Nov. 14, 2023

73: Paws, Profits, and Tails of Pet Sitting, with Lucy Slater

Here’s a side hustle for all you animal lovers out there…pet sitting!   If you live in an environment where you can’t have pets you don’t have to let that stop you.   Maybe you live with someone who is allergic or as is the case of...

Here’s a side hustle for all you animal lovers out there…pet sitting!

 

If you live in an environment where you can’t have pets you don’t have to let that stop you.

 

Maybe you live with someone who is allergic or as is the case of today’s guest Lucy Slater, you live in a building that doesn’t allow pets.

 

Lucy stays at the pet owner’s residence when they’re away, so the pet is looked after in their own environment.

 

It’s a double win for Lucy since her full-time work is 100% remote. While she’s getting paid to stay in someone else’s home to pet sit, she’s also getting paid from her regular job. Nice!

 

Through our conversation, you’ll discover,

 

  • once she decides to accept a gig, why she feels relatively secure in overnighting there,
  • tips for getting your first pet sitting or dog walking gigs
  • what it’s like using the platform rover.com, and
  • we discuss earnings and the various ways to make money.

 

Thanks for checking out this episode!

 

What You’ll Hear:

 

03:49 Why Lucy continues to keep doing and loving this side hustle

04:47 Team Dog or Team Cat?

05:10 Discovering rover.com

06:04 Main frustration with rover.com

06:55 Feels relatively safe due to the background checks that are done

08:00 Lucy’s initial pricing strategy and why she’s been able to raise her rates

09:08 You can say, no!

10:21 Dog walking, drop-in visits, host dogs in your home, and/or dog boarding

13:00 Pet sitting fees and dog walking - what Lucy charges

13:28 Rover takes 20% and it also adds a fee to the buyer of the services

13:55 Why Lucy landed her first gig within a month - include a lot of detail

14:51 Earnings

17:23 Repeat clients can mean watching the animals grow up

18:43 Let the client know when the pet is not comfortable with you

19:12 Strong communication skills are a must for success

21:00 Just because you like dogs, that isn’t qualification enough be a dog sitter/walker

23:05 Best advice if you want to become a dog sitter/walker

23:56 Need more experience? Volunteer at the SPCA or a pet shelter, volunteer to walk neighbour’s dogs, take training

26:24 Lucy’s best tip for you to start or grow your side hustle

Bonus Tip

28:13 Checking out the top people in your industry for ideas and inspiration

28:50 Word of caution; they likely have teams of people behind them

 

Joan's Online Masterclass to help you achieve your side hustle goals:

Turn Your Thoughts Into Wanted Things:

https://courses.joanposivy.com/p/turn-your-thoughts-into-wanted-things

 

Connect with Lucy:

https://www.rover.com/members/lucy-s-your-pets-best-friend/

https://www.instagram.com/lucyyslater/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucyslater19/

 

Connect with Joan:

https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/

https://www.facebook.com/posivy/

https://www.sidehustlehero.com/about/

Be on the show!

https://www.sidehustlehero.com/guests/intake/