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Pet Sitters


Overview

Pet Sitters

Introduction

When pet owners are on vacation or working long hours, they hire pet sitters to come to their homes and care for their animals. During short, daily visits, pet sitters feed the animals, play with them, clean up after them, give them medications when needed, and let them in and out of the house for exercise. Dog walkers may be responsible only for taking their clients' pets out for exercise. Pet sitters may also be available for overnight stays, looking after the houses of clients as well as their pets. According to Pet Sitt...

Quick Facts


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Median Salary

$24,780

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Employment Prospects

Good

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Minimum Education Level

High School Diploma


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Experience

Any previous experience working with animals


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Skills

Business Management
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Personality Traits

Helpful
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Earnings

Pet sitters set their own prices, charging by the visit, the hour, or the week. They may also charge consultation fees, and additional fees on holidays. Some have special pricing plans in place, such as for emergency situations or for administering medications. Depending on the kinds of animals (sometimes pet sitters charge less to care for cats than dogs), rates across the country typically va...

Work Environment

Some pet sitters prefer to work close to their homes; in a city a pet sitter may only walk dogs in his or her neighborhood. In a smaller town, however, pet sitters have to do a fair amount of driving from place to place. Depending on the needs of the animals, the pet sitter will let the pets outside for play and exercise. Although filling food and water bowls and performing other chores within ...

Outlook

Pet sitting as a small business is expected to experience much faster than average employment growth, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Most pet sitters charge fees comparable to kennels and boarders, but some charge less. And many pet owners prefer to leave their pets in the house, rather than take the pets to unfamiliar locations. This has made pet sitting a desirable and cost-effect...