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How To: Volunteer to be a Pet Walker or Sitter
Some pet owners don’t have time to walk or play with their pets every day, or they may need someone to take care of their beloved critters while they're on vacation. That’s where you come in - pet sitter/walker extraordinaire!
- Get experience. Pet sitting is like babysitting - a lot of people won’t work with you if you don’t have any experience. Make this your first priority. Volunteer at an animal shelter, ask a neighbor if you can play with their pet every week, or volunteer to teach a pet care lesson at a pre-school in your area.
- Research. What are the differences in breeds of dogs and cats? How do they normally behave? Your knowledge will impress people, and you’ll know what to do in a sticky situation. Also, ask for advice from friendly professionals like the people who work at vet offices and pet supply stores. This is especially important if you are walking many dogs at once. You don’t want any fights.
- Spread the word. Once you have some experience caring for animals (besides your own pet/s), start marketing yourself. You can make up a name for your service, like “Best Pet Care There,” or advertise just by using your name. Hand flyers out on a busy street nearby, post signs in parks, or ask a local pet store to post your information on their wall. Whatever you decide, be sure to include:
- Your name and experience
- An email address and/or telephone number
- The rate you charge (this can be donated to a local animal shelter or rescue group)
- Hours you’re available
- What areas you serve
- Photos of animals (this grabs an animal lover's attention)
- Be honest. If something happens to a pet while you are watching it, always tell the pet owner about it. Sometimes accidents can’t be prevented, and most owners would want to know if little Fluffy ate a piece of chocolate you accidentally left out.
- Know the no-no’s. Only feed an animal it's regular food, because certain people foods can cause serious stomach problems. Never feed a dog or cat:
- Alcoholic beverages
- Chocolate
- Coffee
- Grapes or raisins
- Moldy or spoiled food
- Onions, garlic & chives
- Poultry bones
- Salt and salty foods
- Tomato leaves, stems, and unripe fruit
- Yeast dough
- Get rated. Create a rating card that pet owners can fill out after you have done your job. This will improve your skills and will show your customers how serious you are about your pet service.
- Always tidy up! It's considerate and professional to clean up after yourself AND the pet. Leave the home exactly as you found it, and if Sparky brings mud in after a walk, clean that up too.
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Comments
I think this is a good idea but how does it help animal welfare?
that's a amazing idea. i will pitch in on that to help this animals
Thats a really good idea. Animals should be able to get out a little more rather then staying home locked in the back yard or inside your home.
Sabrina A. C-Martinez
This is a really good idea i would so do this
I love this idea and would really consider doing this!
hploeger, I think this helps animal welfare because now more animals will be adopted, because one of the main reasons why people don't adopt animals if they want one is because they don't have time to take care of them. Now if they know that they have a reliable animal sitter/walker, they can adopt a pet and rely on their sitter/walker to watch/walk the dog when needed.
omg excellent idea
i wish i could find a place to volunteer at
im going to do this!!!! :)
i wish i could find a place to volunteer at
That is great!!
im soooo gonna help out!!:)
im gonna try to help
Im going to look into this
I want to but no one has asked me to do it yet
i think this could work... i'm going to try this!!
Im going to take an extra step...Im going to volunteer at a pet shelter once a week.
YES!!
ME TOO!!!
It gets people to not have an excuse for not walking their animals or giving them any more exercise than their animals already have from just walking around the house(:
where can I find a place to volunteer at at least on weekends...not to far from my neighborhood
i wan t2 do this too.....but i cant find anywhere....
I love animal and those who have owners who don't spend time with them will be pleased to have a new friend. This is a great idea!
it helps because most owners don't have a place for their dogs when they leave. So if there is no place for them to go they might get into trouble...so there is nowhere to keep them out of trouble which results into them having to be given away.
thanks.
i do thiss all the timee. i babysat an italian greyhound for ten days and they gave me $100(: its really funn
You can help to reduce the stress of people's pets by keeping them out of pet boarding houses.
i cant wait (:
You don't have to volunteer for it, just create your own pet-sitting organization. Like the article suggests, put out flyers.
this is so exciting :D
My friend and I have already made some posters for dog walking and are going to hang them up this morning.
who knows hploeger. I was looking for a way to sign up for the animal shelter fundraiser they were planing
Selgomez:Are u really selena gomez or are u a fan? i'm like 13 and I just want to know
excited to start helping animals get in shape and make sure they're taken care of
I'm doing this. TTotally. I already wrote on my blog about it.
I'm doing this. TTotally. I already wrote on my blog about it.
the littlest things you do in the animal business can help soo much since you would be earning money from the dog sitting you could donate it to your local animal shelter so they would have that much more money to buy food to keep from less animals starving gitting more medicine so there will be less animals being put to sleep because the lack of shots to give to the diseased animals
this could so help out our SPCA... my friends and i are big animal fanatics... this would be so cool having a project like this
This is awesome!
I know animals all over the world are being crudely mistreated by their owners but by doing simple stuff like walking and having a good time with a dog, its definatley one step closer to making a difference.
Most of the time, the action which the humans make affect animals negatively.Even though animals can't speak, i strongly belief that they can feel your love for them. That is why i think it is important to give them a little bit attention and show them that care.
Most of the action which the humans have taken for our benefit has affected animal negatively. And because they can't speak doesn't mean they don't feel the pain. This is why i think we should show them that we care.
I volunteered at the shelter but i couldn't walk dogs because they weren't quarantined so instead i cleaned cages and food bowls and loved on the cat <3
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