- Meghan Lim found that dog walking and pet sitting can be fun and profitable side hustles.
- He shares advice on how to get started and what to know about them.
- Lim suggested people who want to pet sit to meet with the owner first to see if it’s a good fit.
If you love cats or dogs, you can cash in on this connection by getting a side hustle pet sitting or dog walking.
Meghan Lim, who made money from these two side hustles, says they can be fun, easy, profitable, and flexible jobs.
Lim works full-time as a remote financial analyst, and he spoke to Business Insider previously about side hustles to try during the holiday season based on his experience.
Although Lim says she focuses more on her personal finance content creation as her main side hustle, she recommends pet sitting and dog walking, especially for animal lovers. Lim shares her advice and some things people interested in pet sitting should know, including how long it can take and how to get started.
What is the charge for dog walking and pet sitting
Lim previously told BI that she can usually earn about $1,000 a month from pet sitting, drop-in visits, and dog walking, all of which she does within several years now.
Lim says “the best price to start for dog walking is $20 for a 30-minute walk. This is a very standard rate.” He also mentioned that you can feel free to charge based on your preferences and what others around you are doing.
One thing Lim wishes he had known early on is to increase your rates as you get busy with clients. Lim said he realized he had to raise his rates “to reduce my load of people coming in.”
“It’s important that once you get that experience and start getting good reviews, you never overpay yourself,” he says. “If you want more clients, it makes sense to charge less. But, if you’re at the point where you already have more clients, definitely charge more.”
She earned $150 a night for babysitting two dogs for several nights at the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024. Since this house-sitting gig was during the New Year, she was charging more than her usual rate. His roommate helped out on New Year’s Eve when Lim was with the family.
“Since I have so many clients and so many people asking me to watch their pet, I can’t do it all by myself,” said Lim. “Whenever I have to leave a pet sit, I always make sure I have a backup on hand.”
Get to know the pet owner first
Lim suggests meeting with the owner and their pet before taking on a client.
“There are situations where you may not like the responsibility or you may just not find the right thing in the owner,” Lim said.
Lim said that Rover, a pet-service platform, “strongly recommends that you have a meet and greet before you do that pet-watching job.”
Lim mentioned some questions people can ask the owner, such as basic information about how often they should feed the pet and medication they may need to give the pet. They may also ask if the pet is being walked.
“One of the most important questions to ask is ‘how long can I leave the dog alone?'” says Lim, adding that some people may be OK with longer periods than others.
These can be flexible side hustles, but tell the owner if you also work another job
Lim says it’s important to tell the owner if you have a full-time job or other time conflicts so they know you can’t talk to a 4 pm walk if you’re still working, for example. Lim said you can always ask if you can come a little later or earlier but to be careful with their schedule as well.
To avoid interfering with his work hours, Lim said he tends to only walk a dog at noon on his lunch break or outside of work hours if someone requests it.
“I would say if you work from home, it’s really flexible, especially if you have time during your lunch hours,” she said.
It can also be flexible in terms of the work you do. “Let’s say you’re somebody who has a hard time with large dogs, maybe you don’t have the strength, you can choose to take on the smaller dogs, so you’re not pressured to take on a request,” she said.
Be prepared to potentially watch a pet overnight
People interested in pet sitting or sitting at home It should be noted that this may involve staying to care for pets for more than one night, Lim said.
If you’re new to pet sitting or new to doing a side hustle that might require an overnight stay, Lim says make sure to be polite and don’t be afraid to ask questions.
“They should always clean up before they leave when they’re done with a seat and always let the owner know what they’ve done like feeding the dog, walking around, and cleaning up after yourself,” Lim said.
People who sit while working should also see if they can get access to the pet owner’s Wi-Fi so they can still get work done while taking care of the pet.
“I would bring my laptop with me to the dog’s house whenever I did a house sitting since I work remotely and can work anywhere as long as I have access,” said Lim.
Other tips if you’re starting out
There are apps that people can use to get started with this side hustle. Lim taught Rover and Wag! as two good choices.
Lim suggests asking friends to write testimonials to help boost your profile.
“If they don’t have pet sitting experience, they should have a friend document their experience being responsible for a pet or say they are an animal lover and why,” Lim said. “Any example of good behavior with animals is a great way to create a testimonial if you don’t necessarily have direct experience with pets.”
Once you’ve succeeded in doing some work, Lim says to ask the owners to leave you a review. He said this and marketing your services is important. Lim also says that if you find a pet that you enjoy working with, tell the owner so you can potentially work with them again.
“Don’t be afraid to tell the owner, ‘hey, I really had a good time watching your dog or walking your dog. I would love to watch him or her or walk him or her again. Here’s my number. Just let me you know when you need a walk,'” Lim said.
He said if you’re not getting clients on the app, there are a few other things you can try. That includes lowering your rate and trying marketing elsewhere like in a Facebook dog group.
Have you tried the side hustle? Share with this reporter on [email protected].
