I was reading an article today…it was about the life of a chef, but in it the writer referred to pet sitting as a ‘normal job.’ Believe it or not, that little reference was refreshing. While most pet sitters I know wouldn’t exactly call pet sitting a ‘normal job’ we certainly do consider it a ‘real job.’ After all…it makes us real money and pays real bills! Unfortunately though, a lot of folks don’t know the reality of the pet care industry and they are under the impression that pet care is all fun and games, and not really work at all.

People who don’t understand what goes into the pet care business have the impression that people who petsit, run a dog daycare, walk dogs on a daily basis, or take dogs out on hikes are having the time of their lives and there’s no work involved. While it’s true that caring for pets can be fun and games, relaxing, enjoyable, extremely rewarding, and at times easy the fact is that pet care can also be tiring, stressful, and downright hard work. Most professional pet care providers I know work long hours and wear many different hats.

Consider a typical day for a pet sitter…

• 6 a.m. – After hitting the alarm a few times, finally get out of bed…get ready for the day…and grab a quick bowl of cereal.
• 6:30 – Leave the house and head to the first pet sitting visit.
• 6:45 – Arrive for the first visit, where she’ll feed a couple dogs and cat, scoop a litter box, take the dogs for a walk, and then come back and spend some time with the cat. Then it’s time to take care of the housekeeping items such as taking the trash out, turning lights off, and other items to make the client’s home look lived in. Just before leaving, she’ll make notes on the daily log she keeps for the clients.
• 7:30 – Time to go to visit number 2 – 10 minutes of travel time is ahead.
• 7:40 – This family only has one dog but she is extremely hyper and needs a 45 minute walk just to calm her down a bit. Once the walk is over with it’s time to feed the dog, give her medication for an ear infection, then let her out in the back yard for another few minutes. And as with the last visit, trash needs to be taken out, lights turned off, etc. and write the client notes.
• 8:40 – Visit number 3 is just around the corner, so it’s back in the car for a short 5 minute drive.
• 8:45 – Arrive at visit number 4, which is always an easy one – it’s for a loveable older cat and a 9 year old mixed breed dog. Time to feed…water…scoop…socialize…take care of the house…make notes…and get back on the road.
• 9:15 – Out the door and back into the car for a short drive to the next visit. Oops…the gas guage is almost on E so a quick stop is made to fill the tank up.
• 9:30 – Visit number 5 is a house that includes caring for a cat, a dog, a bird, 2 fish tanks, and a gerbil. Once everyone is taken care of, the pet sitter notices a shoe that has been torn up, with pieces lying all over the family room floor. Picking up the pieces, she checks to see that it’s all there wanting to be sure the dog hasn’t swallowed any of it. Cleaning up includes running the vaccuum to get up the tiny pieces and threads scattered about. She finds the other shoe intact and hides it in a closet away from the dog, then makes a note about the shoe on the daily log.
• 10:15 – And finally, it’s off to the last morning visit and less than 5 minutes later she’s relaxing on a comfortable couch with 1 mellow cat that likes to be petted.
• 10:45 – Done with the pet sitting visits, it’s time to head back home to care for her own pets and do some other work.
• 11:00 – 1:00 – Time is spent with her 3 dogs and a cat, make some calls to clients to set up some vacation pet sitting visits, answer a few emails, and print out a brochure that she intends to take to the printer later in the day. For about 20 minutes she relaxes with a quick lunch before it’s time to head back out for afternoon dog walks.

The next couple of hours are spent walking dogs, and doing a few quick potty breaks for the dogs she saw in the morning. Then, then it’s back home for another 3 or 4 hours before going back to visit the morning dogs for the third and final visit of the day.

Finally at about 10:30 in the evening an exhausted pet sitter arrives home to spend some time relaxing and hanging out with her own pets. She does have a few preparations to make for the next day though….pulling files and keys for a couple new visits she’ll add to her schedule for the next day and filing away items for a few other pet sitting jobs that she finished up today. After an hour or so relaxing, she heads off to bed, sets the alarm for 6 a.m., and almost before her head hits the pillow she’s asleep, but satisfied and content with the day’s work.

Not every day is as intense as this for every pet sitter. Many though, work a schedule like this for days, weeks, or months on end…and even longer. And if they’re good at it, people who aren’t all that familiar with the industry look at them and think they simply get to play with pets all day! I suppose it’s like an Olympic ice skater who makes doing a triple toe loop look so easy that just about anybody could do it. That couldn’t be farther from the truth though. It takes dedication, drive, passion, a sense of responsibility, and striving to always do better to make a great pet care professional. In a strange way, it may be a backhanded compliment when people refer to pet care businesses as “that little business of yours” because some pet sitters make it look so darn easy. If you talk to any pet care provider though, they’ll tell you they appreciate it when people recognize it for what it truly is. Even though they love what they do, it is indeed a ‘real job’…and a very respectable, and potentially profitable one at that!