The last two posts about the pet sitting business, educated you about the pros of dog boarding and cons of dog boarding.  Now it’s time to discuss pet services in the clients home.  In home pet services are when the pet sitter goes to the client’s home to take care of their pets and home.  This may include walks, feeding and changing their water, cleaning out the litter box, administering medication and/or injections, playing with them, picking up waste, and anything else the owner wants.  It can also include watering plants, taking in the mail, garbage, turning blinds etc.

Overnight pet services are also included in this category.  Overnight pet services are when the sitter goes to a clients home in the evening and spends the night with their pets. Usually, the owner will let you sleep in a guest bedroom or their own.  If you feel uncomfortable about sleeping in someone’s bed, you can always bring a sleeping bag and sleep on top of the bed.

Phantom lounging on his mommy's bed

For my pet sitting business, I choose to board dogs in my home and do very few in home pet visits.  I prefer to stay at home and not drive all around town.  The only pet visits I do now are ones that I’ve been doing for years as it’s very hard to say no and not to mention that you get attached to the animals.

When I first started out, I tried everything and weeded out what I didn’t like to do.  However, if you decide you don’t want to do a specific service, it’s hard to say no to a client you’ve been servicing for a while.  Getting yourself clear at the beginning will alleviate a lot of stress later.

So, if your still on the fence, here’s the pros and cons of Pet Services and Overnight Pet Visits in the clients home:

Pro’s:

• You get to play with animals all day!  Each home you go to has different animals with all new adventures.

• In home pet visits can be very profitable.  Depending on your rates, you can make hundreds of dollars a day.  For instances, if you charge $20 a visit and have 12 visits a day, that’s $240 a day.  Of course it take years to have a regular clientele that can afford you this many visits.

• You will get plenty of exercising walking dogs and being outdoors is a plus.  9 times out of 10, they will want their dogs walked and that could be a lot of walking!  Of course cats don’t need to be walked.  If you are unable to walk this much, then pet sitting is not for you.

• You can make your own hours.  You establish how early and how late you are willing to perform your duties.

• Variety.  In addition to sitting dogs and cats, there are a number of other animals – Rabbits, birds, hamsters and the other rodent varieties.  Let not forget those reptiles!  If you’re lucky enough to live in a rural area, you can visit farm animals. Of course if you’re afraid of reptiles, you don’t have to do the job.  They are so few and far between, that it won’t affect your bottom.

That's me with a Boa!!

• For Overnight visits you can think of them as mini-vacations.  There’s no laundry or errands to do – Just keep their pets happy.

Con’s:

• Pet Sitting is not for late morning risers.  Depending on the dog’s access to the outside to go potty, you may need to be at your clients home, usually no later than 7:00 am, and let them out at night for a last potty break in the evening around 8:00 or 9:00 pm.  These times will be worked out with the owner at the initial consultation.

• However, many dogs have access to the back yard and cats can be visited at any designated time during the day.  The most common times that people need pet visits is in the morning, sometimes mid day and evening.  Depending on how many visits you have, you’ll have free time in between

• If getting up early in the morning doesn’t appeal to you, you can always specialize in cats or mid day walks, but keep in mind this will limit the amount of your income.

• You will have to do a lot of driving around town.  Know how far you will be willing to drive before you market yourself to a certain area.  You don’t want to drive 20-30 minutes for a 30 minute visit.  That just doesn’t make sense unless you charge a service fee for out of area clients.  This may not apply if you live in rural areas and the homes are spread out.

Whitey the super predator cat!

• Pet sitters work 24/7.  People go on vacation all the time and will need their pets to be looked after on the weekends too.  I have been at social functions and had to leave for ½ hour to do a visit.  It’s only for a short time and people may not even miss that you’re gone, but it’s hard to leave. Once you are with the animals, however, all is well with the world.  They’ll put a smile on your face every time and you won’t miss being somewhere else.  But, if you go away for the weekend a lot, or your children need to travel for sports, this may not work for you.

• If you have an infant or toddler children, you will not be able to take them to the clients homes.  The likely hood for injury is just too great and it would be very unprofessional.  You are there for the clients animals and small children are just too distracting.  You should be the only person entering the clients home.  It’s a business just like any other.

• Exhaustion.  If you’re that busy, hire an employee or Independent Contractor to take up the slack or learn to say NO!  Remember, you got into this because you love animals.  If you’re exhausted, you won’t be able to enjoy yourself.  Pet Sitting has a high burn out rate, so you need to construct your business to your life.  Believe me, it can take over your life in an instant!

