How To Become A Pet Sitter With No Experience (5 Easy Steps)

If you’re an animal lover who needs money, pet sitting seems like the perfect job.

But how do you get started if you have no experience?

This article tells you everything you need to know about getting started as a pet sitter.

Take notes and you’ll land your first client in no time!

What Is A Pet Sitter?

When pet owners need help taking care of their furry friends, they may reach out to a pet care provider.

A lot of people will send their pets to pet hotels or kennels. However, many people prefer someone who can spend time one-on-one with their pets.

As a pet sitter, you will take care of pets and build a rapport with animals whose owners need assistance.

Some daily care tasks are feeding, exercising, grooming, and even giving them medications.

How Do You Become A Pet Sitter?

There are a lot of choices to make and tasks to complete to become a pet sitter.

Services

First, decide what services you want to offer.

Maybe you’re only interested in working with dogs or cats. Perhaps you can only do daytime hours.

If you can do overnight care, that is a valuable service. If you have experience with medically needy pets, maybe that should be your specialty.

If you deicde to charge for your services you’ll want to know the going rates for house sitting.

Pick a House Sitting Website

One of the easiest ways to get started as a pet sitter is to set up an online profile.

There are many house-sitting sites to choose from. You will want to learn more about each of them before deciding which one best suits your needs.

Most of these online platforms are pretty simple. You fill out a profile with all your basic information so homeowners can find you.

If someone thinks you would be a good fit for their needs, they can reach out to you.

Schedule your duties through the app or website and start doing jobs!

Build Your References

Your first pet sitting gig will be the hardest to land. If you know anybody with pets, you can reach out to them.

Maybe one of your friends or relatives will benefit from your services. If you impress them, they’ll certainly spread the word!

Even if your friends don’t need your pet sitting services, you can still ask them to help you get your name out there. 

Once people know you are a reliable pet sitter, it won’t be hard to get more clients.

Advertise Your Services Locally

While word of mouth is the best way to advertise your services, it isn’t the only way.

Create some posters to put on community bulletin boards.

Maybe you can hang them at the pet store or veterinarian’s office.

Posting them at a bank or post office (where people tend to wait in line) means more people will likely read them.

Otherwise, think of high traffic areas. At grocery stores and coffee shops, enough people walk by that someone will notice!

Use eye-catching graphics so it will catch people’s attention.

Create a Handover Checklist

You want to provide a great service.

So create a checklist of all the questions you’ll need to ask the homeowner.

Will this ebnsure you provide a professional services and get great referrals.

This is our; dog care sheet template and cat care templates.

Create a Pet Sitting Resume

A pet sitting resume will tell your potential candidates that you are qualified!

The easiest way to create a pet sitting resume is to fill out an online profile on a pet sitting website. These aren’t traditional resumes, but they have all your skills and credentials.

You can easily reformat your online profile into a traditional resume. You can also look online for templates that tell you everything to include!

Be sure to highlight your pet care skills and experience with animals. Also, provide evidence that you are reliable and trustworthy.

Get a Police Check

Background checks are a useful tool when trying to prove that you are trustworthy.

Many pet sitting websites require police checks before you start pet sitting.

Most people won’t trust someone who couldn’t pass a background check with their pets!

Many places offer free background checks but there are many paid options to choose from. Find the most comprehensive one to ensure your clients that they can trust you.

Most background checks are relatively affordable. Then they increase your clientele, which means you’ll pay for it quickly!

Use Airbnb Reviews

Good reviews are the best tool for an entrepreneur! They ensure that you will get more clients in the future.

If people like you, they’ll tell their friends about your pet sitting services. This will increase the amount of pet sitting jobs you have.

They might leave you good reviews online. This will help new customers feel confident in your ability to care for their pets.

The more that people appreciate your work, the more likely you’ll have more pet sitting gigs. That is why an experienced sitter often makes more money than a newer sitter.

How Much Does A Pet Sitter Make?

If you live in a rural area, people won’t pay as much for your services. In urban areas, prices are much higher. 

With more experience, you can charge more money. You can also increase your rates if you are in high demand. So you’ll want to know how much should you charge for house sitting.

It also depends on whether you work for yourself or a company. Many people only make minimum wage in this industry. 

However, you can earn a lot more than that if you work for yourself. Your earnings could be substantial for a side gig or livable for a full-time career.

The average salary of a pet sitter is about $28k while some make $40k. In the District of Columbia, the average salary for a pet sitter is $38k.

Alaska, Hawaii, California, and Washington are also high-ranking states for full-time pet sitters.

Pros And Cons Of Being A Pet Sitter

Pros Of Being A Pet Sitter

The pet care industry is growing so you could get in on the ground floor.

You can set your hours and choose locations for your jobs. This flexibility allows you to have another job or spend extra time investing in your values.

Cuddling up with pets is good for your mental health. Imagine the positivity you’ll experience if it’s your job!

Cons Of Being A Pet Sitter

The downside of such a flexible job is that you can’t always predict your schedule.

Some people will call you last minute or late at night in case of an emergency. Fortunately, you can always charge them short notice fees.

Other times, you may think that a job will take 30 minutes, but it ends up taking much longer. That can throw off your schedule for the rest of the day.

You may also deal with difficult people. This is true with any job, but people tend to be more difficult when they want the best for their pets.

Also, pets can be gross. That may be the cutest kitten you’ve ever met, but cleaning up diarrhea is never cute.

What Does A Pet Sitter Need?

The most important thing that a pet sitter needs are knowledge about animals. 

Other than that, pet sitters need lots of love and a flexible schedule.

Animal Knowledge

If you don’t know much about dogs, you probably won’t be able to care for them well. 

Maybe you know a lot about dogs but would like to open up your client base to other pets, as well.

There are online courses and in-person classes that teach you all about animals. The more knowledge you have, the more hirable you will be.

It is also good to learn pet first aid and CPR to ensure that you are the most qualified to care for pets.

You can even get a pet sitting certification which may help you book clients.

Equipment

You may even consider buying some pet supplies. 

Most pet owners will have their leashes and toys, but it never hurts to have an extra.

If the pet owner isn’t fully prepared, you’ll still be able to do your job!

Character Traits

There are some personality traits you need to be a good pet sitter.

You should be patient, loving, and assertive with animals. You should be personable with humans and provide excellent customer service.

You should also be a reliable and responsible person with a good work ethic.

Good organizational and communication skills are also extremely helpful in this business 

If you want to become a successful pet sitter, there are some factors to consider.

After reading this, you’ll be able to make an educated decision!