Here's What It's Like to Pet-Sit as a Side Hustle

A few years ago, a good friend of mine found herself wanting to drum up extra cash. She had credit card debt she was desperately trying to pay off, and she wanted more financial flexibility given her limited earnings at her full-time job (which, thankfully, she's since moved on from).

She contemplated driving for a rideshare company and working at a local restaurant on weekends. But as a dog lover, she decided that pet-sitting for dogs would end up being a far more enjoyable gig. Here are some tips she has for anyone looking to go a similar route.

1. Don't expect the work to be easy

My friend grew up with dogs and had plenty of experience caring for them. But even so, she faced her share of challenges as a pet-sitter.

For one thing, she had to balance her main job with her side gig. Often, that meant leaving her office during lunch to take dogs out for a mid-day walk -- and having to stay at work later to make up for those longer breaks.

Also, she realized that some dogs are more prone to being anxious than others. One dog barked up such a storm when she left the house in the morning (even though his owner never had that happen) that she had to ask her boss to work from home for a number of days. She didn't get in trouble per se, but it was hard having to ask for that favor since her company generally looked down on remote work (this was pre-pandemic, before working from home became a far more acceptable setup).

2. Be firm with your rates

My friend had specific financial goals she was looking to meet as a pet-sitter. So she learned early on not to negotiate too much with clients.

Generally, she charged $50 a day for a dog to be cared for in her home. That included any feedings they needed and all walks.

One client who she sat for repeatedly eventually asked for a discount in exchange for repeat business. She agreed in that one case, because the client traveled a lot and needed her services often -- so it wound up being worth it to accept a little less pay per gig. But otherwise, she stood firm with clients who weren't likely to be repeat customers.

3. Don't use an app or service if you can avoid it

My friend initially signed up with Rover and used it to secure some gigs. Rover is an online marketplace for clients to find pet-sitters (and vice versa). But she realized early on that she'd be better off booking her own jobs. Now to be fair, she got lucky early on in that she met one client in her apartment complex, and that client referred her to several others. But still, not having to go through Rover to find clients helped her earn a lot more.

These days, Rover charges a $35 fee to set up a profile as a pet-sitter or care provider. Rover also takes 20% of your earnings. If you can drum up enough business on your own, it's not worth losing that money.

These days, my friend no longer cares for other people's pets -- namely because she adopted her own dog two years ago, and he doesn't do well with other animals in his space. But she's glad she put in the time as a pet-sitter because it helped her pay down her debt and boost her savings account balance.

Ultimately, pet-sitting wound up being a great side hustle for her because she got to do something she enjoyed. And if you love animals, you may feel similarly.