Would you let your kids start a pet sitting biz?

[mommyoffive]

My kids took off with this idea over the weekend, and now I am wondering should I let them go forth with the idea.

 

I mean I know that it may never get any business at all.  But on the other had it may. 

 

Would you let your kids do this?

[Beth S]

Our boys always have.  We live on a cul-de-sac mini subdivision, so they are the pet sitters of the street.

Usually the pet owner has specific instructions, but it's easy to call them if there's a problem (like when Cat #7 escaped into the woods. I wish I was kidding.)

They also water plants, check on the house, etc.  A great benefit for the neighbors.

One son mailed postcards with his info (& photo) on it to the newer neighbors.

It's been an easy job for them, but is mostly just during the school breaks.

YMMV, of course!

[itsheresomewhere]

My kids have one for small animals.  They likes it and it is rewarding to him.

[MotherGoose]

yes, as long as it didn't interfere with family vacation plans and it was absolutely clear that this was their business, not mine!

[mommyoffive]

yes, as long as it didn't interfere with family vacation plans and it was absolutely clear that this was their business, not mine!

 

Right?

 

But they are so young that I know dh or I would have to be with them every time.  So essentially it would be mine too. Although they told me they would pay me $1 a day. 

:)

[Dmmetler]

DD does exotic pet sitting, which she advertises through the reptile keeper's group (many reptile folks also keep other exotics). Usually for Exotics, they come to live with us while their family is on vacation, rather than coming to them, since usually the most important thing is to maintain temperatures (although she has also had sugar gliders who needed to be carried basically all the time).

 

It's not much money, but she really enjoys it, and it's a good way to get experience with a range of animals.

[FaithManor]

My middle boy began farm sitting when he was 14. He cared for horses, cows, chickens, sheep, llamas, barns....

 

It was a great experience for him. His younger brother the now 16 year old has taken it over until he leaves for college too.

[hornblower]

This will really depend on your region. Around here, there are professional pet & house sitters who have completed Pet First Aid courses, are bonded & insured. Many are also members of professional dog walking associations or certified trainers. 

Aslo, often registered vet techs are doing that on the side.  Many people prefer to use someone who is a professional & are willing to pay for the extra peace of mind. 

There's a market for small pet boarding & caretaking (hamsters, rats, bunnies) but you have to have some specialized knowledge to look after these pets & to know signs and symptoms of problems which require vet attn etc. 

 

[FaithManor]

Since it will require your involvement, could parlay this into a meaningful homeschool course? Make them write a business plan, research local laws such as dog walking (do you need to pick up the poo or not, how many animals can you keep, etc.), create a brochure, make an advertising plan, and then make them keep an accounts receivable and payable ledger or spreadsheet? There could be enough writing in this to lift a little bit off your English/Writing schedule, and you could make them pay for expenses such as "that dog you kept urinated on the porch rug, $2.50 for laundry services" or whatever so that it is a great learning experience.

[MotherGoose]

Right?

 

But they are so young that I know dh or I would have to be with them every time. So essentially it would be mine too. Although they told me they would pay me $1 a day.

:)

:) how old? I think it really might be a good idea. I have chickens, and I pay a (high school) aged girl $5 a trip to make sure they have food and water etc. but it's something a much younger child could easily handle, she just happens to be available. Plus being so close, you might really be able to cut the rates but provide the same service. For example, I paid professionals nearly $40 a day to check on my dogs twice a day. Neighbor kids could have easily done it for $20 and everyone would have been happy. Dogs are much needier than chickens.

[mommyoffive]

Since it will require your involvement, could parlay this into a meaningful homeschool course? Make them write a business plan, research local laws such as dog walking (do you need to pick up the poo or not, how many animals can you keep, etc.), create a brochure, make an advertising plan, and then make them keep an accounts receivable and payable ledger or spreadsheet? There could be enough writing in this to lift a little bit off your English/Writing schedule, and you could make them pay for expenses such as "that dog you kept urinated on the porch rug, $2.50 for laundry services" or whatever so that it is a great learning experience.

 

Oh so smart

[mommyoffive]

:) how old? I think it really might be a good idea. I have chickens, and I pay a (high school) aged girl $5 a trip to make sure they have food and water etc. but it's something a much younger child could easily handle, she just happens to be available. Plus being so close, you might really be able to cut the rates but provide the same service. For example, I paid professionals nearly $40 a day to check on my dogs twice a day. Neighbor kids could have easily done it for $20 and everyone would have been happy. Dogs are much needier than chickens.

 

Oldest is 10.  

 

Yeah they are willing to do it for cheap.  They did it for free over the summer for a neighbor, so their rates were crazy low.  

[bettyandbob]

My dd had such a business. At first it a neighbor who was a close friend who had a lot of pets (cats, guinea pigs, fish, turtles, a couple other things) Dd was 8 and knew all about the animals.

 

I went with her, but didn't do any work. It was a lot of work and I felt she was underpaid at the time, but I didn't know until I observed. Additionally, neighbors left for a long trip to a place with no cell reception without telling us one guinea pig was really old and they were expecting her to die. That guinea pig died and dd thought she'd done something horrible. It was a disaster.

 

We did recover from that. Dd continued to pet sit for the neighbor for two years. When she was 10 some other neighbors asked her to dog walk. At that point she'd started doing the pet sitting independently. With the dog walking I took her younger brother with me and we got exercise. Eventually, she did that on her own too.

