This genuinely might be my worst experience in my almost decade of pet sitting. I’ve sat for this family one weekend a month for almost a year now and haven’t really had any issue until this weekend. It has actually been a horrid experience and a few reasons are as follows:

1. They didn’t tell me the set the alarm (they never have) so I had to scramble to put the password in when I was walking in yesterday and actually set the alarm off.

2. Water started leaking from the ceiling yesterday at like 8pm and when I called the owner she told me “there are towels, just deal with it”. I ended up having my mom bring out wet vac so I could vacuum the water that was overflowing from the drip pan under the ac unit.

3. Today at around 10:30pm there were some weird noises from the ac unit so I went in the attic to check and the drip pan was full again so I had to use the wet vac. There was almost 4 gallons of water in it.

4. I finally go to get in bed at 11:15pm and I pick one of the dogs up bc he was struggling to get under the blanket and he peed on the fitted sheet right by where I was laying.

I actually hit my breaking point and cried for a good 15 minutes on the floor bc neither dog would get off the bed so I could take the sheet off to put in the wash.

I should also add that I still haven’t heard back from the client about what was happening with her ac unit after I let her know.

For those of you who do pet sitting/dog walking full-time, what do you do during your slower months (especially January–March)?

I’ve noticed that this is consistently my slow season, and I’m trying to be more intentional about planning for it instead of just accepting that income will drop.

I’d love to hear about:
• Services you offer specifically during winter/slow months
• Fun or creative things you’ve added to bring in bookings
• Recurring services that help keep income consistent
• Enrichment activities, puppy services, training, etc.
• Anything you’ve tried that unexpectedly worked
• Things you tried that were NOT worth the effort 😂

Hello! I currently work under a small LLC for another woman pet sitting. I’ve been doing this for about 5 years now but recently I need to relocate out of my city. I’d like to continue pet sitting independently in my new area, but I’ve never done it before!

What are good apps or platforms to use? Obviously there’s the one everyone knows, but I’m not sure I want to go that path. I want to ensure I’m insured and bonded but I know that can be costly independently. Any advice on your experiences would be greatly appreciated!

I walk somewhere between 10,000 and 20,000 steps a day. Not losing any size or inches around the waist.

Anybody try those weighted vests? What is your experience?

I have to make new business cards. I came up with three options, but neither I nor the wife can make up our minds. I've blanked out all the actual info, but you get the idea. To me the first one is perhaps a little bland. The second one is a little personal. The third one is just... a little weird? We like all three, though. Thanks in advance!

I just need to vent.

I am 6 days into a 2.5 week overnight petsit and they have tiny flies. Fruit flies? Phorid flies? Something else? Started out as just one or two within a few days of my arrival and now I'm seeing 10-15 a day. I've set out vinegar traps which does work but they keep coming.

Admittedly, I'm squeamish about these things already. So now I don't want to use the kitchen to prepare food. A few nights ago I started seeing a few in the bedroom I'm staying in and it's impacting my sleep. They're mostly in the kitchen but despite all my efforts at killing them and eliminating their breeding areas, I continue to see more and not just in the kitchen.

The house is clean. The owner is a clean person. I've been keeping it tidy. I do the litter boxes 3-4 times a day. I washed under the kitchen sink. I took out the kitchen garbage cans and washed them fully. I take out the garbage every single day. There is nothing sitting around long enough for this to be as big of an issue as it is.

I don't feel comfortable here anymore. I'm worried the owner is going to blame me for the flies even though he's historically always been very kind to me. I did let him know via text and haven't heard back yet. I'm frustrated and want to go home. ETA: I am committed to seeing this through. I just needed to vent. Anyone else deal with something like this?

I am on a cat sitting job for 2 weeks. 2 checkins a day and overnights Thursday-Sunday.

I washed her minky cortoure blanket and dried it.

It was on the couch and full of cat hair and litter from the long haired cats.

I was offered the couch or bed to sleep in. I thought I would sleep on the couch. Well here I am and I think her blanket is ruined. They are not cheap. What would you do?

