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Guide · Pet sitters

How to start a pet sitting business

Pet sitting and dog walking need little equipment to start. What separates a side gig that fizzles from a business that pays is the setup: knowing the local rules, being insured, charging enough to cover your driving, and having a plan for the first ten clients. Here is that setup, in the order most people need it.

1. Decide what you'll offer and where

Start narrow: a short list of services is easier to price and to explain.

• Services: dog walks (30, 45 or 60 minutes), drop-in visits, cat visits, overnight stays in the owner's home, and extras like medication or pet taxi trips.
• Service area: pick the neighborhoods you can reach quickly. Travel time is unpaid unless you price it in, so a tight area is one of the easiest ways to earn more per hour.
• Capacity: how many visits a day can you really do, including driving? Decide before the holiday rush tests it.

2. Check the rules where you live

Rules vary a lot by country, state and city, so treat this as a list of questions to check rather than answers.

• Business registration. In many places you can operate as a sole proprietor under your own legal name. Using a different business name often means registering it (in the US, usually called a DBA or assumed name). Some people form an LLC; it isn't required to start, and whether it's worth it depends on your situation.
• Business license or permit. Many cities and counties require a general business license or a home-occupation permit. A few also regulate commercial dog walking, for example limits on how many dogs one person can walk in public spaces. Your city or county website is the place to look.
• Taxes. In the US, self-employment tax generally applies once your net earnings from self-employment reach $400 for the year, and you may need to pay estimated tax each quarter. An EIN (tax ID) is free from irs.gov if you need one. Set aside a share of every payment from day one, and ask a tax professional what fits your situation.
• Separate money. A separate bank account keeps business income and expenses clean at tax time.

3. Get insured, and get trained

Pet sitter liability insurance is the policy owners ask about most. When you compare quotes, ask specifically whether it covers animals in your care. Standard general liability policies often exclude them, which is why pet sitter policies typically include "care, custody and control" coverage. Ask, too, about lost keys and damage to the client's home.

Bonding is different. It relates to theft claims against you or anyone working for you, not injuries to pets. If you mention insurance or bonding on your website, keep it current.

A pet first aid and CPR course is worth doing before your first booking. Pack a small pet first aid kit and save the nearest 24-hour emergency vet for every client's area.

4. Set prices that cover your driving

The most common mistake is copying the cheapest price nearby. A 30-minute visit is never 30 minutes of work: you also drive there and back, message the owner and write the visit report. Price the whole job:

Price = (on-site + travel + admin minutes) ÷ 60 × the hourly pay you want + mileage + supplies

Because travel is part of the cost, the same visit costs you more for a client across town. Splitting your area into two or three travel zones, and adding a travel fee for the far one, keeps every visit worth taking. Our guide to how much to charge for pet sitting has rate averages and a worked example.

Then check the other direction: how many visits a week does your income goal take at that price? If the answer is 50 visits and 45 hours, the price is the problem, not your work ethic.

5. Prepare your paperwork before the first client

• Service agreement: services, rates, payment terms, cancellation policy, key handling and what happens in an emergency. Have it checked for where you work.
• Client intake and pet profile: feeding, medications, behavior, vet details and home access.
• Emergency vet authorization: written permission to get care for the pet, with a spending limit the owner approves.
• Meet and greet process: see our meet and greet checklist for 30 questions to ask.
• Visit reports: a short written report after every visit. It builds trust and gives you a dated record. Here's what to include in a pet visit report.

6. Budget your startup costs

Costs depend heavily on where you live and what you already own, so get real quotes rather than relying on someone else's total. The usual list:

• One-time: business name registration and license fees (if required), the first insurance payment, a first aid course, a background check if clients in your area expect one, a simple website or booking page, business cards and flyers, spare leashes, poop bags, a lockbox and coded key tags.
• Monthly: insurance (if paid monthly), your phone's business share, booking software if you use it, marketing and supply restocks.

Estimate each line, then track what you actually spend. Your monthly costs tell you how many visits it takes just to break even.

7. Find your first clients

1. Tell everyone you know. Friends and neighbors are often the first bookings, and their reviews help win the next ones.
2. Set up a Google Business Profile. A home-based business can usually list as a service-area business and hide its street address. Ask happy clients to leave a review.
3. Visit vets, groomers, pet stores and trainers. Introduce yourself, ask before leaving cards, and follow up. Keep a list of who you've visited.
4. Post in local groups such as neighborhood apps and community Facebook groups, following each group's rules on business posts.
5. Use flyers and door hangers on the streets you already walk. In the US, don't put unstamped flyers in mailboxes; mailboxes are for postage-paid mail. Some HOAs and buildings limit flyers too.
6. Consider marketplace apps carefully. They can bring early bookings, but they take a percentage of each booking (check the current rate) and set many of the rules. Many sitters use them to get started and then build direct clients.

Track every inquiry, where it came from and when to follow up. After a month you'll know which channels are worth your time.

8. Keep records from day one

Log every booking, payment, expense and business mile from the start. It takes minutes a day, saves a painful weekend at tax time, and shows which clients actually pay.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a license to start a pet sitting business?

It depends on where you live. Many cities and counties require a general business license or home-occupation permit, and a few regulate dog walking. Check your city or county website, or call their business licensing office.

Do I need an LLC?

No, an LLC isn't required to start. Many sitters begin as sole proprietors. An LLC can separate business and personal assets in some situations, but it has costs and paperwork. A local accountant or attorney can tell you whether it makes sense for you.

How many clients do I need to make a living?

Work it out from your own numbers: take-home goal, plus tax set-aside and monthly costs, divided by what you keep per visit after mileage and fees. That gives visits per month. Then check the weekly hours it means, including travel.

Plan it in one place

The Pet Sitting Startup Planner & Rate Calculator (Excel + Google Sheets) puts this whole guide into one workbook: break-even prices for each travel zone, the visits and hours your income goal needs, a startup budget with what you've actually spent, a 38-step launch checklist, and trackers for leads and the vets and groomers you've visited. Once you're booked, the Pet Sitter Business Tracker handles bookings, payments and mileage.

Disclosure: the templates linked here are made and sold by this site's shop. This guide is general information, not legal, tax or insurance advice. Rules vary by location, so check yours.