 

When she was 12, dd passed out fliers to more neighbors just before school let out. She advertised petsitting and plant care. The idea was to pick up some people going on vacation. She watered a few yards that year. She set her schedule on her own at that point.

 

Initially, I put in time monitoring this endeavor because dd was young. I did not do the actual work. It was very worthwhile because dd was very interested in animals and we did not have pets. Dd was in a large animal 4-H club and as a girl scout she sought out any animal activity available through that. So I treated that time as time I'd invest in an extracurricular. It was not just about income, but that proved very helpful and educational as well.

 

For a while dd took a lot of pet sitting jobs. She trailed off when she determined she was not going to pursue veterinary medicine half way through high school. She decided that she gets too emotionally attached to animals to make decisions that might cause pain.

 

ETA

I live in a neighborhood of townhomes so all the homes are close together and dd was very close to home at any job she did.

Edited November 22, 2016 by Diana P.

[Guest]

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Edited September 10, 2020 by Æthelthryth the Texan

[Pawz4me]

My kids took off with this idea over the weekend, and now I am wondering should I let them go forth with the idea.

 

I mean I know that it may never get any business at all.  But on the other had it may. 

 

Would you let your kids do this?

 

No.

 

I've worked in rescue too much. I know how quickly things can sometimes go wrong even when grown people who are reasonably experienced working with animals interact with dogs and cats they aren't familiar with. There's no way on earth I'd allow a 10 yo child to pet sit one of our own pets, and there's no way I would have allowed my kids to do it when they were that young. Now I might have let them do it for a close friend/relative/neighbor -- where the kids knew the pet(s) and the person knew that I would really be the one taking responsibility. But actively seeking out business from strangers? Nope.

 

But I do admire them for wanting to start a business. :)  

[Rachel]

My kids take care of a neighbor's dog every week day. The dog is crated, so we (I mean my kids) go over about lunch time, check her water, take her for a walk, and play with her a few minutes. It could be done in 15-20 minutes but usually takes about 45.

 

They get $8 per day which they split. I think they get paid a fair rate for the amount of work they do but it's a lot of money for them at their ages (8 & 6). Although we did not know this neighbor prior to the kids working for her, I'm not sure I would advertise their services to strangers. She had posted the need on a neighborhood site and it has worked out well because she is an elementary principal and very familiar with working with kids.

 

There are little things that go wrong. The dog learned to open her crate and because the kids forgot to deadbolt the back door, she was able to also open the back door (they have handles instead of knobs). The yard isn't fenced so the dog was running loose in the neighborhood when the high school son got home. Fortunately it all worked out and this neighbor wasn't upset, but not all people are that understanding. Even on days I send my kids down alone to handle the dog, I always have to make sure they closed the garage door, removed the collar before crating the dog, etc. It can be a lot of work for younger kids to have a job but they learn a lot from it.

[Rebel Yell]

I would allow it, with limits.

 

My girls started out as "Sisters Pet Sitters" around ages 12, 7, and 5. They got the job because they weren't afraid to feed live worms to a large lizard. (We had a Sudan Plated lizard at the time) This was formfriends from church, who also had cats, rats, frogs, her it crabs, and I forget what else. I just drove, sat on the couch, and read a book.

 

They have done occasional pet sitting since then, including this past weekend. It's been great since all we have are fish due to allergies. Except for mini schnauzers from two families, we have never brought the pets to our house, so we only take care of pets close by. One time, Diamond got bonus pay because she was able to drive the schnauzer to his grooming appointment!

 

My limits have been:

Small dogs only when they were little. Larger dogs if the house has a fanced yard, well trained if needed to walk in the neighborhood.

Within a 10-15 minute drive

People we know fairly well

[EndOfOrdinary]

Ds started pet sitting for neighbors while they went away for the weekend (farm animals) or while they had spouses out of town which meant very long days for the dogs which were not used to it. That gave him references. At that point he charged 10 dollars a day if it was more than two days. We told him that neighbors help neighbors, so if it was just a day or so he did not get to charge. That was 2 years ago. Now he responds to craigslist adds. Just recently he got a standing gig.

 

Around here, it is over $40 a day for liscenced and insured people. That is a lot for many people to use regularly.

 

Ds charges $15 a day and watches a much older dog three days a week. Redd comes over with her mommy, her bed, and her snuggle toy. Mommy goes to teach at the local public school and comes back to our house when the school day is over. Ds is companionship, a couple short walks and potty breaks, feeding, and basically general sitting.

 

It is a homeschool project because $20 goes into savings, $20 into micro-lending to needy people, and $60 goes into an investment portfolio. He has to track his money. If he makes good loans and investments, he gets more money.

 

He gets $85 a month to spend how he wishes. That is more than enough for a 12 year old.

 

At a young age, let them start with people you are close enough to that the risk is low. You never know where it will go.

Edited November 24, 2016 by EndOfOrdinary

[kiwik]

With the oldest at 10 no. I might make an exception for watching rats/mice etc at your place over the weekend or feeding a neighbour's cat (although that is not something I would charge for) but really anyone hiring kids that age is expecting you to supervise. As a family business to be passed on for a few years? Here I would but maybe not in the US.