| answered a question | Is there any way to search for people who need a sitter in your area? It took about 2 months to get our first 'gig'. After we got our first review it really took off. Luckily I work in the pet industry and my partner is a dog groomer so we helped spread the word. Also we invested in the business cards and post cards. I left post cards at our local dog park and took business cards to local pet stores so they could recommend me if anyone was looking for a sitter. We have been very busy in the last year since we started. |
| answered a question | Boarders: Occupancy Rate? From May-August I think we had about a total of 2 full weeks (spread throughout) where we didn't have dogs! We were crazy busy and most of those days we had multiple dogs. We slowed down from September until Thanksgiving week and we've had dogs every day from then until January 5th. We'll slow down again until Spring break with only one booking for February as of right now. We cherish the slow months just because it gets very busy very fast! The most we took during the summer was 6 and that is the number we had over Christmas. We only have ourselves marked as unavailable during our own personal vacation times. |
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| answered a question | How to deal with damage to your home while sitting a dog? You can call Rover's customer service line and see if they can add on "additional service" fees to your current stay. Have you talked to the pet parents about the dogs destructive behavior? We've had incidents like this in the past and once I have talked to the owners (in a light hearted and unaccusing way) they usually offer to reimburse me once they return or offer me a good tip. In the future ask how the dogs are at home and if they have any history or destructive chewing behavior. That's something I always make sure to ask that way I can prepare my home. Such as spraying bitter apple on my furniture or plan on having a kennel set up when I leave the home. |
| answered a question | Hi I am intrested in becoming a dog sitter in my home is it possible to clear 500 dollars a week? Only if you plan on overpricing. I don't know the cost of living in your area but the average night stay in my metro (OKC) is $25 a night. So for 2 dogs that is only $250 before Rover takes its fees. You can book more than 2 dogs at a time but it is definitely harder, espeically if you're first starting out. And I wouldn't recommend charging $50 (in order to make $500 a week watching only 2 dogs) per night per dog unless you've got an amazing yard and big house and are going to be home with the dogs their entire stay. It isn't fair to the pet parent to have to pay so much unless they are getting a service that is without a doubt worth it. |