Dog walking/ Pet minding as a career?

sweetnjuicy

Hey guys.
Just putting feelers out there with this.
Not really sure how to explain, I'm a 21 year old girl
and was recently laid off work and
looking around there is absolutely no work out there.
I've always loved walking and minding my family's dogs and cats, and other smaller animals. (except spiders and things that crawl)
And was wondering if there's anyone out there in cork who
Would have need for services like this?
I would be available all day everyday, and have no problem taking pets into
my home as I already have two cats, who are angels, when they want to be.
They are great with other cats and very good with dogs.
I love to walk dogs as I love to go for long walks but hate going by myself and dogs are such good company.
Anyway I'll stop ranting. Let me know what you guys think.
And feel free to PM me with any suggestions etc.

Magenta

I think CreedonsDogDayc is your man for this question. Very knowledgable and kind person if his posts here are anything to go by

CreedonsDogDayc

Magenta, I am VERY insulted, Im female!!

Sweetnjuicy, I've been working as a dog walker / pet sitter for the past three years in Cork, and while it is very rewarding, it is a LOT more difficult than going for a stroll in the park.

Time management is the most difficult part, as most dog owners want their dogs walked in the middle of the day, but once your busy that's just not feasible.

Do you drive? And do you have your own car that your willing to DESTROY!!!! Dog slobber, hairs, muck, water, sand, and so on! I have a small van which is ideal because dogs can be separated.

You need to be extremely confidant at handling dogs (I did a few courses, canine psychology, canine studies, and dog grooming before setting up). Most people think that they have grown up with dogs so they know dogs, but if your used to german shephards and big breeds you may find it tricky to read, say, a king charles' body language.

I've been very quiet re:new clients over the economic slump. Luckily I had a solid client base before the recession that carried me through the past year and a half. Hopefully the economy will pick up soon anyway.

Regarding taking pets into your home, I would be VERY careful with this. Even though your cats are good with dogs, the majority of dogs would go crazy it they saw the cats, and would probably find it hard to settle when they can smell cats everywhere. I'm not a cat person, but you may have a problem with bringing dominant cats into your home, and your own cats might get sick of their space being invaded regularly.

All in all, dog walking as a full time job is not what I expected it to be when I got into it, its a lot of driving (my clients are spread all over Cork) and a LOT of supervisation. Luckily all my dogs respect me as the leader and all get along well (or else ignore eachother), and in general I enjoy the majority of my day, but there are some days that I just think grrrrrrr (picture lashing rain, traffic, and lots of farting wet dogs!!).

I'm opening a doggie daycare in Cork in the coming weeks so I'll no longer be doing the walking, so I'm looking forward to staying dry for the majority of the day!!

Let me know if you have any more questions!

All the best
(MISS!!!;)) Nanci Creedon

Magenta

CreedonsDogDayc wrote: »

Magenta, I am VERY insulted, Im female!!

(MISS!!!;)) Nanci Creedon

Oops! Sorry! Your last username had John in it so I guess that was where I got the idea that you were a man!

CreedonsDogDayc

Nope, votejohn was the name I signed up with originally (when my dad was competing in Failte Towers) and since you cant change your username and keep your account, when the site went down I just created a new account as Creedonsdogdayc because my new business is called Creedon's Doggie Daycare!

anniehoo

Hi i posted last year on my thoughts on petsitting

Ive majorly cut down on it, basically because it became too much combined with my fulltime job. It was the owners really that were the deciding push for me. Some of them are literally head wrecking and i even have one couple who still ring me for advice even though it was Oct last year since minded their pets.

Every owner has their own ideas/routines/opinions/house care standards/pet care standards. Some might be amazed at the good care you take of their pets, others wont think its good enough.It became exhausting to be honest. Loved the pets and got very attached to most of them but..they come with sometimes demanding owners which i couldnt handle.

dublindogcare

HI Guys,
I have the same business in Dublin and completly agree with the posts above. For the homeboarding option you will find it very difficult bringing dogs into your home if they are not use to cats ......the smells will drive them bonkers and they will get very stressed and you will find it near impossable to handle. Your own cats may also get into a routine of leaving the house and not coming back until the visters are gone. I only have a dog in my home so I dont have that issue. You need to have tight T&Cs and be sure you are getting dogs into your home that are well socailised with other dogs (and some owners lie).