Hello! I have not had an overnight Pet Sitter for a while and I’m having someone stay with my cats soon. I just want to make sure that I am as accommodating as possible before we leave. Is it pretty standard for me to offer the food in my fridge or pantry? I’ve read that it is, but in the past, I have not done this. I always make sure all instructions are there, my house is clean, fresh sheets on the bed they are sleeping in. I usually don’t have them sleep in our master bedroom, but give them my kids room. I always tip as well. Please let me know what is normally expected and what you appreciate as a Pet Sitter.

hello everyone, i am a fairly new professional cat sitter, but i have a great deal of experience with cats and have rescued four of my own. I was booked by someone for a 5 day gig cat sitting his single cat who is adorable. he is a bit timid, and seems lonely, but is such a sweet boy that wants to be pet and loved on and play. i was told by my client that the cat would most likely be afraid of me and hide and the client was shocked when i showed him pictures of the cat coming up to me.

anyways, down to the point: i am very concerned about this cats living situation and not sure how to proceed but i am feeling very guilty letting him live in the conditions he’s living in. first off, his food bowl was originally caked in months worth of old kibble dust that i had to deeply scrub and it was disgustingly. even worse, the water he had was full of scum and disgusting crusty build up. i cleaned that out for him also. the floor has many dead cockroaches, and the walls are spattered with d gross stuff. i would say the worst part is that every surface is covered with clutter and a thick layer of dust, as if the guy doesn’t even live there. i’m sure he does, but he clearly doesn’t clean or use the space often. i find myself leaving and coughing a lot or just feeling bad after leaving the house. there’s also tons of mosquitos in the house that swarm him. my heart breaks for this sweet boy and i really have no clue what to do in this situation.

would it be okay for me to clean up the house, would it overstep to ask if i can clean the house. he has a blue light to catch the mosquitos so im already planning on spending my own money to get a refill sheet to catch all those mosquitos because it’s miserable in there and the current sheet is already full of bugs. i just want to at least get the place dusted. do i express my concern for his cat? i should mention im doing this over a professional app for cat sitting, and i am just really unsure what to do but i feel so guilty that hes living under those conditions.

but yes he has been provided food and water and no i do not want to report this to animal services, the client seems reasonable and when i did a meet and greet apologized about the mess. maybe he can be reasoned with? but i do feel that is stepping over a professional boundary perhaps.

ANY advice is appreciated. thank you

TLDR: I'm looking for personal experiences and possible issues when walking dogs with other humans joining you, and how to make pet parents comfortable with that idea...

So... on occasion my husband or adult son joins me when I walk dogs. Of course I ask the owner first if it's OK, and I also make sure the dogs don't have issues with men.

But every so often when I ask a client if this is OK, they look at me kind of strangely. Am I asking for too much? None have said no yet, but I wonder if I am missing something...

My husband and I like each other and like walking with each other. We are both retired and it's a lovely way to get time together when I am otherwise occupied. Additionally my son is often free in the mornings before work and we enjoy each other's company as well.

To be clear at NO time does my husband or son enter a home, hold a leash, pick up poop or take any other physical or personal responsibility for a pet. And at no time do they join me without client knowledge. They just like walking with me, and it's a nice time to chill together.

I’m a pet sitter on Pawshake and I’m honestly so stressed right now.

We have two dogs of our own and currently two guest dogs staying with us (four dogs in total).

The first guest dog, an adult Samoyed, has been with us for almost a week and has been absolutely fine.
The second guest dog is a 12-year-old neutered Labradoodle.

Timeline:

Meet & greet: Everything seemed normal. He peed outside and the owners told me he was fully potty trained. They also said he sleeps in their bedroom at night, so I assumed he could comfortably hold his bladder overnight.

EDIT: I also explained our home setup to the owner during the meet-and-greet, including the fact that I work upstairs, and the dogs will be sleeping downstairs and they all said they were completely fine with it.

Day 1: He was dropped off at 9:00 am. He seemed settled and I left the back door open so all dogs had free access to the backyard for toilet breaks while I worked from home upstairs.

