photo credit: OnmiNate
With the rising costs of fuel and food, are you looking for an alternative or extra income source that can help your family budget? If you are not planning on taking Fido and Fluffy on your next business trip or family vacation, you’re going to need a safe place for them to stay. We researched several options for our two labradors before our summer trip that included a dog daycare, kennel, boarding facility, and friends.
1. The cost of the dog daycare was out of our budget at $75 a day. It was at a very plush facility that included a pool, exercise area, and lot’s of playtime with daily walks. We love our dogs, but $75 was a lot of money and not in our family budget for this trip.
2. I called two local kennels and they were very reasonable in price, but the facilities were very similar to the local pound or humane society. The cost was $40 a day, but the kennel was outside and did not provide any comfort for our summer heat. They did of course have shade and plenty of water, but no daily exercise was offered. This might work for an overnight trip, but we were leaving for 10 days.
3. The dog boarding facility was priced at $50 for two large dogs a day and was on a wonderful horse ranch. The dogs could run off leash in a large fenced area twice a day and then sleep in an air conditioned room. Our dogs wouldn’t have daily walks or swim in a pool, but would be safe and have plenty of exercise and some human interaction.
4. A pet sitter appeared to be a wonderful option as it included so much more than watching our two dogs. It also provided some additional home security by having the pet sitter drop by our home twice daily. They would pick-up our mail and also had an ala carte type pricing for other services. If we wanted the plants watered, dogs washed, and even poop scooped. Yes, they offered to do it all. Imagine coming home and someone picked up after your dogs? That could be worth $50 a day!
5. Have a neighbor or friend watch after our dogs. Do you have a friend that owes you a favor? Have you done a lot of work for them and now it’s time to collect? Well, here’s your chance. We have great friends that are also neighbors who offered to watch our dogs for a few days. We offered to pay them, but they refused. Very nice friends!
At the last minute, my parents offered to house sit and watch our dogs, which brought the cost to zero. Our two dogs would be entertained by grandma and grandpa and get hours of playing fetch with the chuck-it. I certainly did learn a lot about the dog boarding and daycare business and think the potential is huge for pet sitting or house sitting. In fact you could offer the ala carte pricing and include household errands too. What would this be worth? The pet sitter quote was $44 and would include feeding our dogs twice a day and 1 hour of playtime. $44 an hour is a nice extra income. Lot’s of potential if you love animals and enjoy belly rubs. Before you start pet sitting, check to be sure your client has homeowners insurance and that you have adequate personal/business coverage. This could be a tremendous alternative income source if you’re an animal lover.
Making $44 a day might not seem like a lot, but you could have several pet sitting clients and the earning potential could add up quickly. The website I used for researching pet sitters is found here and I actually found one that was hiring dog walkers and pet sitters. You might want to check your local zip code and see if you could learn about this business by working for one first. Besides insurance and a good vehicle, you don’t have any inventory or equipment. Everything for the dog or cat would be provided by the owner. This could be a wonderful home business opportunity for many stay at home mom or dads that are looking to supplement the family income. It would also be great for high school or college students looking for extra income and spending money.
