What Are the Disadvantages of Being a Pet Sitter?

When you tell people that you’re a professional pet sitter, they may think that your job hardly sounds like work at all! However the reality of being a pet sitter is full of scheduling negotiations, filing background checks, advertising campaigns, and other disadvantages before you even get to the literal dog crap. 

So let’s talk about the nitty gritty parts of pet sitting, as well as ways that you can make these aspects a little easier. 

Are Pet Sitters' Schedules Unpredictable? 

Sometimes, working as a pet sitter can cause unpredictable hours. If you take on last-minute bookings, you may find your schedule upended to make room for clients in a rush. However, if your clients are booked well in advance, it would be more accurate to say that a pet sitter’s schedule changes frequently. 

You may spend some weeks staying in a client's home, or on-call with frequent walks — and others you may find yourself without any clients. Ideally, you’ll know when these off-weeks are coming and be able to use the time wisely. 

The best way to achieve a changing, but predictable schedule is to maintain good boundaries with your clients around booking times. If you state that clients need to book a week or two weeks in advance, stick to this rule. If emergencies happen for your established clients, you’ll need to weigh the benefits of this boundary against the benefits of flexible customer service, but this can be done on a case-by-case basis. 

Keeping your boundaries around scheduling firm shows that you respect your own time as much as your client’s. If you find these conversations difficult, it can be helpful to have pre-written form replies for these occasions. Respectfully let them know that you won’t be available on short notice but are happy to schedule in the future.

Does Pet Sitting Pay Well? 

This depends on your clientele as well as how you advertise yourself. Pet sitting is an important role, and people are happy to pay higher prices to get quality care for their beloved animals. So if you find that your current pet-sitting jobs aren’t paying well, you may need to expand your client roster. 

Research the neighborhoods in your area to see what the relative property values are; wealthier neighborhoods will have more disposable income both for vacations and pet sitters. These are the areas that you want to target with any advertising. You should also take a look at what other local pet sitters are charging and price yourself competitively. Do keep in mind that sometimes these wealthier neighborhoods will also have higher standards and expectations, so also think about what level of service you’re able to provide. 

You’ll also need to keep on top of other fees associated with being self-employed, like business licenses or insurance. If you work with a pet sitting agency, they’ll take care of things like pricing, advertising, and insurance for you. 

Is Being a Pet Sitter Safe? 

Pet sitting isn’t seen to be more dangerous than other hospitality related jobs, but when interacting with the public and pets it’s always a good idea to be proactive about your safety. You’ll need to have a way to vet clients, and the best way to do this is outsource to an background agency to vet clients on your behalf, as well as address any customer service or payment issues.  

It’s also important to meet with clients and their animals before any sitting is scheduled. Also known as “meet & greets”, these visits function as a “vibe check” and are incredibly important to make sure that you, the client, and their animals all feel safe and confident with the arrangement. 

You may want to ask some questions that will help you get a feel for a client’s personality when taking their initial information as well. Although you will always do the meet & greet yourself, if you work with an agency, they will have already pre-vetted the client, and the visit is more of a formality. 

Looking for more tips on pet sitting? Check out this blog.

You Have Options as a Pet Sitter

If all of that still feels daunting, you’re not alone. Starting your own small business can be very challenging, but it’s not your only option as a professional pet sitter. 

Online, quick-service pet sitting marketplace apps can be easy to get involved with, but offer little in the way of protections for both you and the client. Local small business pet sitting agencies are a much better option if you’re looking for trustworthy clients and safe working environments. 

If you’re a responsible pet sitter working in San Francisco, we highly encourage you to reach out to us at Grand & Graham Pet Sitters. We’ll handle the disadvantages like licensing, insurance, and client vetting so you can just focus on those cute pups. 

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