How (and What) Petsitters Charge

You're thinking of hiring a petsitter. Or dog walker. Or overnight petsitter. Or pet taxi. But before you start searching and interviewing, you want to know what your bottom line will be. In other words, what's this going to cost you?

We'll 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 a petsitter has to skip the eggnog and leave that holiday party early to let Fido out, she should be fairly compensated for missing the festivities (and enduring the "party pooper" comments). Read on to get a good grasp on how 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 require. After all, a basic petsitter may charge differently than a dog walker.

PETSITTING: If a petsitter offers standard "petsitting," - the most common form of pet caregiving - she'll be going to your house and caring for your pet while you 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?
• Is the charge less for small pets and more for larger ones/dogs?

DOG WALKING: As a dog walker, the caregiver be visiting your home to walk the dog while you are 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 details that can affect the rate:

• How long will the walks be?
• Will the walk include multiple dogs at once or will your dog be the sole center of attention?
• If you need your dog walked on a regular basis, will the dog walker be willing to charge less per walk for this steady stream of work?
• Will the dog walker have to drive the dog to a park or other location for some outdoor time? You'll be paying more, if so.

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

• How long are the petsitter's overnight hours? Ten hours? 12?
• What are those specific overnight hours? 8pm to 8am? 10pm to 7am?

PET TAXI: Assuming a petsitter has a clean driving record, she can also market herself as a pet taxi. This means that she'll drive your pets to and from the vet, grooming appointments - anything you need. Of course, keep in mind that pet taxis are also well within their rights to limit their services to a specific list of pre-approved destinations if they'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 all petsitters include these services as a part of their petsitting rate, since it simply doesn't make sense for you 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!
• 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. 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. Someone living in rural Wisconsin, for example, will typically pay less for a petsitter than someone 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 petsitter's fee based on your needs. After all, if you've only got one little kitty, you wouldn't want to fork over a 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 petsitter charges $14 per visit for dogs, for example, she may then charge $10 per visit for cats.
• LENGTH OF THE PETSITTING VISIT: Will the petsitter need to spend an hour with the pet, or is 15 minutes plenty of time? Often petsitters won't know the answer to this question until they meet with you and assess your 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 most petsitters will need extra incentive to ditch the latest bash or forego that fun weekend trip all in the name of petsitting, they will charge an additional fee for any over-the-holidays work. Typically, this charge averages out to an additional $5 per day (not per visit!), depending on your region.
• AFTER-HOURS VISITS: Before accepting that first petsitting job, petsitters may first determine their standard petsitting hours. Any visit scheduled after this time will fall into the realm of "after-hours visits" and may cost you 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.