Pet Sitter

Pet sitters play the role of caretaker for pets and animals while their humans are away. Pet sitting is usually a temporary gig, lasting a few days to a couple of weeks, although some jobs can last months. Jobs may involve caring for just one pet or multiple pets.

Dogs and cats are the most common types of pets that require pet sitters, but they’re not the only animals you can care for in this role. There are also opportunities to pet sit small animals (e.g., hamsters, guinea pigs, and rats), reptiles (e.g., snakes and lizards), fish, and more.

As a pet sitter, you’re expected to perform several basic duties:

• Feeding
• Exercising pets
• Playing with pets
• Sending updates to the owner
• Cleaning up after pets
• Administering medications

For long-term pet sitting gigs, it’s not uncommon for clients to request that you perform basic home maintenance tasks, such as watering plants or collecting mail. However, these are additional services that aren’t necessarily part of pet sitting.

Pet sitters often find work using pet care apps. However, some start their own pet sitting business and use local marketing and advertising strategies to find clients. In terms of earnings, pet sitters typically charge a flat rate rather than an hourly rate, which may be higher or lower depending on the scope and duration of the job.

You don’t technically need any licenses or certifications to be a pet sitter. However, getting certified in pet first aid or taking a general course on pet sitting can significantly enhance your employability.

Pet sitting certifications are particularly beneficial if you’re running your own pet sitting business. In this case, you may also want to get a business license.

You can get pet first aid training and certification in just 1 day, making it definitely worthwhile in the long run. General pet sitting certifications, on the other hand, can take anywhere from 1 day to 6 months to get.

It’s pretty easy to get into pet sitting, especially if you’re using a pet sitting app. However, to start a thriving pet sitting business or side hustle, you need to make yourself stand out.

References or Reviews

Your reputation is the most important factor that will influence your success as a pet sitter, and it’s the biggest obstacle that new pet sitters face. When you’re first starting out, get practice by pet sitting for people you know, and then have them write you referrals or reviews that you can show to prospective clients.

Love of Animals

One of the biggest concerns for pet parents who are looking for a new sitter is how well their pet is going to be taken care of while they’re away. They should have no doubt that you love animals and that you’ll be able to provide affection on top of fulfilling the animal’s basic needs.

There are a few easy ways to show your love and compassion for animals. For example, you can include photos of you with pets on your pet sitting profile or website and send regular photo updates to clients during a sit.

Pet Safety Knowledge

Pet sitting may sound easy, but there’s a lot of responsibility involved. Failure to follow proper pet care protocol or adhere to your client’s instructions can cost you future job opportunities, damage your reputation, and knock your confidence.

Getting pet care certifications is one way to supplement your knowledge if you lack experience. To build a solid foundation for your side hustle, you should at least do your due diligence and research all the dos and don’ts of pet sitting.

Pet sitters don’t always have an easy job. The role sometimes involves the following difficulties:

• Difficult pets: You may deal with shy cats, aggressive dogs, pets with health issues, or pets that don’t do well with strangers. You’ll need to be able to navigate these difficulties while still providing the required pet care services.
• Unreasonable client expectations: Clients may ask you to do more than is realistic or worthwhile for you to do for the requested pay rate. Negotiating and setting boundaries can be difficult and requires tact.
• Competition: Some pet sitting apps are heavily saturated with sitters, which can make it hard to get your first few gigs. You may also find that there’s simply less demand for pet sitters where you live.
• Time lost to commutes: You’ll only be paid for the duration of your time at a client’s home. If you’re doing lots of short drop-in visits (which usually offer lower pay rates), the time lost to commuting can really hamper your earning potential.
• Lots of responsibility: Pet sitters are caregivers tasked with looking after a living being. This can be stressful, not to mention financially risky if you don’t have adequate liability insurance.
• Screening processes: Many pet care apps require you to pass a background check and/or skill assessment, which can be an obstacle to some. Additionally, you’ll usually be expected to attend an interview or meet-and-greet prior to starting a job.

On the other hand, there are several reasons why pet sitting is such a popular side hustle:

• Get paid to play with pets: For many, the most attractive feature of the job is getting paid to spend time with animals. If this is something you love, then you’ll find pet sitting to be an incredibly satisfying job.
• Easy work: While this certainly isn’t always the case, some jobs require very little work—just turning up and spending time with a pet while performing basic care duties. If this is second nature to you already, then you won’t find the work particularly demanding.
• Low barriers to entry: While prior experience is preferred and some apps have their own eligibility criteria, there are no hard requirements to get started as a pet sitter.
• No startup costs: You can start a pet sitting side hustle completely free by using a free pet sitting app or by finding clients in your local area.
• Pairs well with other jobs: Because gigs are arranged in advance and only occupy select blocks of time, it’s easy to fit pet sitting into a busy schedule. This makes it a suitable side hustle for both gig workers and people with full-time jobs.

Here’s a look at the current state of the pet sitting industry and the outlook for the future:

• The global pet sitting market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.73% from 2024 to 2030.
• There was a huge boom in pet ownership during the COVID-19 pandemic, which we can expect to correlate to a higher number of pet sitting opportunities in the years to come.
• Dogs are the most common type of pet requiring pet sitting services, accounting for 16% of the global pet sitting market in 2023.
• Many pet sitting apps take a cut in the range of 20%–40% of the sitter’s earnings, meaning the earning potential is higher off the app for sitters who have a client base.

It’s safe to say that the pet sitting industry is booming, in large part due to increases in pet ownership and the rise of gig apps for pet sitting.