You can see it now: unlimited puppy and kitty snuggles while being your own boss. Running a pet sitting business seems great. It’s how to start a pet sitting business you’re not so sure about.
Setting up a pet care service is easier than you think. We’ll cover each step of starting a pet sitting business, from researching competitors and defining your services to registering your business and getting your first client. We’ll even share resources, templates, and tips to help you take your first steps into pet sitting today.
Starting a Pet Sitting Business, Summarized
TL,DR kind of day? Jump to the steps where you need help! Here’s what we’ll cover:
Why Start a Pet Sitting Business?
Besides turning your love for animals into a job that pays, opening a pet sitting business can be a wise financial decision for two big reasons.
Growing Demand for Pet Care
The pet sitting market is growing faster than any other pet specialty, with 12% projected growth from 2024 to 2030. Pet care industry trends like viewing pets as equal family members have driven higher spending on custom pet care, putting professional sitters in demand.
Pet sitting can be profitable, too. Sitters report making anywhere from $26,000 pet sitting as a side gig to over $100,000 annually after years of running an independent pet sitting business, according to Pet Sitters International.
Low Startup Costs and Flexible Hours
You can also start a pet sitting business for relatively cheap. Anywhere from $500 to $5,000 will get you set up, depending on the tools and marketing you choose. (Need help? Our cat sitting pricing guide breaks down startup costs from advertising to taxes.)
Being your own boss also means ultimate flexibility. You can sit part-time for extra cash or go all-in on a full-time pet sitting service for maximum earning potential. Just set your hours and accept the jobs you want.
Convinced that pet sitting is for you? Follow these six simple steps to set up your business.
Step 1: Get Pet Sitting Experience
You don’t need job experience to become a pet sitter, but spending time with animals builds the key trait every pet sitter needs: trustworthiness.
Here’s the hard truth: loving animals is not the same as knowing how to care for them. If your client has a special-needs kitty, a finicky saltwater fish tank, or four large dogs to feed all at once, it’s easy to get overwhelmed without experience to back you up.
Try these (free to cheap) suggestions to build pet care experience and a reputation for reliability:
- Volunteer at animal shelters.
- Pet sit and house sit for friends and neighbors.
- Learn the basics like how to safely greet new dogs or how to read cat body language
- Consider getting certified.
Pro tip: You don’t need a pet sitter certification to run a pet sitting business, but it builds your credibility. Here are a few certification options:
Get certified by a pet sitting organization
Check out our guide to pet sitting certifications for more about popular options.
Take a pet first aid class
Try this 35-minute online pet first aid certification from the Red Cross.
Earn your Pet CPR certification
The RECOVER Pet CPR certification is an industry-trusted option with online and in-person courses.
Step 2: Make It Legal and Official
Once you have the skills to be every pet’s favorite sitter, it’s time to handle the business side of things. Don’t let this part keep you from starting the business of your dreams! It’s just some paperwork and fees, then you’re ready to move on to the good stuff.
Choose a Business Name
Your business name tells your future clients who you are and what you do. Need a little help finding the perfect name? Our business naming guide for pet sitters has 42 pet sitting business name ideas, plus tips like these for choosing something marketable and memorable:
- Keep your name simple, easy to remember, and descriptive of your service
- Make sure it’s not already taken (check the US Patent and Trademark Office to make sure it’s not trademarked, then your state’s business registry)
- Check whether it’s available on social media
- Personalize it with your name or your town
Register Your Business
Even if you plan to pet sit part-time or seasonally, it’s still smart to make things official. Registering your business with the local and federal government keeps everything above board and prevents tax headaches later.
Here are the steps to register your pet sitting business:
Pick a business structure
You’ll need to register as one of nine types of business structures. Most pet sitters choose a sole proprietorship or a limited liability company (LLC). The main difference is that an LLC costs a little more, but it separates your personal assets from your business and adds a layer of protection against lawsuits.
Pay the registration fee
Depending on your state and business structure, this usually costs between $50 and $300. Typically, you’ll need to go to your state’s Secretary of State office, Business Bureau, or Business Agency to register and pay your state fee and SAM.gov for your federal registration.
