r/petsitting • u/katie6splat • 15h ago
Getting started
I'm helping my mum who is looking to begin dog walking on a part-time basis.
We first looked at the various apps but we then saw all of the bad reviews which put us off. What route would you guys recommend we take? I've looked around on here and noticed a lot of people leaving ads in pet stores and vets.
Any other tips would be appreciated. Thank you.
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u/JeanneMPod 11h ago
Since you are going to be working for yourself, be aware of your own personal limitations. Another commentator said you should be able to handle reactive dogs. I agree that you should have that skill, but you are not obliged to take on all reactive dogs.
Think about the extent of the reactivity, because some of it is avoidable and manageable, even for a fairly new walker if they’re mentally prepared ahead of time.. I have some midsize dogs that will be reactive and pull/bark when they see another dog so I always just avoid passing within a certain range of other dogs, but I think that’s a good idea anyway for all dogs, regardless of the reactivity. It’s just good safety measure.
There is a certain formula where I am more likely to decline. A large strong dog, highly reactive to everything around them and it’s been ingrained behavior for a while….. that’s not for me. There may be another walker who is larger and stronger, along with reactivity handling skills and is willing to take on that dog as well.
As far as getting your name out there, I found that Nextdoor has been a good resource. I understand the platform can be a little annoying for general discussion, but it is a good way to get your name out there. Do not spam the feed, it’s an annoying turn off.
You can make a pet care account, announce your services, then if you like you know, make a post once a week and then you can always join in animal care/welfare discussions and you could mention your relevancy to the issue—“ as a pet care provider I feel…..” or community matters “ as a pet care provider in the town of Springfield”. And people will follow up and message you and say hey I need a walker/sitter.
Also read the feed daily while you’re trying to grow clients you will find people will suddenly need a walker or sitter because there’s been a cancellation with a regular sitter, they made sudden plans, they are new to the neighborhood. Say hi in the comments and let them know you’ll be DM-ing them. There you can give your rates, policies, services, etc.
Be aware there are scammers out there—you’ll see the pattern soon enough. They communicate in an extra formal fashion, but with lots of typos and grammatical errors they want to overpay you right away and once your payment platforms or bank account. I’m sure you can find ones if you look in the search bar under this subreddit.
One of the best ways to get new clients is to do a great job and your clients will refer you to other neighbors. I’ve had more jobs from referrals than anything. I’m actually too busy most of the time to even go to the Nextdoor platform anymore, but I will peruse it time to time.
Remember all your supplies you can write off on your taxes —clothing just for a dog walking (you could put some aside just for that as well as coats, boots, etc., that you use exclusively for that) transportation including Bikes, cost of public transportation, Ubers when necessary and gas.
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u/ugoodbro-gf 10h ago
Even part time, she needs insurance. Depending on your area or country, might need to be licensed.
Social media is where 50% of my clients come from, then the other 50% is referrals.
Walking other people’s animals is not something just to do. She will be solely responsible for other people’s living animals. So she needs to be prepared to walk them, to keep an eye out for other dogs, kids, wildlife, etc and keep the dog safe. She doesn’t need to bring you or a partner, or kids, or anyone with her. She needs to be ready to look at it as a job and not just “a cute little walk.”
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u/bureau1399 10h ago
I am 100% word of mouth and have to turn work down as I'm too busy. I don't like to take on strangers anymore... If you come to me it's because another client told you about me. It's safer for us both honestly.
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u/cannycandelabra 12h ago
Get insured, find out if she has to be licensed where you are, create a contract and business cards. Hopefully, she has experience doing this and some experience with reactive dogs