• Overnights can be hard if you have children or choose to board dogs in your home.  Seriously talk this over with your significant other to decide if this is something you can live with.  Some overnight assignments can be a week or more.  An overnight here or there may be all you’re willing to do.

I realize that pet sitting sounds like the most fun, awesome job in the world, but it is a business with pros and cons.  Think very carefully before you dive in.  Do you have the time it takes to market yourself?  Do you want to work weekends and holidays?  Talk to other pet sitters (out of your area) and get the real scoop from them.  I’ve had a few calls from people thinking about getting into the business.  We love to help other animal lovers!

Chris L Wagner

From One Pet Lover to Another

Waggy’s Eco Pet Products

Waggy’s Pet Sitting Service

Waggy’s Pet Tips and Tales Blog

Holistic Pet Food

I truly hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas celebration with family and friends.  For me, it was very low key this year.  At least I didn’t have to cook (not that anyone likes my cooking).  If you didn’t read about the dogs that are boarding with me in the last two installments, you can go to Christmas at Waggy’s part 1 and Christmas at Waggy’s Part 2.

On with the story, Libby the Lab left on Christmas Eve and Julie the Lab came to stay on December 26th.

Julie the Lab came to visit

It’s been so fantastic to have such a good group of dogs staying with us.  Overall, they have been very mellow and well behaved.  However, we did have a very “humping” group.  Cooper the Cocker wouldn’t leave Lucy the Labradoodle alone!  He wasn’t the only one.

We went to the Dog Park everyday to get all their energy out.  With a large group of dogs, it’s crucial that they get a change of scenery and plenty of exercise.  Thank Goodness, my son’s were home on vacation to help me walk the dogs.   We look like “Dogs on Parade” walking down the street as people look at us like we’re crazy to have so many dogs.  I politely let them know that they’re not mine.

Thank you for letting me show you a glimpse of what it’s like to board dogs in your home.  I will be blogging about the details in future posts.  For now, please enjoy the rest of the pictures and I wish you a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

That was fun ripping up all the paper! Daisy

Simon Says, "Act like a dog"

And to all a good night. Simon and Lucy

Having fun at the local Dog Park

Chris and her entourage lounging on a cold night

Cooper relaxing after opening presents

It's good to be with friends when opening presents! Simon, Daisy and Cooper

Hey, where's my present? Lucy and Ella

The gang's all here!

Chris L Wagner

From One Pet Lover to Another

Waggy’s Pet Sitting Service

Waggy’s Pet Products Online Store

Waggy’s Pet Tips and Tales Blog

Hello and happy holidays from Chris at Waggy’s Pet Sitting.  The whole gang is almost here.  Today (12/22) Angel the lab left, but Simon and Daisy arrived.  Simon and Daisy first met a couple of years ago when they both boarded with me and it was love at first sight.  They were inseparable and played together the whole time they were here.

Dogs playing in the backyard!

Simon & Daisy Holding Hands when they first met

They also were very mischievous together.  I was marinating a whole pan of chicken wings in Teriyaki sauce and went out of the house for a bit.  When I got home there wasn’t a trace of the chicken, the bones or the sauce.  It was like I just put a clean pan on the counter!  In addition, Simon also ate a whole stick of butter.  Needless to say, I am on to his tricks and know how to hide food from him.  With all that, we love him very much and he’s a great dog!

Daisy and Simon in 2009 Reunited again with my son Clayton

All the dogs are getting along great except for one incident from the two most unlikely culprits.  Libby the Lab and Cooper the Cocker, had a scuffle.  I was playing with another dog and Cooper was barking.  I guess Libby didn’t like it and let him know.  It was over quickly and all has been forgiven.

The Wagners on a walk with Lucy, Libby and Cooper

My family and I just love our doggie house guests and are so thankful that we get to care for them throughout the holidays!

If you missed the other dogs in part 1 of this Christmas series, go to Christmas At Waggy’s – Part 1.

Chris L Wagner

From One Pet Lover to Another

Waggy’s Pet Sitting

Waggy’s Eco Pet Products

Waggy’s Pet Tips and Tales Blog

If you’re considering becoming a pet sitter, one of the first (of many) things you need to decide is what kind of pet services you want to offer your clients.