Get an EIN
Your Employee Identification Number (EIN) is like a Social Security number for your business. It lets you file business taxes separately from your personal income. You can get an EIN for free through the IRS.
Open a business bank account
Opening a business account for your pet sitting profits isn’t required to register a business, but it’s an important step. A separate business account makes your bookkeeping easier and helps you handle legal and tax issues.
Business Licenses and Permits
On top of registering, some states may ask for extra licenses or permits. This list of State Labor Office contacts tells you exactly where to look for local permit requirements.
Most pet sitting businesses won’t need a permit, but you may have to fill out more paperwork if you also sell pet goods (like toys and treats) or offer boarding (overnight stays in your home or business).
Pet Sitting Insurance and Bonding
If you’ve ever browsed other pet sitters’ websites, you’ve probably seen the phrase “insured and bonded pet sitter.” Both pet sitting business insurance and bonding are types of risk protection for pet sitters — they just have different purposes.
Pet sitter insurance protects your business and the pets you care for. It can cover your costs if someone else’s pet, property, or health is harmed due to your services. For example, dog sitting insurance (or cat sitting insurance) can protect you if dogs in your care injure each other, you lose the keys, or a cat scratches the client’s baseboards.
Bonding (aka employee dishonesty bonding) is financial protection for your business if an employee steals from your clients. Working with a bonded sitter gives pet parents confidence about hiring someone to work in their home. If something turned up missing, the bond could pay for missing items, so you and your client aren’t hurt financially.
Pro tip: Business insurance and bonding aren’t required by law, but this isn’t the place to cut corners. Pet sitters need liability insurance to avoid expensive lawsuits that could drain your finances and keep you from doing what you love.
Step 3: Research the Market and Define Your Services
We walk you through every step in our pet care business plan blog (complete with a free template and fill-in-the-blank wording), but here are some highlights.
Understand Your Competition and Target Audience
To ensure you’re offering the right services when opening a pet sitting business, research the market in your area. Use these key steps to understand your competitors and clients:
- Check out the competition. Search “pet sitters in [your city]” or check popular pet sitting apps like Rover to get a snapshot of other local sitters. Note their services to look for gaps. Are there any kinds of local pet parents who would have trouble finding an experienced or reasonably priced sitter? Could you be the solution?
- Find your pet sitting niche. Successful pet sitters don’t try to attract every pet parent — they focus on the right pet parents. Focus on how you’re uniquely equipped to solve a problem for a specific type of client (aka niche) to stand out from the pack.
Pet Sitting Niche Examples
Another way to choose a pet sitting niche is to match your unique skills or experience to a pet sitting specialty and check for local demand and competition. Here are a few examples.
Dog training experience ➡️ Behavior-reinforcing care for puppies and anxious dogs
Vet tech experience ➡️ Medicine administration and drop-ins for special-needs pets
Dog walking experience ➡️Pet sitting, exercise, and socialization for high-energy dogs
Decide Which Services to Offer
Once you pinpoint your ideal client, you can tailor your services to match. Our guide to pet sitting rates discusses how different pet sitting services might affect your prices in more detail, but here are a few of the essential questions to consider:
Will you specialize in dogs or cats?
Most pet sitters care for both, but some succeed by focusing on a specific niche. For example, if your area is low on cat sitters and you have a way with standoffish kitties, you can carve out a niche market just for cat sitting visits.
Will you care for exotic pets?
Exotic pets, like lizards, birds, and fish, often require specialized care. While you can charge more, these clients may be fewer and farther between. Consider whether the cost of extra training is worth advertising to this customer niche.
Pro tip: Check with your insurance company if you plan to sit for unusual pets. Most pet business insurers won’t cover animals that aren’t common pets (like farm animals) or pose a significant risk (like venomous snakes).
What service packages will you offer?
Pet sitters provide a wide range of care packages, from 15-minute drop-in visits to overnight stays. Match the type of client you want and their schedule or needs to your services.
Will you care for special-needs pets?
Pets with special diets, behavior issues, or medical conditions require extra attention and responsibility. Pet sitters with the right credentials often charge more to administer medicine or care for senior pets.
