Retirement to Dog-sitting Business (55, friendly, community, retired)
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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.
You might want to PM flyingsaucermom; she's not retired, but I know she's run a cat-sitting business. You might put up a link to this thread in some of the Pets forums as well.
I'm not a pet sitter but have used their services for more than 25 years. The issue I see is that the holidays and summer are going to be your busiest time. So you can forget about having a normal Christmas, Thanksgiving, July 4th, summer vacation, etc. or traveling to see other family members on those days. Are you and your family members okay with that? And it is a lot of driving time going from home to home (especially if you live in a larger city) and you should be insured so that is another cost. A friend would pet sit for another friend with the dog staying at her house but the pay was low and that dog did not get along with her dog so it was a hassle to keep the animals separated.
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.
I had a dog walking gig when I first retired. I walked her 5 days a week at 3p. I answered an ad in the local paper. I know they were surprised to see me. They expected a kid.
I think I made $40 a week and I got a good walk every day This was several years ago.
In my younger days, I house and dog watched. I worked for people whose homes and pets I was already familiar with. I don't know about going into a strange house to a pet who is already stressed because it has been left by its owner/family.
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
You should be bonded and insured. There could be a lot of liability involved. Also, speaking for myself, I'd never have a complete stranger house sit my dog any more than I would have a complete stranger baby sit my kid. You better have some good references unless you plan on doing this for people you already know.
There was a pet sitting/ grooming service around here which we used, but we dropped our dogs off there and picked them back up when we got back from vacation. There was a big fenced in pasture where all the friendly dogs could be out during the day to play. They each had their own smaller fenced covered area with a dog kennel in it for night time. She had a separate area for the cats, that was in an enclosed building so they didn't interact with the dogs at all. She also had a dog grooming service, so some dogs were just there for a wash and shampoo.
Our dogs loved visiting there, probably because they had a herd of friends to play with during the day. There were all sorts of toys all over the pasture and a pond as well. For an extra fee, they'd be washed and shampooed before we arrived to pick them up.
Not sure if you'd be set up for something like that, though, it was a rural property so if the dogs barked it didn't matter.
I pet/house sit by word of mouth for people at church and in my 55+ community. I lost my Gizmo (Boston Terrier) 3 years ago so am now alone and available to leave home and stay at other people's homes with their pets, so far dogs only. Cats I have been hired to care for only require me to visit twice a day to feed and clean the litter box. Of course I give them "kitty time" as well! I have also stayed with a Cockatiel (I used to have one), and have someone interested in hiring me to feed their 25 year old fish! It is a mini-vacation for me, and the pets get to stay in their own home where they are comfortable.
I am not licensed, bonded or insured. I will not ask for references from other owners, my story/history and interview is enough. I do not lack for jobs. My charge is minimal, as I am not into this to make money but to be sure the pets have a stable environment while their people are away. But for someone who needs the money, there is money to be made doing this! I have not had one problem with any of the owners or their pets. So far I have only watched 2 dogs at a time, and that is enough for me. I love to walk them but not all require walks.
I prefer older pets as they are the ones who would not do so well kenneled while their people are away. However, this last assignment I have learned to ask more questions, not just to say yes right away. This pet has some medical issues, and I will have to give medication and service the ears with drops. The owners mentioned giving a shot, to which I was like OooooooKay, but show me. I didn't like this idea, but thankfully they will give the shot before they leave and then upon return.
As far as holidays, etc., I can accept jobs or not. No problems there.
Old room mate of mine retired, won a huge settlement from her last employer and won 10,000 on a lottery ticket.
She opened up her own pet sitting business. All her work is by word of mouth and she is making $ hand over fist.
Summers are her busiest time.
She has stayed weeks at a time in some luxurious homes.
It took her about 2 years to reach the point of making 70,000 a year.
For a single retired woman that's a nice chunk of cash.
She is constantly busy and on the go to other people's homes.
She takes on more in the summers to make up for slow winters.
But, she is the happiest she's been in her whole life right now.
People pay top dollar for her because she truly pampers and takes excellent care of her furry clients.
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