For dog lovers: dog sitting

Why Dog Sitting?

Dog sitting, especially in America, is another very easy small business to start, and is also in high demand. Americans are nuts about their pets, especially their dogs. And surveys have found that most Americans feel guilty about leaving their pets at home alone, but have to be away working and traveling just like other people do.

Knowledge and Skills Needed

• Of course, you have to enjoy working with dogs and many times other animals too, because the dog people many times will also own other pets as well. You might end up taking care of a whole “zoo” of pets, often while the family is away from home on vacation. But, hopefully, it's only you and one dog, right? By the way, you can also make a small business out of just walking dogs. Dog walking is also in pretty high demand.

• A knowledge of animal health and behavior is a must. Some colleges offer courses in animal care. There are even distance learning courses for dog and other animal care on the Internet.

• It actually can be quite a responsibility, so make sure that you are the type of person who loves animals, is very patient, careful, and conscientious about taking care of them while their owners are away.

• You have to be Able to make and keep a very close schedule and follow routines carefully.

Start-up Costs

Another advantage of a dog sitting business is the low start-up cost, maybe $1,000 to $5,000 to start. You may need some transportation, of course, a mini van maybe in case you need to transport animals. A can opener for canned dog food, leashes, that sort of thing. Liability insurance would be a great idea, possibly the major expense for your small dog-sitting business. You will possibly need an initial marketing budget but could get by, especially at the beginning, with advertising simply by word-of-mouth.

Some First Steps

• At the beginning, do pet sitting for friends and relatives to get the feel for it, to practice your pet sitting, and to make sure this is what you want to do.

• Finding clients can be especially easy if you have your own dog. Just try walking your dog at the local park. If you do this several times a week, you will soon be making new friends (including their dogs). Many of these people will also have cats, and maybe other animals too. Hand out business cards to them. Word will get around quickly and you will soon have business.

• If you know of some other pet sitters, ask them about the business, how busy they are, and how they like doing it. If possible, you can cover for one another.

• Pick a descriptive name for your business, for example Best Friends Pet Sitting, Kitty Meow Meow, or Albany Pet Sitting are a few examples.

• As you start to really get into it, I recommend getting small business insurance and bonding to protect you and others that might be working with you. It's actually not very expensive and will give you peace of mind.

• Especially if you are working alone, be careful about taking on too much of a load and spreading yourself too thin. Take on only what you feel you can easily and comfortably do by yourself.