Its a Good Time to Walk Dogs for Money Thanks to Pandemic Pups

Get away the leashes and the poop luggage! There’s by no means been a greater time to be a canine walker.

Who says so? Nicely, The New York Occasions says so. It simply ran an article about skilled canine walkers in Manhattan who’re making greater than $100,000 a yr.

And, certain, most of us don’t stay in Manhattan, and most canine walkers don’t actually earn six-figure salaries. However that is nonetheless a profitable time to stroll canine for a dwelling, both full time or as a facet gig. And it’s all due to the pandemic puppies.

Pandemic pups? Yup. In the course of the quarantine circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, once we as a collective nation have been all caught at residence, greater than 23 million American households acquired a canine or a cat, in keeping with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

That’s practically 1 in 5 households! That’s tens of thousands and thousands of recent pets that want tending to, each single day. “With many Individuals again within the workplace, anyone has to stroll all these pandemic puppies,” the Occasions identified.

The best way to Get Began as a Canine Walker

Sounds nice, proper? Plenty of contemporary air and train and canine, what could possibly be higher? However how are you going to set your self up for achievement?

You would get began the old style method: Inform all your mates and neighbors, then put up some handmade leaflets in strategic spots round your city. Put up it on Craigslist and announce it on all of your social media profiles, too.

As of late, although, most starting canine walkers are discovering work on apps.

The rise in canine strolling as a job or facet gig could be partly attributed to the rise of dog-walking and pet-sitting apps which have hit the market lately, modernizing this complete course of. The most well-liked ones are Rover and Wag, which have been based in 2011 and 2015, respectively.

Right here’s our article evaluating the 2, plus a number of comparable apps.

These apps are form of like Uber for canine strolling in that you just take requests in your space. Relying on the place you reside, you possibly can settle for canine walks which might be ASAP, that means it is advisable to arrive for the stroll inside a sure time period, or you possibly can settle for a stroll that’s scheduled for a later time.

You additionally submit your availability for canine strolling gigs in your space. Canine homeowners close to you possibly can have a look at your profile, your costs and your availability, then e book a stroll with you thru the app. So that you’ll wish to make sure that your profile appears inviting and options photographs of you interacting with pets.

In case you hit it off with a pup and its proprietor, you possibly can schedule ongoing walks with the identical shopper.

You must be 18. Each apps do a fundamental prison background verify.

And should you’re discovering canine strolling appointments laborious to come back by, you may department out into pet sitting and even pet boarding. Each apps provide that.

How A lot Does a Canine Walker Make?

There’s not a easy reply to this query. Pay charges are all around the map, and your complete earnings will rely upon how aggressive you might be about looking for out work and how much companies you provide.

In accordance with Rover, listed below are the typical costs for every service:

• Canine strolling: $20 a stroll
• Drop-in visits: $20 a day
• Doggy day care: $35 a go to
• In a single day boarding or sitting: $40 an evening

A search on Rover in our metropolis discovered canine walkers charging $15 to $25 per stroll.

“Many sitters on Rover use the platform as a conventional facet gig, taking good care of pets for further earnings,” Rover tendencies knowledgeable Kate Jaffe advised The BaghdadTime. “We make it straightforward to handle their enterprise, whether or not they work full time and wish to canine sit on the facet, or they’re a pupil searching for versatile work, or a retiree who needs to remain energetic and keep away from dipping into their retirement financial savings.”

Unsure how a lot to cost? Take a look at what different individuals in your space are charging. In case you’re simply beginning out, set your charges on the low finish when you work to construct up your clientele.

For instance, Wag permits you to set charges for 20-, 30- and 60-minute walks, and it exhibits you a variety of what the typical walker in your space is charging.

When you set your charges, your purchasers pay your charge plus a 20% payment to Rover or a 40% payment to Wag.

Pet sitting and pet boarding gigs sometimes pay greater than canine strolling as a result of they require greater than a short dedication of your time.

“Given the length of most in a single day care (boarding and sitting) requests, these are typically probably the most profitable,” stated Kaitie Edel, senior advertising supervisor for Wag. “Changing into a pet guardian’s most well-liked caregiver or accepting a recurring request may also be very profitable, given the long-term relationship it creates.”

Briefly, you’re in all probability not going to earn greater than $100,000 a yr like knowledgeable Manhattan canine walker who caters solely to the wealthy elite.

However all these pandemic puppies should be walked, and somebody has to stroll them.

In case you’re searching for further money, it could possibly be you.

Mike Brassfield ([email protected]) is a senior author at The BaghdadTime.