Parenting Is Hard Enough: Earn Extra Money as a Pet Sitter with Rover
Parenting often feels like a full-time gig, but without the full-time income. For parents who also love animals, building a pet sitting business with Rover is a great way to earn extra income while maintaining a flexible schedule and working from anywhere.
Make Some Fun Money—or Build Your Savings
In between shuttling your kids from place to place, nap times, and preparing meals, there can be very little time to find a way to make some extra money on the side. Pet sitting gives you the flexibility to work when and where you want, so it can always fit into your busy schedule.
Kaye O. is a 5-Star Pet Sitter and mom from Federal Way, WA. She says, “Pet sitting is extremely doable while taking care of my daughter (Aubrey – 5). As long as I know I am working with a friendly animal (which, I always have) I can bring her along with me.”
Rover sitters can make up to $1000 or more per month. Some of the services pet sitters offer include: dog boarding, doggy daycare, dog walking, daily check-ins, and house sitting. So you could make money just checking in on a client’s dog at home, or taking a dog for a walk while your child is in school or with you in a stroller.
You decide how much to work, whether it’s dog walking while the kids are in school or inviting dogs into your home for doggy daycare or overnight stays. And pet sitters who offer dog boarding can earn twice as much and get requests from potential clients faster than other services.
While Kaye also works as a full-time massage therapist, it takes time away that she could be spending bonding with her daughter. “I couldn’t have asked for anything better than becoming a Rover sitter and having my daughter Aubrey along with me. I spend enough time away from her as a massage therapist, so getting to include her is such a blessing.”
Be Your Own Boss/Scheduling and Organization
As a parent, you are already the boss of your house. You are used to managing multiple projects, figuring out intricate schedules, and dealing with tricky coworkers—your beautiful kids. It’s only fitting to be in charge of how you make extra money. You can fit pet sitting into your busy lifestyle, and not worry about how to juggle childcare or sacrificing time with your children.
Rover’s website makes it easy to manage everything in one place. It allows you to maintain a professional presence and all the communication with clients goes through the website’s messaging. Once your profile is approved, you are connected to the nation’s largest network of pet parents. Clients will contact you with job requests, but you decide what works for your family.
And by using the Rover app, you can be at the park or grocery store while you work. It makes it easy to confirm bookings, message clients, or get automatic, secure payments while on the go. Because your bookings are managed through Rover, you don’t need to worry about chasing down clients for money, or how to get in touch with new clients.
As a busy parent, Kaye loves not only the flexibility but the convenience the Rover app provides – “I love that I can choose how busy I am, the app also makes it incredibly easy to communicate with owners.”
You also have access to a 24/7 Rover support team, including vet assistance, and continuing pet care education. Whatever happens, you are supported, and Rover is available to answer your questions.
Build Life Skills for Your Children
It’s amazing what can happen when an animal comes into children’s lives. Kaye says “Aubrey LOVES coming along. Quite often she asks to walk the dog(s) herself or be sure she is the one feeding/taking care of the dog. It has made her aware of the responsibilities of having an animal, and she loves bonding with each one of our clients.” As she grows I get to teach her “doggy manners” so she learns how to treat animals, as well as how to care properly for them and show them love and attention, just as you would a child.”
And part of being a Rover sitter is taking dogs on walks around the neighborhood or out on hikes. It’s a fantastic way to live a healthier lifestyle. You can get out with your kids to enjoy the fresh air, socialize, and get to know other people in your area.
Many Rover sitters say that their passion for animals all started because they had pets and animals around them while they were growing up. They learned responsibility, compassion, and unconditional love. Dog psychologist Phil Tedeschi describes the positive effect dogs can have during early childhood (or roughly 2-10 years) “they begin to develop an understanding of what is right and wrong. Having pets in the home offers many lessons of moral significance such as how we treat others.”
Preparation and Safety
Your home is already set up for caring for your kids; it’s just a matter of managing your space to create a safe and loving environment for pets, too. And you get to screen client’s dogs and choose which bookings to accept so you can be careful to only pick dogs that will be comfortable around your family.
Kaye addresses this concern and does a recommended “meet and greet” with each new dog and dog owner before she accepts a booking. She offers other parents this advice, “You have to always watch them, how they’re interacting with each other, and make sure all parties are being cared for. Dog parents are just as protective & concerned about their animals well being as you would be leaving your child with someone so it is important you convey that you know how to maintain a safe environment.”
Rover panel expert Dr. Tedeschi adds keys to success will include:
- Having a well-supervised home
- Sitting properly socialized dogs
- If your children will be interacting with the new dog, offer them humane guidance on how to interact with dogs
- Make sure dogs and children are properly supervised at all times.
How to Get Started
The first step is to build your profile on the website to share your past pet care experience. Be sure to include pictures of your family, and especially if you have any pets currently. Make sure to be clear about your schedule and what your home environment is like.
After a general background check, the Rover support team will review your profile. Once you are approved, clients send job requests to you. Remember, you get to choose which requests to accept, so you can always pick jobs that work best for you and your family.
Everything is managed seamlessly on the website or Rover app. It’s easy to maintain a professional connection to clients while working from anywhere you need to be. And in the rare case something happens, you are supported by the Rover Guarantee.
Pet sitting is a great way to earn extra income that fits into your busy lifestyle. Kaye hopes to someday add a pet to their home but for now, loves sharing with friends the positive impact Rover has had for her family. “It has given a little more wiggle room in our finances. And reminded me how much I love dogs. It’s never “work” for me.” So stop worrying about how to make it all work. And Rover will help you manage it all.