Dog Day Care

How many of you drop your children at a day care facility? Well, dog day care is the same thing, except you are leaving your dog for the day.

Also quite popular is offering a pet sitting service. We will cover this subject a little later on.

Let's start with dog day care. You can run this business in your home and the initial outlay of cash isn't that much.

Dog owners bring their pets to your home on the way to work and pick them up on the way home. You will be feeding, playing and interacting with the dogs in your charge.

However, you must be bonded and insured for any problems that may arise having multiple dogs on your property.

Some dog day care providers have a contract for owners to sign before dogs are accepted into the program. Check with your family attorney about wording and responsibility issues.

You will be responsible for supervising the dogs at play, mealtime and at rest. Keep a log book on each dog you care for and write down any problems with interaction, eating, attitude, etc. You can present this to the owner and make them aware of any concerns you may have.

Having a fenced yard is a must. Also, you need to make sure the dogs you will be caring for all get along.

You can spread the word about your dog day care center by making flyers and posting them in grocery stores, your vet's office, at your groomers, pet shops, etc.

Set your own fee. Customers can either pay by the day or week for your service.

When you start receiving calls from prospective customers, ask questions about the dogs. Make a list of the important information you need to make a decision as to whether to accept this pet or not.

After you have decided to take the dog into your dog day care, set up a meeting with the owner and her dog. Preferably have them come over and view your facility.

This way you can see the dog in action regarding his attitude toward strangers and other dogs (meaning your family pet).

Talk to the customer and find out any quirks her dog may have and how to deal with them.

Also have the customer supply the food and treats the dog eats at home. That way there is not any digestive upsets.

Show the customer the safe toys and chews that the dogs can play with. Ask if there is an objection to a particular toy or something the owner doesn't want the dog to have.

It has been suggested that, if you are a one person operation, to not have more than 2-3 dogs a day under your care. More than that is too much to handle.

After you have your customers screened and you accept 2 or 3, have a little get together with them and their dogs at your facility so everyone can meet.

This lets you see if the dogs will get along happily together without fighting or posturing and to make sure all dogs are socialized properly.

Pet Sitting

Pet sitting is another popular dog job. If you don't have the room to run a dog day care, then this is an ideal situation for you. You also don't have to put out a lot of money to get started.

Keep in mind you must be bonded and insured for this venture.

Pet sitting involves going to the customer's home and taking care of their dog or other pets 2-3 times a day. This includes walking the dog or letting him out in the yard, playing, feeding, giving medications and spending time with the pet so he won't be too lonely with the owner away.

Many pet sitters are used when owners are out of town. Extra duties you can include with your business is collecting the mail and newspapers, watering plants, staying in the home overnight, or for the entire time the owner is out of town, taking the pet to the vet or groomer, house cleaning, etc.

Pet sitters provide a great service for dog owners because keeping the family pet in his own environment does away with the anxiety of the pet being in a strange place for days or weeks at a time.