How far will you travel for a job?
When you go to the client, transportation and vehicle wear-and-tear costs are part of the job. Many pet sitters set a drive-time limit or geographical service boundary to minimize the cost of getting to the client. Consider charging extra per mile for jobs more than 10 minutes away from you.
Step 4: Set Your Prices and Policies
One of the most important steps in how to start a pet sitting business is setting your prices. Raise them too high, and you’ll lose out to the competition. Drop them too low, and you aren’t earning what your services are worth.
Setting pet sitting prices that are competitive yet profitable means balancing the following:
Experience
Pet sitters with years of experience watching animals and plenty of five-star reviews and testimonials can charge more for the trust they command.
Qualifications
Likewise, sitters with certifications, special training, and pet sitter insurance can set higher rates because they can prove they’re reliable. PCI asked almost 500 pet owners and 80% said they were more likely to book a pet professional with insurance.
Competition
Don’t feel the need to beat the very lowest price in your area. Aim to offer comparable rates to local pet sitters with similar services and experience. The goal is to charge fairly for what your care is worth. As you gain experience, qualifications, and unique services, you can raise your rates to match.
Customization
Clients expect to pay more for personalized care, additional time, and extras that pamper their pet. For example, an eco-friendly pet sitting package (featuring a bath with organic shampoo and a healthy, home-baked treat), an overnight stay, or a drop-in visit with add-on services like a walk or training session can cost more.
Overhead
If your business has a lot of recurring costs (aka overhead), you may need to charge more to stay afloat. For example, if you also offer pet taxi services to ferry furry clients to their appointments, you may need to charge extra to cover car maintenance and commercial auto insurance.
Looking for more help? We cover average prices for different services and tips for setting the right price in our dog sitting rates blog.
Create a Pet Sitting Contract With Clear Terms
A pet sitting contract is always a good idea to ensure you and your client are on the same page. Putting in writing what’s included in each service and any pet quirks helps eliminate misunderstandings and puts you in a better position legally if your client is dissatisfied.
Before starting a pet sitting business, have a lawyer draw up a contract you can use over and over. Here are a few things to include in a pet service contract:
- A service agreement (basic terms, like when payment is due and cancellation fees)
- A client profile (including vet details and emergency contact numbers)
- A pet profile (with behaviors you should know about, allergies, and medications)
- A vet release (permission to take the pet to the vet if needed)
- A payment authorization form (this lets you keep credit card numbers on file)
- Home rules (like key locations, off-limits areas, and rules for pets on furniture)
Step 5: Invest in the Right Tools
While very little equipment is necessary to start a pet sitting business, pet owners increasingly expect online scheduling, payments, and appointment reminders. Researching business software for pet sitters and essential pet gear will set you up for success.
Must-Have Apps and Software
Making it easy for clients to book appointments and meet-and-greets can be worth the expense. But pet sitting tools aren’t all about client convenience. You may also want to consider software that helps you stay organized on the business side. Let’s look at a few of the most popular apps and tools:
Booking and appointment scheduling
Try using software that lets clients view a calendar of available times and book from the comfort of home. For example, Time To Pet or apps like Walkies are made just for pet businesses, but you can also use general business software like Pocketsuite.
Invoicing and payment portals
All-in-one business software like those above also helps you send invoices and offer clients a secure way to pay you online. You could also use a point-of-sale app like Square for payments, but you may have transaction fees.
Bookkeeping software
If you’re comfortable with recordkeeping, Google Sheets or Excel can keep you organized for tax season on the cheap. If you need some help, QuickBooks is a popular choice.
Client records storage
If you collect sensitive client data like names, phone numbers, and credit card info, you’re legally responsible for keeping it safe. Choose secure online storage (end-to-end encrypted options like Sync.com and NordLocker get good reviews) rather than locations easy for hackers to exploit, like an Excel file saved to your phone.