That's Me with some of my boarding dogs

There are many possibilities such as:

1.  Dog Boarding – the pet stay’s in the sitters home

2.  In Home Pet Sitting – the sitter visits the pet in their own home

3.  Overnight Pet Sitting – the sitter spends the night at the pet’s home

4.  Dog Walking – Sometimes called daily’s – the sitter walks the dogs on an on-going basis

5.  Dog Day Care – the sitter watches the pet for the day in their own home

6.  Pet Taxi – the sitter escorts the pet to the Vet, groomers, etc.

7.  Pooper Scooper – self explanatory!

8.  Barnyard Pet Sitting – the sitter visits local ranches or farms

9.  or, create your own combination or niche.

It’s a good idea to check out your competition and what would work in your area.  For instance, you wouldn’t say that your specialize in horses when you live in Manhattan.  I  don’t think you’d last very long.

You need to be honest with yourself just how much time you want to spend pet sitting and what kind of pet sitting services you want to offer.  Not all pet sitters offer the same thing.  Some do it all and some only offer the services that they enjoy the most.  In doing the services you enjoy, it will make for a more pleasant experience and one that you’ll want to do for years to come.

Finding a unique niche where the competition is not as fierce is another consideration.  For instance, my pet sitting business – Waggy’s Pet Sitting, specializes in Cage Free Dog Boarding.  There aren’t a lot of pet sitter that are brave or crazy enough to offer this service.  I will go into detail about dog boarding in another post.

If you are completely new to pet sitting, I would recommend offering many different kinds of services not only to bring in more revenue, but to decide for yourself which ones to keep and which ones to throw out.  I have done them all (except barnyard animals) and have weeded out the services I didn’t care for.  Make pet sitting fit into your lifestyle, not the other way around.  This is your business and you decide what you want to do.

If you are serious about becoming a pet sitter, you need to treat it as a business and not just a hobby.  There is so much that goes into running a successful pet sitting business and it’s not just about playing and loving the animals, however, that is the best part!

Next in this series, we will examine the Pros and Cons of Dog Boarding.  To view Part 1 of this series, please go to my blog post “Do I have what it takes to work with animals?”

Now go out and hug your dog!

Chris L Wagner

From One Pet Lover To Another

http://www.waggysecopetproducts.com

Http://www.waggyspetsitting.com

http://www.waggyspettipsandtales.com

Beeeeep, Beeeeep your alarm clock goes on.  You slip out of bed, put on your clothes, brush your teeth, grab something to eat and head out the door to start your day.  You’re first stop is with Fred the cutest Cocker Spaniel you’ve ever seen.  You let him out to go potty, give him a smooch and a hug.  Feed him and your off on your walk.  It’s a beautiful spring morning – the birds are singing and the sky is bright blue without a cloud in the sky.  You put your headphones on and listen to your favorite songs.  Finish up with Fred and you’re off to another home.  This time it’s with Oscar the Cat who hisses at you when you try to come close.  You keep trying until he finally lets you give him a quick rub behind the ears.  Clean the litter box, feed him, water the plants in the back yard and your off again.

This is the life of a professional pet sitter. Of course the weather may not be as clear and the cat may never let you touch him, but essentially, that’s how it goes.

Since I started Waggy’s Pet Sitting a few years ago, I’ve discovered three things:

1. Dogs will always go potty on my rugs instead of the tile

2. Dog bring out the absolute best in me, and

3. Pet owners will go to any length to make sure their pets are happy and healthy

So many people tell me I have the best job in the world. I get to play with dogs and cats all day. Well, it is fantastic, but it’s like anything else; it’s definitely a business too. Actually, it’s one of the fastest growing industries in the United States despite the recession.

So, do you think you have what it takes to be a pet sitter?

I’ve had my own pet sitting business for over 4 years and I can tell you from experience that it can be one of the most rewarding careers you can have.  Over the course of this series, you’ll not only know if you still want to be a pet sitter, but you’ll know what direction you want to take your business in.

We’ll explore the different services you can offer and get a real life pros and cons of each.  From in home pet sitting, daycare for dogs to boarding services in your own home.

Being a pet sitter can have its challenges, so it’s important that you have the right qualities to make your business flourish.

Now go give your dog, cat or lizard a big kiss and we’ll talk later

Chris L Wagner

From One Pet Lover to Another

Waggy’s Eco Pet Products

Waggy’s Pet Sitting