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? Effectively, The New York Times says so. It simply ran an article about skilled canine walkers in Manhattan who're making greater than $100,000 a 12 months.
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 canines for a residing, both full time or as a facet gig. And it’s all due to the pandemic puppies.
Pandemic pups? Yup. Throughout the quarantine situations of the COVID-19 pandemic, after we as a collective nation had been all caught at house, greater than 23 million American households acquired a canine or a cat, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
That’s practically 1 in 5 households! That’s tens of tens of millions of recent pets that want tending to, each single day. “With many People again within the workplace, any individual has to stroll all these pandemic puppies,” the Occasions identified.
The right way to Get Began as a Canine Walker
Sounds nice, proper? A lot of contemporary air and train and canines, what could possibly be higher? However how will you set your self up for achievement?
You can get began the old style approach: 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.
Nowadays, 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 entire course of. The most well-liked ones are Rover and Wag, which had been based in 2011 and 2015, respectively.
Right here’s our article evaluating the 2, plus just a few comparable apps.
These apps are kind 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, which means you have to arrive for the stroll inside a sure time frame, or you possibly can settle for a stroll that’s scheduled for a later time.
You additionally publish 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 guide a stroll with you thru the app. So that you’ll wish to be sure your profile appears to be like inviting and options pictures of you interacting with pets.
If you happen to hit it off with a pup and its proprietor, you possibly can schedule ongoing walks with the identical consumer.
It's important to be 18. Each apps do a fundamental legal background test.
And in case you’re discovering canine strolling appointments onerous to return by, you may department out into pet sitting and even pet boarding. Each apps supply 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 whole earnings will rely upon how aggressive you might be about searching for out work and what sort of companies you supply.
In keeping 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 additional revenue,” Rover tendencies skilled Kate Jaffe informed The TWP. “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 scholar on the lookout for versatile work, or a retiree who needs to remain lively and keep away from dipping into their retirement financial savings.”
Unsure how a lot to cost? Have a look at what different folks in your space are charging. If you happen to’re simply beginning out, set your charges on the low finish whilst you work to construct up your clientele.
For instance, Wag means that you can set charges for 20-, 30- and 60-minute walks, and it reveals you a variety of what the typical walker in your space is charging.
When you set your charges, your purchasers pay your fee plus a 20% charge to Rover or a 40% charge to Wag.
Pet sitting and pet boarding gigs usually pay greater than canine strolling as a result of they require greater than a quick dedication of your time.
“Given the period of most in a single day care (boarding and sitting) requests, these are usually probably the most profitable,” mentioned Kaitie Edel, senior advertising supervisor for Wag. “Changing into a pet mum or dad’s most well-liked caregiver or accepting a recurring request may also be very profitable, given the long-term relationship it creates.”
In brief, you’re in all probability not going to earn greater than $100,000 a 12 months 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.
If you happen to’re on the lookout for additional money, it could possibly be you.
Mike Brassfield ([email protected]) is a senior author at The TWP.