Retirement to Dog-sitting Business (2014, retiree, separate, friends)
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This can turn out to be a very lucrative career, financially and travel-wise. I know I have heard about or read about pet and/or house sitters going all over, out of state, out of country, to stay in homes while the owners are away. I get my fill just from word of mouth.
Retiring next year and already thinking that I will not be able to be home with nothing to do for most of the day.
Has anyone retired from full-time employment to start a formal or informal business of dog/house-sitting? If so, did you find it enjoyable? Are you licensed and insured?
I have extensive experience with dogs, cats, rabbits, and horses.
Your thoughts are appreciated.
Best,
Reddog53
We use a guy who lost his job in tech and now runs a petsitting service with his wife. They have part-time employees who fill in when there's high demand.
They have various levels of service for cats. They'll stay a while and play with the pet -- that costs more than just feeding or litterbox cleaning. Right now we're using the drop-the-food-and-run option. More economical.
We used to board our cats at the vet. That was when they were seniors who had daily medication needs. But our current (only) cat is quite old and so far hasn't needed any medication, so we're lucky that way for now. I mention this because if you've had any experience with pilling a cat or giving subq fluids, you might find clients who need that.
Retiring next year and already thinking that I will not be able to be home with nothing to do for most of the day.
Has anyone retired from full-time employment to start a formal or informal business of dog/house-sitting? If so, did you find it enjoyable? Are you licensed and insured?
I have extensive experience with dogs, cats, rabbits, and horses.
Your thoughts are appreciated.
Best,
Reddog53
No. I have not. We have three dogs and a cat. I wish more responsible people would choose this career!
I love pet sitters who come to my home to care for my companion animals in their home. This is harder to find than you think.
Your idea sounds wonderful! Wish you lived closer!
We have an older lady pet sitter who comes to our house 3 times per day to care for our 3 dachshunds while we're away. My wife treats those dogs like her kids.
The key is trust. If you're gaining access to a client's house while they're gone, you really must not invade their privacy. That lady has grown her client list to a point where she's hard to book because she's always busy. She grew the business by word of mouth.
I can't remember the exact rate but it's close to $60 per day. Just look on-line for competitive rates in your area.
Yes, you can develop a lucrative pet sitting business. Boomers have lots of pets who need constant care.
I did that a while many years ago when I was first widowed, in the months before I went back to work.
I would stay at the person's house to care for the animals, accept packages, let in the repairman, etc. Since it was usually a very nice house with pool, hot tub, sauna, etc., it was almost like staying in a nice hotel. Depending on the number of pets, I'd get $50-100 a day. I was free to go do other things during the day as long as I came back when needed.
Retiring next year and already thinking that I will not be able to be home with nothing to do for most of the day.
Has anyone retired from full-time employment to start a formal or informal business of dog/house-sitting? If so, did you find it enjoyable? Are you licensed and insured?
I have extensive experience with dogs, cats, rabbits, and horses.
Your thoughts are appreciated.
Best,
Reddog53
Why do you think you will have nothing to do? There are classes (look up Osher), volunteering, walking/hiking/biking groups, activities and trips sponsored by your town's recreation department or senior center, etc etc etc. Search this forum for "activities" and you will be introduced to all kinds of things that people do all day.
added: look up "meetup groups" and check for programs at your local library.
We live in a community of mostly retired folks, and some still working. 2 of my friends have pet-sitting businesses and have more work than they can handle. They offer drop in service where they come by to feed and walk multiple times a day, and live in, both where they live in the customer's home, and where the dog, if suitable, can come stay at their home. My one friend makes over $15k a year and is frequently watching multiple dogs at one time. I don't know the other's income, but she is VERY busy. You do have to plan vacations well in advance and block out those days on the calendar to turn away business at that time.
I would recommend that you find good source of advertising...Craigslist and NextDoor are good options. Advertising in retirement communities is your best bet, since many retirees travel. Asking your client's to refer you to their friends also spreads word of mouth. I also recommend working in a very limited geographical area to keep your time and gas costs under control. I would make sure your insurance will cover you and looking into bonding, you never know if you will get a crazy client that accuses you of something after you are in their home!
I'd be sure to get insurance. You never know what could happen it will protect you and your clients. I very much doubt that your current insurance will cover pet sitting.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Ultimate 'low-cost' retirement for some...
...if you are solo and don't have / want a house...
My SIL has been house / pet sitting in Hawaii for 38 yrs, no house required...
Lives out of a suitcase and has a clientele of wealthy people and a few friends with extra space for the rare occasions she is without a place to lay her head.
My adult son and I were looking after our neighbor's dog. My son got bit and the neighbor stopped talking to us. If anything happens to you, or the dog, YOU will be blamed.
No good deed goes unpunished.
OTOH, not all dog owners are a-holes.
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