Start a Pet Sitting Business

In summer most animal owners face a major dilemma.  Go on holiday or stay at home?  And if you opt for the holiday, decision number two is whether to put Fido into kennels or find someone to look after him while you are away.

Until recently it was a simple choice between kennels or finding a temporary home for your pet with caring friends or relatives.  Or worse, asking someone you trust to visit your home each day to see to Fido's needs. 

Now there is an easier option.  One that's kinder to pets, saves you worrying, and could cost less than traditional boarding kennels.  And you'll have the comfort of knowing your home is safe during your absence.  That easier option is pet sitting.

What Pet Sitters Do

Not all animals are suited to traditional boarding facilities sometimes they're old or ill and need constant attention.  Very often the owner simply wants more personal attention for her pets than kennels or catteries can offer.  Pet sitting fits the bill.

Sitters usually look after pets in the owner's home and generally supervise the property during their absence.  Sometimes it's the other way round, where the animals are welcomed into the sitter's home.  Sitters can work alone or through an agency.  Where they operate via an agency, they are usually classed as self-employed.  Bookings are invariably made through the agency and passed on to independent sitters who are free to accept or reject whatever placements are offered.   Alternatively, some organisations accept sitters as employees, people who work when and where the parent firm stipulates and who are affected by all other conditions of the normal employer/employee relationship.

The business is fairly new to Britain and, despite the existence of several established firms, there's plenty of room for others to enter this enjoyable, potentially very lucrative field, especially at local level. 

What You Can Earn

Much depends on the scale of your operation and whether you are self-employed or on an agency's payroll.  The highest rewards go to sitters prepared to move into clients'  homes and to offer related services, like caring for pets, watering and feeding plants, helping take care of the client's business, answering telephone calls, and the like.  The more you offer, the higher your profits will be.  And the more work you'll get.

What To Do Next

Decide on the type of service that suits you best.  It's unlikely that anyone with family responsibilities can take over the running of another person's home but there's nothing to prevent you caring for animals in your own home.

Start by looking for advertisements placed by competing firms.  Glossy magazines are popular advertising sources, so too are publications targeted at pet owners and animal lovers, like Dogs Today and Pet Dogs.  Contact a few of these firms, pose as a potential client and ask for information about their business.  Learn all you can about other firms then model your business on the very best features of theirs.

Marketing Your Business

Again, it's mainly a question of emulating your most successful competitors.  Base your advertisements on theirs - especially advertisements that have appeared unchanged over several issues.  Have a brochure prepared for enquirers, indicating what service you offer and how much you charge.  Ask enquirers to telephone for further information or to complete the booking form enclosed with your brochure.  On receipt of the form, you confirm the booking and arrange a deposit.  The balance is usually paid when the assignment begins.

Run Your Own Boarding Kennels

Running your own boarding kennels or cattery (the term 'cattery' is fast becoming obsolete), can be very rewarding for the true animal lover.  Not so for anyone who just wants to make a profit from caring for other people's pets.  That care and devotion you lavish on guests has got to be genuine.  Owners can spot the fakes.  So can their pets!

So what must you know to start your business, forgetting the buildings themselves a selection of specialist agencies can help you find purpose-built accommodation and others can help you build or convert your own?

First and foremost, you've got to be available virtually any time of the day or night.  Dogs and cats are like people they get sick, miss their families, and some need constant care.  They also need regular exercise, fresh food and water, and you'll also need to guard against illness and disease spreading to other guests.  Of the accommodation itself, kennels should be spacious, adequately heated and well-lit.  Dogs must be taken for a walk every day or allowed to run free in an exercise area.  Cats generally need less exercise, and a small amount of space to walk and play will usually be sufficient. 

To board animals you must register with your Environmental Health Office, whose staff will update you on what rules and regulations apply and what minimum standards must be met.  You'll have to pay a licence fee and you'll need planning permission if you intend to change your premises to accommodate kennels. 

Several dog and cat care courses are organised by animal welfare societies and adult education institutes, and a variety of excellent books are available.  One I'd particularly recommend to anyone wanting to establish a business caring for dogs (and cats), is Running Your Own Boarding Kennels.  Topics include finding property, start-up costs and overheads, statutory requirements, health matters, feeding and caring for boarders, finding and training kennel staff.  There's also a very useful section on marketing your business. 

Most effective places to advertise your business include vets' surgeries, pet shops, dog clubs, in doggy magazines, through travel agencies, or simply via a small advertisement in your local newspaper.