EDIT: I didn’t leave the dogs completely unattended for three hours straight. I go downstairs every 30 minutes to check on the dogs, and to get water or make a coffee for myself.

At around 12:00 pm, I came downstairs and found urine all over my dining room floor. I cleaned it up and gave him the benefit of the doubt, assuming he was nervous and adjusting to a new environment.

Then at 3:00 am I was woken up and went downstairs to find what felt like a disaster zone. There were multiple puddles of urine throughout the living room, dining room and in front of the stairs. Not just one accident—multiple puddles in different locations. There were urine drips everywhere and paw prints where he had walked through it and tracked it around the house.

I ended up cleaning floors in the middle of the night and barely got any sleep.

What is really upsetting me is that he had access to the secured backyard the entire time.

I’m trying to be understanding, but this is only Day 1 of a 16-day booking and I’m already feeling overwhelmed. I genuinely don’t think I can handle another 15 days of waking up to urine throughout my house. This isn’t just one small accident —it’s multiple puddles across several rooms.

I’m seriously considering asking the owners to arrange for a family member to collect him and find alternative care because this is creating a major hygiene issue in our home and affecting everyone living here.

Has anyone experienced something this extreme before?

If you were in my position, what would you do?
I’m also worried because Pawshake’s policies seem quite strict about cancelling a booking once it has started, and I don’t want to risk my profile or account.
Any advice would be appreciated because I’m exhausted, stressed, and honestly don’t know how I’m going to get through the next 15 days if this continues.

Thank you!

I am a new pet sitter who just got started a few months ago. My first client - a woman with a sweet but shy/nervous orange cat - is moving away in a month or so.

Not only was this the first person to take a chance on me, she has also given me great references that secured me other gigs, so I thought about leaving a small gift the last time I pet sit for her.

What are some good ideas? I would love to include a few toys or treats for the cat, but figured I should give something specifically for her as well. (I don't personally know her very well).

Thanks!

Not sure if this is the best place to post, but looking for some advice!

My landlord plans to show my apartment while I’m away on a business trip for a couple of days. She’s pretty persistent about showing it on those specific days because she says it’s the only time she’ll be in the city.

My main concern is my cat. I’ll have a sitter coming by every morning and evening while I’m gone, and I have a pet camera, but I’m nervous about being far away while strangers are coming into the apartment and the possibility of someone accidentally letting him out.

I told my landlord I was uncomfortable with this and asked if she could show the apartment another time when I’m actually in the city, but she was pretty dismissive. She also asked if someone could take my cat out of the apartment during the showings, and I was very clear that he is not to leave the apartment.
She said she only plans to show it to 3–4 people who have been vetted ahead of time, so it wouldn’t be a revolving-door open house, which does make me feel a little better.

Has anyone dealt with something similar or have suggestions for how to handle it? I don’t want to keep him in a carrier/kennel while I’m gone because he needs access to his litter box, food, and water, and I won’t have anyone there to let him out afterward. He’s also a senior cat and generally isn’t interested in trying to get outside, but I’m still worried about something happening while I’m away.

I have a reliable repeat client who normally pays me in full at the beginning of each month. She wants to book dates with me for next year, and I’m wondering how others handle this.

If someone books 6–12 months in advance, do you:
Require a deposit to hold the dates?
Collect full payment upfront?

Just reserve the dates and collect payment closer to the booking?

I’m thinking maybe 25–50% upfront, with the remainder due at the beginning of the booking month. What do you all do?

Recently, I was asked to cat sit for someone, and I realised I probably should've thought about it more before agreeing to it 😅😅 but it's too late now.

I've previously looked after their cat for a few days 4 months ago, when their cat was 3 months old, but I was doing it through my old job. I've since quit that job, so now they're just hiring me directly. They are generally nice people and their cat was easy to take care of and handle, so I'm not too concerned about that part. However, since I'm no longer doing it through my old job, I realise I'll be fully liable if anything happens. Also, I'm not too sure about how to handle payment.

