How much do you pay the teenager next door to feed your dogs while you are out of town? (house, maintenance)

[NewUser]

Originally Posted by tabbcat

Does anyone have a recommendation for a catsitter in the area? I live around Miami/70. Thanks

Hey. No hijacking my thread. This is about dogs. No cat people allowed

[roscomac]

My son (13) pet sits for neighbors within walking distance. He generally gets $5/walk for dogs (usually 3 times per day), $5/visit to administer medicine, and $8/day for tending to cat needs (food, water, litter box) in one visit. He didn't set those rates, but that's what he typically gets.

[lamishra]

I am paying a teenage neighbor $10.00 a day to house/pet sit. She is getting our mail, picking up our papers, taking the trash and recycyling bins in and out, taking care of our cats, feeding fish and lizard, and watering my garden and potted plants as needed.

[kelly237]

I used to pay a neighborhood kid 10/day to come once and feed, bring in mail
ect.

I would pay 20/day.

He is tied up and cannot go anywhere else for very long if he comes at
dinner & bedtime.

[didee]

PLEASE make sure their parents are making sure they are doing it or set up a hidden camera. I have heard horror stories from clients whose neighborhood kids were neglectful.

Agree with this. Depending on the age of the kid, he/she may not recognize unusual things (e.g., illness) either, so a good briefing is important. I once had a mid-teen kid walking my dog, and the dog became extremely sick and he didn't recognize it. He wasn't negligent, he just didn't know any better.

As to how much to pay, I would think $15 a day would be fair.

[Francois]

Yes, definitely make sure the parents know he's being hired, and you might ask them privately to accompany him once just to make sure the dogs look OK? Or not.

$10-12 a day sounds reasonable to me--and then give a little 'unexpected' extra as a tip on top of that (like, round up if you pay $12 and it comes out a weird number). Plus it's nice if you bring him home something little from your trip as a Thank You, doesn't have to be expensive, just something you can't get except there.

[Francois]

Originally Posted by tabbcat

Does anyone have a recommendation for a catsitter in the area? I live around Miami/70. Thanks

Not personally, but I know for a fact that anyone affiliated with this organization is top-notch, vested, certified, all that.

[tabbcat]

Originally Posted by NewUser

Hey. No hijacking my thread. This is about dogs. No cat people allowed

My bad, my bad

Also, thank you Francois.

[frankpc]

Our neighbor pays a neighborhood gal $10/day to feed their two cats and collect the newspaper/garbage/recycle bin when they're gone.

Of course, when said gal is gone, we get the honor.

Come to think of it, they don't pay us !

Frank

[NewUser]

Thanks for the replies everyone! I think that we'll go with $15/day, or maybe $10/day + a gift from our trip. Now if only I could think of something a teenage boy would like from the beach. . . . . that his parents will also approve of.