A typical Day for a dog walker
a few of you understand me as a raw feeder, however did you likewise understand I’ve been making my living in the pet services market for the last 7 years?
It all started in D.C. suburbia when a neighbor offered me a task as a pet care expert in her business pick Of The Litter Pet Care.
That was back in February 2012 when I was increasing my pups Missy & Buzz as well as had absolutely no hint that this sector of the pet care market existed!
I keep in mind exactly how surprised I was when I discovered out that pet owners really pay great money for people to go into their houses as well as care for their pets! Huh – who knew!!
I started out with 4 everyday dog walks on a Monday thru Friday basis. It didn’t take long up until I had a relatively full dog walking & pet sitting schedule. This likewise included occasional overnight stays at clients’ homes.
I thoroughly enjoyed my task at pick Of The Litter Pet care as well as discovered a great deal from owner Erica whom I’m still truly great good friends with.
When I couldn’t discover a similar business that was hiring when I transferred to North Carolina in late 2013, I was bummed. So when I got the chance to purchase a dog walking/pet sitting client listing in early 2015, I jumped at the opportunity.
It was being offered by a woman who was moving out of state, as well as suddenly I discovered myself the proud owner of my extremely own dog walking & pet sitting business, K9sOverCoffee Pet Services.
That was 3 years ago, as well as let me tell you that I don’t regret my decision of going the self-employed path one bit. I like being my own manager as well as having the very best clients I might ever have asked for, both human as well as four-legged.
But of program it’s not all sunshine as well as roses
On the contrary – the practical side of things brings along early mornings as well as late nights Monday with Sunday, walks in the rain, poop to be chosen up every single day in a range of shapes as well as forms, as well as muddy paws & slobber to be wiped.
The admin tasks can be somewhat tedious as well as include advertising efforts to bring new clients on board, arranging new client satisfy & greets, invoicing, planning dog walks & pet sitting visits, coordinating routes, bringing the right keys, logging miles, making estimated tax payments…
…and yet I wouldn’t have it any type of other way! welcome to my life as a expert dog walker & pet sitter!
A typical Day for a dog Walker
A typical day in my life as a dog walker really consists of a combination of dog walking as well as pet sitting sees anywhere between 6:00 am as well as 10 pm.
During those hours I’m not only walking dogs whose owners are at work, however I’m likewise taking care of pets whose owners are out of town. 80% of my clients are dogs, as well as 20% are cats. I’ve likewise cared for the occasional bird, ferret, as well as bunny, however those pets are few as well as far between.
The everyday dog walks are understood as midday sees in our industry, although I likewise have a client who just just recently changed to night shifts as well as needs me to let his pups out at 9:30 pm a few nights per week. So there’s nothing midday-y about those!
I agreed to assist him out with his new routine since it’s only temporary as well as doesn’t need late night sees every single night of the week. His specific needs are unusual though, as well as midday sees are normally arranged between 10 am as well as 3 pm.
In situation you’re wondering exactly how many dogs I walk at when – I limit it to 4, however that’s only for pups who online in the exact same home. just like Erica at pick Of The Litter Pet Care, I don’t offer group walks for dogs from different homes.
So here’s what a typical day looks like:
Get up at 5 am. Take care of my own dogs or, as of recently, my K9 client guests who are staying with me for a few months while their owner is deployed.
Leave the home at 5:45 am. Take care of pet sitting sees between 6-8 am.
Come house as well as take care of K9 guests.
Leave once again around 10:15 am as well as walk dogs between 10:30 am as well as 2:30 pm.
Come house as well as take care of K9 guests.
Leave once again between 6-7 pm to take care of evening/night pet sitting visits.
Come house as well as take care of K9 guests.
Have a glass of wine as well as go to sleep ?
I utilize a specific pet sitting software application called Pet Sitter plus to assist me keep track of my schedule. I utilized a hardcopy calendar for the very first year as well as a half, as well as upgrading to this tool was one of the very best business decisions I’ve made. Det er hvaI utilize to produce client accounts, produce invoices & monthly reports, routine services as well as accept payments.
The only reason I still utilize an extra hardcopy calendar is since it assists me double-check my routine as well as acts as a backup plan in situation of a technical issue with the software.
Example of my regular dog walking schedule
Here’s a bit peek into my routine for the upcoming week of July 23rd. You can click on the picture to view it larger.
I will state that I don’t have pet sitting sees to take care of on a everyday basis; it truly depends upon my clients’ travel schedules.
Sometimes I’ll only have 6 or 7 midday dog walking visits, as well as no early morning or late night pet sitting visits. I welcome those days since they provide me a bit breather as well as time to catch up on admin tasks, blogging, as well as life in general!
Whenever I can, I enjoy mornings where I can sit on my lounge chair in the backyard, sip on a cup of coffee while blogging as well as having material pups lounge at my feet.
But I digress.