Pet sitting in other peoples home : again you have to build up trust with your client as you will have a key to their home when they are not there; this also applies to walking clients.

Overal you do need to be knowledable on all aspects of canine behaviour so you can see things coming and anticipate problems that may arise.

You need to cover yourself so insurance is a must, a car is a must that you dont mind destroying! And you need to show your clients that you actually know about animals and have a real passion for them so they know they are leaving they pets with the right person. Do some courses , lots of great books, Get security cleared form garda, have insurance , cannine first aid course etc, the list is really endless here .....i come from an animal background (education) and have been progressing this yearly with updated courses .

BUt good luck , if you decide to go down this route i wish you all the best , its very rewarding but HARD work ....its not as easy as it looks. If not , I hope you get sorted with a job soon xxx

sweetnjuicy

Thanks for all the advice guys.
Im gonna def start looking into this as Ive alwasy wanted to work with animals and im quite good at keeping them in my good books

Ive also had experience in training pups and older dogs etc.
And tankfully my cats are indoors so no cance of gettin out.
And tey are very good with strange dogs wit is a plus. And
strangely enoug they love other cats. Im pet sitting my aunts cat next week who they only met once and he is a big scardy cat.
But i took him for a few hours last week to see how they get on and
They seem to be the best of friends already.

Cant wait!!

Im gonna start looking into the insurance tomorro (moving to a bigger house today
Hope this takes off for me as I love animals so much. And would love the oppertunity to start up a small business like this

CreedonsDogDayc

sweetnjuicy wrote: »

And tankfully my cats are indoors so no cance of gettin out.
And tey are very good with strange dogs wit is a plus. And
strangely enoug they love other cats.

Hi there,

Thats great that your cats are happy with strange dogs and cats, but you will find that the majority of dogs you take in will not be happy with your cats. They will try to attack the cats when they get the chance and will not settle when they can smell the cats off you / the furniture / in the air, so in my opinion it wouldn't be fair on the dogs to take them into your home.

The better option would be to sit the dogs in their own home, either by making daily visits, or staying over in the dogs home.

Insurance is very tricky to find, but I eventually got some off , so your better off going straight to them (http://www.odon.ie/) to save yourself trying loads of places that won't cover you!

carmelod

I have used a dog minders for a good while now and my guy will go nuts around cats. I would really take this into consideration. He is a great dog but when instinct takes over all training goes out the windows.
You will not be able to bring strange dogs into your house while you have a resident cat I am afraid to say. It will not be fair on either animal.
Good luck with your venture

doglover84

hiya, i've used dog walkers/minders in the past when i was working full time and it is hard to find a good one that does not show up hungover or tell me the day before that her neighbours have complained about the noise.

She was insured and everything and my dog loved her but as i worked full time it was a real nusince when she would have to cancel (as she might have gone out the night before) as it meant my dog was alone all day for 9 hours. If you are going to take up dog walking and minding you will really need to make sure you are committed the whole week no matter if its raining out or you have been out the night before as your clients will really rely on you. Best of luck!

boardbrowser

I second the insurance and canine first aid as a priority and as a given for pet minders.
as a dog owner, i would also be looking for at least 3 references from past clients and would call all of them before hiring a dog walker/minder.
You will have to plan on meeting owners for an interview with numerous questions and identification provided before someone is willing to hand over their Keys to their house.
Thank you to all the walkers/minders out there that take the bother to get garda clearance. If you volunteer at a nursing home you are required to submit your details so they can do a background check with the guards. same should apply i think to being a pet minder/dog walker.

As other experienced minders state this is not easy work. especially when considering taking dogs into your home. plan on having a dog who cannot settle and may bark and become distressed since it is away from home.
Lots of sleepless nights.
As a dog walker also, you will probably find that nearly all clients will want their dogs walked in the middle of their work day, therefore everyone will be hoping that you can drop in between 12-2pm.
now imagine you have 10 clients that all want the same exact time.
Extremely difficult to schedule to their needs, especially if they live some distance apart.
you may be required to dispense medicine for specific illnesses so having a background in vet teching would be very beneficial too.

One last thing, clients should be aware as to how you will treat their pet in their absence. how for instance would you deal if their dog was to display such behaviours as barking/ pulling on lead/ jumping up. I for one would ask my pet sitter to explain as to how they might handle that situation as i would be very concerned as to how their handling skills might contradict mine( i.e i will do what Ceasar does and will dominate your dog like how he does on TV)