et par af jer forstår mig som en rå føder, men forstod du også, at jeg har levet til at leve på markedet for kæledyrstjenester i de sidste 7 år?
Det hele startede i D.C. Suburbia, da en nabo tilbød mig en opgave som kæledyrsplejeekspert i hendes forretningsvalg af kuldet Pet Care.
Det var tilbage i februar 2012, da jeg øgede mine hvalpe Missy & Buzz såvel som absolut ikke havde noget antydning om, at denne sektor på kæledyrsplejemarkedet eksisterede!
Jeg husker nøjagtigt, hvor overrasket jeg var, da jeg opdagede, at kæledyrsejere virkelig betaler gode penge for folk at gå ind i deres huse såvel som pleje af deres kæledyr! Huh – hvem vidste !!
Jeg startede med 4 hverdagslige hunde på en mandag gennem fredag. Det tog ikke lang tid op, før jeg havde en relativt fuld hundevandring og kæledyrs siddende tidsplan. Dette omfattede ligeledes lejlighedsvis overnatning i klienters hjem.
Jeg nød grundigt min opgave ved valg af kuldet Pet Care samt opdagede meget fra ejeren Erica, som jeg stadig er virkelig gode gode venner med.
Da jeg ikke kunne opdage en lignende forretning, der blev ansat, da jeg overførte til North Carolina i slutningen af 2013, blev jeg bummed. Så da jeg fik chancen for at købe en hund, der gik/kæledyr siddende klientliste i begyndelsen af 2015, sprang jeg ved muligheden.
Det blev tilbudt af en kvinde, der bevægede sig ud af staten, såvel som pludselig opdagede jeg mig selv den stolte ejer af min ekstremt egne hundevandring og kæledyr siddende forretning, K9Sovercoffee Pet Services.
Det var for 3 år siden, såvel som lad mig fortælle dig, at jeg ikke fortryder min beslutning om at gå den selvstændige erhvervsdrivende sti en smule. Jeg kan godt lide at være min egen manager såvel som at have de allerbedste klienter, jeg måske nogensinde har bedt om, både menneskelige såvel som firbenede.
Men af programmet er det ikke alt solskin såvel som roser
Tværtimod – den praktiske side af tingene bringer tidlige morgener såvel som sene aftener mandag med søndag, går i regnen, bæsj skal vælges hver eneste dag i en række former samt former samt mudrede poter & Slobber skal udslettes.
Administratoropgaverne kan være noget trættende såvel som at omfatte reklamebestræbelser på at bringe nye klienter om bord, arrangere nye klient tilfredsstillende og hilse, fakturering, planlægge hundevandringer og kæledyr siddebesøg, koordinere ruter, bringe de rigtige nøgler, logge miles, gøre estimeret Skattebetalinger …
… og alligevel ville jeg ikke have det nogen form for anden måde! Velkommen til mit liv som en ekspert hunde Walker & Pet Sitter!
En typisk dag for en hundevandrer
En typisk dag i mit liv som hundevandrer består virkelig af en kombination af hundevandring såvel som kæledyr sidder ser overalt mellem kl. 06.00 samt kl. 22.
I løbet af disse timer er jeg ikke kun gående hunde, hvis ejere er på arbejde, men jeg tager også af kæledyr, hvis ejere er ude af byen. 80% af mine klienter er hunde, såvel som 20% er katte. Jeg har ligeledes plejet den lejlighedsvise fugl, ilder såvel som Bunny, men disse kæledyr er få såvel så godt som langt imellem.
Den daglige hundevandring forstås, da middagstid ser i vores branche, selvom jeg ligeledes har en klient, der lige for nylig har ændret sig til nattskift såvel som har brug for mig for at lade hans hvalpe ud kl. 21.30 et par nætter om ugen. Så der er intet middagstid ved dem!
I agreed to assist him out with his new routine since it’s only temporary as well as doesn’t need late night sees every single night of the week. Hans specifikke behov er dog usædvanlige, såvel som middagstid er normalt arrangeret mellem kl. 10 samt kl. 15.00.
I situationen spekulerer du på nøjagtigt, hvor mange hunde jeg går på, når – jeg begrænser det til 4, men det er kun for hvalpe, der online i nøjagtigt det samme hjem. Ligesom Erica ved Pick of the Litter Pet Care, tilbyder jeg ikke gruppeture for hunde fra forskellige hjem.
So here’s what a typical day looks like:
Stå op kl. 5. Take care of my own dogs or, as of recently, my K9 client guests who are staying with me for a few months while their owner is deployed.
Leave the home at 5:45 am. Take care of pet sitting sees between 6-8 am.
Come house as well as take care of K9 guests.
Leave once again around 10:15 am as well as walk dogs between 10:30 am as well as 2:30 pm.
Come house as well as take care of K9 guests.
Leave once again between 6-7 pm to take care of evening/night pet sitting visits.
Come house as well as take care of K9 guests.
Have a glass of wine as well as go to sleep ?
I utilize a specific pet sitting software application called Pet Sitter plus to assist me keep track of my schedule. I utilized a hardcopy calendar for the very first year as well as a half, as well as upgrading to this tool was one of the very best business decisions I’ve made. It’s whatI utilize to produce client accounts, produce invoices & monthly reports, routine services as well as accept payments.
The only reason I still utilize an extra hardcopy calendar is since it assists me double-check my routine as well as acts as a backup plan in situation of a technical issue with the software.
Example of my regular dog walking schedule
Here’s a bit peek into my routine for the upcoming week of July 23rd. You can click on the picture to view it larger.