What to Bring to a Pet Sitting Appointment
It’s your first pet sitting visit, and you’re packing your bag. What should you take with you? Here are some pet sitting staples to make your clients’ pets more comfortable:
- A collapsible water bowl
- Pet toys
- Doggy waste bags
- An extra leash
- Instructions for feeding, medication, and emergency care
- Basic cleaning supplies like an enzyme spray and pet wipes. (Make sure to clear anything you might use with pet parents first.)
Step 6: Market Your Pet Sitting Business
Getting your first pet sitting clients means advertising that you’re open for business. Let’s dig into a few ways to get the word out with online and local marketing.
Build a Website or Pet Care Platform Profile
Pet sitters have two main options as the hub of their online marketing: building a pet business website or joining a pet care app.
While creating a website takes extra work, you also don’t have to pay a commission fee to a pet care app to host your profile. Which route is right for you depends on your goals:
Pet sitting apps are great for new sitters building experience or pet sitting as a side gig.
Need some help deciding which app to join? Our Rover vs Wag app review spills all the details on the two most-used platforms for pet sitting.
Sitters ready for a full-time business usually make more with their own website.
Looking for help building your first website? Our best dog groomer websites blog is packed with design tips and tricks for beginners in any type of pet care.
Local Marketing Tips
Marketing with a professional website or profile is only one of the ways to get the word out. Browse our 15 ideas to grow your pet business, or consider these steps to start spreading the news:
- Start professional social media channels
- Post an ad on local classified sites
- Claim your Google Business Profile
- Network with local pet businesses
- Post flyers in pet-friendly locations
Ask for Reviews and Referrals
Pet sitting runs on referrals, and it’s not hard to see why. Pet parents trust you with their fur babies, so they need to know you’re safe and reliable. Build your reputation by pet sitting for friends or family. Adding their testimonials for your profile or website can help you reach your first new client.
After you start to book more appointments, don’t be afraid to ask for reviews or encourage your clients to tell their friends. Creating a pet care referral program will help you stay consistent with rewarding your biggest fans for bringing in new clients.
Next Steps: Tips for Growing a Pet Sitting Business
Starting a pet sitting business is possible for anyone with a love of pets, the willingness to plan, and a vision for the kind of business they want to own one day.
But the work doesn’t stop once you have your first client. Scaling your pet sitting business means looking for new ways to delight pet parents and give their fur babies better care, like adding on new services or building up your staff.
In the meantime, start small, stay professional, and grow with confidence!
FAQs About How to Start a Pet Sitting Business from Home
Can you pet sit without a license?
You’re not required to have a license to operate a pet sitting business. However, if you want to stand out from other sitters and show your expertise, a pet first aid certification or a pet sitting certification program like Pet Sitters International’s CPPS is a great line on your resume.
Do I need an LLC to pet sit?
Most pet sitting businesses operate as a sole proprietorship or an LLC, but you don’t need an LLC to pet sit. An LLC (or limited liability company) is a type of business structure that separates your business and personal assets in case of a lawsuit.
The problem for pet sitters is that most pet care-related lawsuits fall under tort law, where LLC protections don’t apply. Having an LLC isn’t a bad idea, but it doesn’t protect pet sitters as much as they might hope. Consult a lawyer when deciding whether an LLC is right for you, and make sure you have pet sitter insurance to cover your legal risks.
What insurance do I need for pet sitting?
Pet sitters need comprehensive dog sitter insurance or cat sitter insurance that includes the following coverages to guard against your biggest risks:
- General liability coverage: covers bodily injuries and property damage to others caused by your pet sitting services
- Veterinarian reimbursement coverage: pays you back for emergency vet care when an animal in your care is injured
- Pet protection coverage (aka animal bailee insurance): protects you against claims and lawsuits when a pet is your care is injured, lost, or dies
- Broadened property damage coverage: covers damage to possessions on the client’s property during your pet sitting service (by you or an animal in your care)
- Products-completed operations coverage: covers bodily injury and property damage claims that result from the products you use during your pet sitting service
- Personal and advertising injury coverage: protects you against lawsuit costs for advertising mistakes
- Damage to premises rented to you: offers coverage for fire damage to a space you rent, or damage for any reason within the first 7 days of renting
- Lost key liability insurance: pays you back for the costs of rekeying a client’s home if you lose the keys
