Dog Walking & Pet Sitting

Dog walking and pet sitting services care for pets when owners cannot - daily dog walks, drop-in visits for feeding, overnight pet sitting, and vacation care.

You can work solo or build team of walkers/sitters serving local area.

Pricing for dog walking ranges $15-30 per 30-minute walk, $25-50 for hour-long walks, and $40-80 for overnight sitting.

Success requires reliability, genuine love for animals, trustworthiness (you have keys to homes), and professional operations.

Startup costs are minimal - insurance, software for booking/billing (Rover, Time to Pet), leashes/supplies, and marketing under $2,000.

Building 10-15 regular walking clients creates steady income.

Revenue models include individual walks, weekly packages at discount, vacation sitting, and additional services like training reinforcement or administering medications.

The work is active, outdoors, and flexible.

Marketing works through Rover/Wag platforms (though they take 20-40% commission), Nextdoor, local dog parks, vet partnerships, and referrals.

Challenges include weather, last-minute cancellations, dog behavior issues, and keys/access management.

Success requires excellent communication with pet parents, reliability, genuine care for animals, and handling multiple clients efficiently.

Many successful businesses hire additional walkers to scale beyond personal capacity.