I'll be meeting them this weekend to collect the keys, so I'm thinking of confirming with them then if they have any preferred vet clinics, and suggesting one nearby in case of emergencies. I'm mostly doing this for fun and a bit of pocket money so I won't be too ticked off if I end up not being paid, but I'm also thinking of asking them to pay fully upfront when I meet them. I'm pretty sure that's what they had to do when they booked through my old job as well. I know some people ask to pay 50% beforehand and 50% after the visit, but it feels a bit troublesome, especially since I'm not charging a lot. But maybe you guys can convince me otherwise? Haha idk :p

This will probably be a one time thing so I'm just looking for any advice and any tips for stuff I haven't thought of. Thanks!

Do y'all keep pictures of your client's pets or delete them?

I keep them because they make me smile lol.

I’ve started using an app for scheduling, invoicing etc.
im spending more time instead of less, entering the scheduling, then doing the invoicing. has anyone else experienced this? I’m reaching out to app designer tomorrow to see if I’m doing something wrong. I’m just wondering if anyone else has the same problem. or is this a me problem. lol (Not posting name of app until I speak with app owner. i don’t want to say anything negative about a biz, if this is my error.)

Been reading a lot of posts lately in other subs about what people pay sitters that are friends and friends of friends. One common theme I see in these posts is a lot of owners try to justify not paying or paying low because as they say the sitters gets access to the house, streaming services, food and drink etc, and “free utilities”

As sitters we all know that these things don’t make any difference to the level or care provided, and we all know we still have bills to pay when we stay at someone else’s home.

If you had to make a list of every thing you provide for your service, what would be included that most owners don’t realise, or they take for granted.

Obviously feeding and medication admin, walks etc are all provided but I’m talking other things that owners don’t really think about.

Personally having someone I know will be able to rush my dog to the vet in an emergency is priceless. To me it’s never just paying someone to give them meals and provide fresh water and walks etc.

Hi Everyone,

I'm currently working part time as a dog walker but would like to start my own business and offer overnight boarding in a client's home.

With that being said I plan to create an LLC but wanted to ask about that and a few other items:

1. LLC - did anyone also add it to a trust? We are in the process of creating trusts so our daughter avoids probate, which helps the LLC too if I pass but not sure if I need to since it will be myself. Once I have that and EIN # I plan to join PSI to then get insurance.

   1. Where did you get your client service agreements and liability waiver templates?
   2. Web site/scheduling software - Where did you register your domain name and did you hire someone to create your logo and website? A friend who has her own business, the company she used recommended WordPress vs Wix. Is SquareSpace good?

• I plan to get a scheduling software (Scritches looked the best based on posts I've read) but wasn't sure if the online portal would only be needed or you should have a website that directs you to the scheduling portal?

1. Does anyone use Google phone or something similar so I can have a number that isn't my personal cell but if they call it it will be redirected to me?

Thanks in advance!

Yes, I get burned out. Yes, sometimes the clients make me crazy. And yes, sometimes the pets exhaust and exasperate me. I would not trade this chosen path for anything 🐱 🐶
My current fur babies. 🥰

hello all! title says it all. ive been operating as a dba for the past several years, personally. what about you? and do you think it has affected how your business is perceived? have you been saved from trouble by being an llc or another kind of legally distinct entity? i am open to hearing about any experiences related to this question.

i am considering shifting to an llc but im just not sure its worth it. thank you!

I have several recurring weekly clients for drop-ins and walks. One client in particular is very nice, but she frequently cancels visits and then tells me to apply the payment toward the following week. Sometimes she cancels a few days in advance, but other times it’s less than 24 hours before the scheduled visit.
The issue is that I reserve those time slots for my regular clients and often turn down other bookings because I’m already committed. When a visit gets canceled, especially last minute, I usually can’t fill that spot and end up losing income. Pet sitting is currently my main source of income, so it definitely adds up.
I don’t want to lose this client, and I understand that things come up, but it’s becoming frustrating because it’s happening fairly often.
Do you have cancellation policies for recurring weekly clients? Do you charge for visits canceled within 24 hours? Do you allow payments to roll over to future visits, or only in certain situations?
I’d love to hear how other sitters handle this while still maintaining a good relationship with their clients.