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Petsitting Rates: How (and What) To Charge

taxi
Thinking of providing a pet taxi service? You'll need to know what to charge!

It's one of the biggest questions of a petsitter's career: What should I charge for my services? We wish we could give you a simple, straightforward answer, but as with most things money-related, it's just not that easy.

Instead, we can tell you about the average ranges for most petsitters, and let you know about the little variations and extras that can affect that rate. For example, if you have to skip the eggnog and leave that holiday party early to let Fido out, you should be fairly compensated for missing the festivities (and enduring the "party pooper" comments). Read on to understand the foundation on which petsitters typically charge.


A BREAKDOWN OF SERVICES

Before you even start thinking about money (it's hard, we know), you have to start thinking about what types of petsitting services you'll offer. After all, a basic petsitter may charge differently than a dog walker.

PETSITTING: If you offer standard "petsitting," - the most common form of pet caregiving - you'll be going to a client's house and caring for their pet while they are away. Typically, petsitters charge per visit. In this case, a few different things will affect the rate:

  • How long will the visit be? Ten minutes? An hour?
  • How many pets are included in the rate? Care for up to three cats? Two dogs?
  • Will you charge less for small pets and more for larger ones/dogs?

DOG WALKING: As a dog walker, you'll be visiting a client's home to walk the dog while the client is at work, at an appointment, at a social event or at some other engagement that doesn't last longer than a day. Dog walkers may choose to charge per walk, per half hour or per hour, depending on their preference. Here are a few additional rate-affecting details to consider:

  • How long will the walks be?
  • Will you walk multiple dogs at once or will it be a one-dog-at-a-time service?
  • Will you charge less per walk for constant/consistent work, like when a client needs his dog walked once a day, every day for the next six months?
  • Will you have to drive the dog to a park or other location for some outdoor time?

OVERNIGHT PETSITTING: To petsit overnight, petsitters almost always charge a flat overnight rate. Petsitting overnight will require you to stay in a client's home and tend to the pet as needed - possibly into the wee hours of the morning (hope you're a morning person... or night owl!).

  • How long will your overnight hours be? Ten hours? 12?
  • What are those specific overnight hours? 8pm to 8am? 10pm to 7am?

PET TAXI: Assuming you have clean driving record (you do, don't you?), you can also market yourself as a pet taxi. This means that you'll drive pets to and from the vet, grooming appointments - anything the client needs. Of course, you're lso well within your rights to limit your services to a specific list of pre-approved destinations if you're not so keen on chauffeuring Fluffy to the gourmet pet bakery for an after-lunch treat. Regardless, pet taxis either charge per half hour or per hour, always factoring in the cost of gas when setting the rate.



WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE PETSITTING RATE

Petsitting typically includes feeding the pet, making sure he has fresh water, taking him outside for exercise or playing with him indoors, giving the pet love and attention, scooping the litter box, administering medicine, cleaning up any pet messes, etc. In short, it's anything pet-related that needs to be taken care of.

However, in many cases, petsitting also includes invaluable housesitting tasks as well, such as watering plants, adjusting the lights/drapes so it looks like someone is home, bringing in the mail and taking out the garbage on trash day. We recommend that you include these services as a part of your petsitting rate, since it simply doesn't make sense for a client to hire a separate housesitter and petsitter.



RATE AVERAGES

Ah, here's what you've really been looking for: concrete numbers! Keep in mind that these are just general averages, and many different factors help shape the specific rates. That said, let's get to it...

  • PETSITTING: Anywhere from $10-$20 per visit. We've seen the average hover around $14, but it depends on so many different factors, it's difficult to nail down a solid number. See below to get a better idea of what to charge!

  • DOG WALKING: This one can get tricky - it often depends on the length of the walk. From what we've seen, the average length of a walk is around 20-30 minutes for about $10-15.

  • OVERNIGHT PETSITTING: Anywhere from $40-$80, but the average is close to a $60 flat fee for an overnight job.

  • PET TAXI: The typical range falls between $15 and $30 per hour (breaking this down into half-hour segments may make it seem more digestible to the client). Usually a pet taxi will cost $20-25 per hour.



THE FACTORS AFFECTING PETSITTING RATES

Like we said, there are many factors that affect petsitting rates. Here is a quick breakdown of the things that will alter the rates:

  • GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: This is the biggest thing that affects petsitting rates, and unfortunately, it's something you can't really control. A petsitter living in rural Wisconsin, for example, will typically charge less than a petsitter living in midtown Manhattan. You'll have to do your own research to see what the specific rates are in your area, but here's a general analysis of what we found:
    Northeast and West: $12-20 per visit.
    Midwest and South: $8-16 per visit.

  • NUMBER OF PETS: Some petsitters will sit for up to five pets in their petsitting rate (hence the higher end of the averages), while others' rates assume there will only be one pet to care for. In that case, most petsitters will charge an extra $1-2 per visit per extra pet. This good because it allows you to adjust the your fee based on the client's individual needs. After all, a client with one little kitty wouldn't want to fork over the multi-pet rate of $19 per visit.

  • DOG VERSUS CAT: Independent Mr. Whiskers won't need quite as much attention and hands-on exercise as a dog in the petsitting roster. For this reason, some petsitters have separate rates for dogs and cats - and even more specific rates for smaller pets such as hamsters and fish. If a you charge $14 per visit for dogs, for example, you might then charge $10 per visit for cats.

  • LENGTH OF THE PETSITTING VISIT: Will the you need to spend an hour with the pet, or is 15 minutes plenty of time? Often you won't know the answer to this question until you meet with the client and assess this individual needs, but it's a good idea to get a time range in mind before meeting for the interview.

  • HOLIDAYS: Hey, petsitters have holiday parties to attend too! Because you'll most likely need extra incentive to ditch the latest bash or forego that fun weekend trip all in the name of petsitting, you may want to charge an additional fee for any over-the-holidays work. Typically, petsitters charge an additional $5 per day (not per visit!) over the holidays, depending on your region.

  • AFTER-HOURS VISITS: Before accepting that first petsitting job, you may choose to first determine your standard petsitting hours. Any visit scheduled after this time will fall into the realm of "after-hours visits" and may cost an additional $2-10 per visit. Based on what we've seen, the average additional charge comes out to $6 per after-hours visit. Of course, other petsitters won't even bother with an additional charge, so it seems to be an individual preference.