Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Make Money From Home as a Pet-Sitter

This post was written by Nat Smith, Rover.com community member. Rover is the nation's largest network of 5-star pet sitters and dog walkers.

What if you discovered that you could make money from home, doing work that’s engaging and rewarding for the whole family? Pet-sitting is an amazing way to earn money and teach your children valuable skills in the comfort of your own home.

Dogs need individual attention and loving care to thrive. Owners turn to Rover.com to find reliable, friendly sitters to look after their pets while they’re traveling or at work. Whether you board dogs in your home overnight or offer doggy daycare, you can build a successful and flexible business in a few simple steps.


If you don’t have dogs already, you might be unsure about opening your home to pets. The truth is that dog-proofing and preparing your space doesn’t take long, and you’ll have total control over which canine guests you welcome.

When you sign up on Rover.com, you’ll fill out a profile and set the rates for the services you’ll offer. House-sitting, drop-in visits, and dog walking are among your options. If you prefer working from home, you’ll focus on boarding and daycare.

You can describe your home and yard, as well as your neighborhood and where you might take a dog to play or explore. Do you have a secure fence? Have you removed small items that dogs might chew on from your living spaces? Owners will appreciate a sense of your daily schedule. Your job is to provide a fun, safe, and stimulating environment for a pet.

When owners contact you, you’ll arrange a Meet & Greet to assess your compatibility. Be sure to ask owners how their pets get along with children and with other dogs.

While many dogs are friendly with children, you shouldn’t forget that even well-trained dogs can still have unexpected reactions. Always supervise children when they are playing with dogs, watch the dog’s non-verbal and verbal cues, and encourage your kids to treat dogs with respect--no pulling or sitting on them. You can personally check for bite inhibition at the Meet & Greet by engaging in rough play and ensuring that the dog uses a soft mouth and does not bite down on your limbs or hands, to be sure that the dog will be equally cautious with children.

Teach your children to be kind to dogs, and to pay attention to their body language. Kids can help with tasks like feeding and walking pets, and will learn the basics of animal care and loving responsibility in the process.

If the dogs get along with each other, you may offer daycare or boarding to multiple pets at once. This approach can maximize your profit and give dogs a friend to play with. Over time, as you gain experience and repeat clients, you can raise your rates as well.

Working from home as a pet-sitter is flexible, fun, and endlessly rewarding. Get started now and start supplementing your income without leaving home!

See my disclaimer.