I will state that I don’t have pet sitting sees to take care of on a everyday basis; it truly depends upon my clients’ travel schedules.
Sometimes I’ll only have 6 or 7 midday dog walking visits, as well as no early morning or late night pet sitting visits. I welcome those days since they provide me a bit breather as well as time to catch up on admin tasks, blogging, as well as life in general!
Whenever I can, I enjoy mornings where I can sit on my lounge chair in the backyard, sip on a cup of coffee while blogging as well as having material pups lounge at my feet.
But I digress.
Supplies I utilize for dog walking
When I’m out taking care of pets, I make sure I have the complying with products on me or in my car:
Client keys. I never leave those in the cars and truck by the way. It’ s as well much of a liability should my cars and truck get damaged into.
My hardcopy schedule.
Extra poop bags. most clients provide their own bags, however some don’t as well as I’d rather be prepared as well as have additional ones on me.
Additional leashes as well as collars. I always bring an additional large, durable chrome slip collar in my cross body handbag in situation a routine flat collar brakes. I’ve had that occur before! Thankfully the dog I walked didn’t take off as well as I was able to turn her leash into a slip lead as well as walk her back house that way. important lesson learned! The reason I decided on an additional big slip collar is so I can utilize it on any type of size dog, from toy breed to additional big pup.
A clip-on pepper spray for self-defense purposes.
Towels for rainy & muddy days.
Water to stay hydrated, coffee to stay alert (mushroom coffee as of the last few months, I extremely suggest it as well as composed about it on my blog), as well as snacks like raw almonds or bananas to keep me fueled.
A loud whistle & a tick cleaner on a lanyard that I wear around my neck. The noise of the whistle distracts loose dogs as well as the tick cleaner is available in handy all year long.
My smartphone. It lets me gain access to my pet sitting software application as well as interact with my clients while I’m out as well as about.
A charger for my phone.
My mileage log. I religiously compose down my business miles every single day since they’re tax deductible as well as definitely my biggest business expense.
A doggie very first aid set that I put together myself. It holds Neosporin which is an antibacterial ointment, gauze, sterile pads, muzzles (you can likewise utilize gauze to make a makeshift muzzle), Benadryl as well as scissors.
A sleeping bag in situation I’d requirement to deliver a big dog that’s as well heavy for me to bring on my own. I’ve never had to utilize it, however you never know. Paws crossed I won’t requirement it.
Bug spray & sunscreen.
Visitkort.
What I do during my pet sitting visits
When I’m at a K9 client’s home, I do the following:
Disarm house as well as set alarm if alarm system is being used.
Go for a walk in the community and/or a potty break in the backyard, depending upon the specific dog’s needs as well as length of visit. It’s always a no brainer to pick up poop. speaking of poop: I make sure to take a look at the stack before I bag it. Runny, bloody, or tarry poop is an sign that something’s off. The exact same goes for ingested materials that come out the back method (I’m believing socks, strings, toys, etc.).
Provide playtime & TLC.
Check water as well as refill if low or in requirement of refreshment.
Administer meds if needed.
Feed if requested.
Hand out treats and/or food puzzles if allowed.
Use training commands if requested.
Clean up mishaps or mischief circumstances if any type of occurred.
Return dogs to crates or pens if they’re being used.
Check mail & alternating lights/blinds/fans if requested.
Bring deliveries inside that have been left by the front door.
Turn on background music or TV if requested.
Water plants if requested.
Pull back emptied trash cans on trash days.
Leave report card.
Text/email owner photos and/or videos of my visit.
When I’m at a feline client’s home, I do the exact same as above minus the dog specific tasks, as well as clean litterKasser i stedet.
Lejlighedsvis får jeg anmodninger om overnatning i folks huse eller “kæledyr taxa” -tjenester. Normalt er taxatjenesten at tage en hund til dyrlægen eller groomer’s eller hente dem tilbage og give dem en tur hjem.
De udgør ca. 10% af mine generelle indtægter. Jeg føler, at jeg måske øger efterspørgslen fra begge, men jeg har brug for at hjælpe for at trække det af.
Fremtidige hundevandrende forretningsbestræbelser
Jeg har virkelig leget med konceptet om at vokse forretningen for nylig, især i de øjeblikke, hvor jeg har været nødt til at afvise anmodninger, da jeg var i kapacitet, eller jeg havde brug for en smule pause. Det er klart, at jeg kun kan gøre så meget alene, såvel som desværre har jeg ikke været i stand til at finde ud af nøjagtigt, hvordan jeg skal klone mig selv endnu?
Jeg havde en deltidsuafhængig entreprenør (IC), der hjalp mig i 5 måneder sidste år, men desværre endte hun med at flytte ud af at specificere så godt som jeg var alene igen.
Det er vanskeligt at opdage motiverede, ærlige, pålidelige mennesker, der deler min lignende for dyr. Den unge dame fra sidste år var den eneste ud af 30+ ansøgere, der stod ud. Det kan tage et stykke tid op, indtil jeg opdager nogen igen, men jeg er sikker på, at jeg vil være i stand til at bringe en mere IC om bord, der opfylder mine kriterier. Når jeg gør det, fortæller jeg dig det!
Hvis du er en hundevandrer eller petsitter, huskede jeg ikke at tilføje noget?
Er der nogen, der har nogen form for bekymring for at komme ind i denne type arbejde?
Lad os forstå i kommentarerne!
Barbara Rivers komponerer regelmæssigt for den mutt. Hun er en blogger, Raw Feeder såvel som Expert Dog Walker samt bevarer bloggen K9s over kaffe.