Dog Walking Is Needed More Than You Think

Dog walking is a business? That's the question I asked myself when someone recommended me to join an app called Wag where dog owners can request a walk for their beloved pets. After some consideration, I decided to give the idea a chance and it turned out to be one of the best decisions I've ever made.

2 years ago I joined Wag and now have successfully started my own pet care business. If you have never heard of Wag it is an application that offers on-demand dog walking and sittings for dog owners. Wag hires independent contractors who are sent to walk the owner’s pets. But before you can just download the app and start walking, you have to go through a background check. Once you are cleared through Wag you can immediately start trying to find clients. In other words, Wag is basically Uber but for dogs. Thanks to Wag, I was able to gain my first dedicated dog clients.

After about 6 months into Wag, I heard about another pet service application called Rover. Rover is a combination of dog walking and dog sitting. However, the Rover app allows the dog owner to pick which pet sitter or walker they prefer based upon the profile of the selected sitter or walker. It is extremely important to have a profile that stands out from all the other walkers and sitters in your area. You want pet owners to feel a sense of ease that you are a reliable and trustworthy caretaker. Once a pet owner is impressed with your profile, they can send you a message regarding the services they would like to receive. If the services are a match, the owner and the caretaker will schedule a meet and greet before actually booking to make sure everyone, including the pets, are comfortable.

However, working through Wag and Rover have a catch. When I applied to become a caretaker, I became an independent contractor. An independent contractor is anyone who works under contract but as a non-employee. In other words, independent contractors do not pay into taxes or social security. In the state of Illinois, after an independent contractor makes over $600 they have to claim it. In addition, Wag and Rover take a percentage of money from their workers. For example, if a client books a service for $20, I will only get paid $12. So after a few walks with my clients on Wag or if someone chooses my profile on Rover, I explain to them how the apps work and ask them if we could possibly partner privately. As of right now all my clients have agreed to partner privately which means they pay me by using cash or Venmo, PayPal, or CashApp. 

Besides using Rover and Wag as a starting point for my business, I have learned that word of mouth is super important. Since my original clients were so impressed with my care-taking skills, reliability, and trustworthiness they began to spread my name and number to their friends and family looking for pet services.

Here I am 2 years later with over 10 private clients ranging from small to big dogs. It is truly a joy hanging out with dogs all day and satisfying my customers! 

I can't wait to share all my stories, tricks, and hints about my furry friends and clients!