There is a huge demand now for dog walkers, not sitters, so you may wish to revise your business plan?

Research and research more, before you set this up, because if you get it wrong, no one will ever trust you with their dog.

The first step is to read other dog walker's websites. That means London. Yes I know, but where London leads, you follow.
They give everything away including their earnings. All you need is a calculator.

Google "Dog Walking in London"

This one looks nice and friendly whilst being on the boil.

http://www.citypups.co.uk/dog-walking-primrose-hill-st-johns-wood.php

gettingready

East LOndon - so clser to essex

https://www.dogsandthecity.co.uk

http://www.preciouspet.co.uk/

http://www.happyhounds.co.uk/dog-walking/