Supplies I utilize for dog walking
When I’m out taking care of pets, I make sure I have the complying with products on me or in my car:
Client keys. I never leave those in the cars and truck by the way. It’ s as well much of a liability should my cars and truck get damaged into.
My hardcopy schedule.
Extra poop bags. most clients provide their own bags, however some don’t as well as I’d rather be prepared as well as have additional ones on me.
Additional leashes as well as collars. I always bring an additional large, durable chrome slip collar in my cross body handbag in situation a routine flat collar brakes. I’ve had that occur before! Thankfully the dog I walked didn’t take off as well as I was able to turn her leash into a slip lead as well as walk her back house that way. important lesson learned! The reason I decided on an additional big slip collar is so I can utilize it on any type of size dog, from toy breed to additional big pup.
A clip-on pepper spray for self-defense purposes.
Towels for rainy & muddy days.
Water to stay hydrated, coffee to stay alert (mushroom coffee as of the last few months, I extremely suggest it as well as composed about it on my blog), as well as snacks like raw almonds or bananas to keep me fueled.
A loud whistle & a tick cleaner on a lanyard that I wear around my neck. The noise of the whistle distracts loose dogs as well as the tick cleaner is available in handy all year long.
My smartphone. It lets me gain access to my pet sitting software application as well as interact with my clients while I’m out as well as about.
A charger for my phone.
My mileage log. I religiously compose down my business miles every single day since they’re tax deductible as well as definitely my biggest business expense.
A doggie very first aid set that I put together myself. It holds Neosporin which is an antibacterial ointment, gauze, sterile pads, muzzles (you can likewise utilize gauze to make a makeshift muzzle), Benadryl as well as scissors.
A sleeping bag in situation I’d requirement to deliver a big dog that’s as well heavy for me to bring on my own. I’ve never had to utilize it, however you never know. Paws crossed I won’t requirement it.
Bug spray & sunscreen.
Visittkort.
What I do during my pet sitting visits
When I’m at a K9 client’s home, I do the following:
Disarm house as well as set alarm if alarm system is being used.
Go for a walk in the community and/or a potty break in the backyard, depending upon the specific dog’s needs as well as length of visit. It’s always a no brainer to pick up poop. speaking of poop: I make sure to take a look at the stack before I bag it. Runny, bloody, or tarry poop is an sign that something’s off. The exact same goes for ingested materials that come out the back method (I’m believing socks, strings, toys, etc.).
Provide playtime & TLC.
Check water as well as refill if low or in requirement of refreshment.
Administer meds if needed.
Feed if requested.
Hand out treats and/or food puzzles if allowed.
Use training commands if requested.
Clean up mishaps or mischief circumstances if any type of occurred.
Return dogs to crates or pens if they’re being used.
Check mail & alternating lights/blinds/fans if requested.
Bring deliveries inside that have been left by the front door.
Turn on background music or TV if requested.
Water plants if requested.
Pull back emptied trash cans on trash days.
Leave report card.
Text/email owner photos and/or videos of my visit.
When I’m at a feline client’s home, I do the exact same as above minus the dog specific tasks, as well as clean litterbokser i stedet.
Noen ganger får jeg forespørsler om overnattinger på People’s Houses eller “Pet Taxi” -tjenester. Vanligvis er drosjetjenesten å ta en hund til veterinæren eller groomer eller plukke dem opp igjen i tillegg til å gi dem en tur hjem.
De utgjør omtrent 10% av mine generelle inntekter. Jeg føler at jeg kan øke etterspørselen fra begge, men jeg vil kreve assistanse for å trekke det av.
Future Dog Walking Business -bestrebelser
Jeg har virkelig lekt med konseptet med å vokse virksomheten i det siste, spesielt i de øyeblikkene når jeg har måttet avvise forespørsler siden jeg hadde evne eller jeg trengte litt pause. Det er klart at jeg bare kan gjøre så mye av meg selv, så vel som dessverre har jeg ikke klart å finne ut nøyaktig hvordan jeg skal klone meg selv ennå?
Jeg hadde en uavhengig uavhengig entreprenør (IC) som hjalp meg i 5 måneder i fjor, men dessverre endte hun opp med å flytte ut av spesifisering så godt som jeg var alene igjen.
Det er vanskelig å oppdage motiverte, ærlige, pålitelige mennesker som deler min lignende for dyr. Den unge damen fra i fjor var den eneste av 30+ søkere som skilte seg ut. Det kan ta en stund før jeg oppdager noen igjen, men jeg er sikker på at jeg vil kunne ta med meg en IC om bord som tilfredsstiller kriteriene mine. Når jeg gjør det, vil jeg gi deg beskjed!
Hvis du er en hundevandrer eller kjæledyr, husket jeg ikke å legge til noe?
Noen som har noen form for bekymringer for å komme inn på denne typen arbeid?
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Barbara Rivers komponerer med jevne mellomrom for den Mutt. Hun er blogger, rå mater så vel som ekspert hundevandrer samt bevarer bloggen K9s over kaffe.