What do you think a person earns if they do home dog boarding?

[Dogs223]

Interested to know what people think. I got made redundant and started to do this. What do you think I earn in a month?

How do you make money doing that?

@Icehockeyflowers quite easily, really.

I work 8.30-2pm most days and make £500 a week easily.

Do you travel to the owner!s houses, take them out, then return them dry them off and give them food and water?

Or how does a typical day look?

Yep, I do all of those things except feeding them as dogs shouldn't eat right before or after exercise to prevent bloat.

I start at 8.30 - take my own dog out with another dog, then do three small group walks of 2-3 dogs each, then occasionally a solo walk at the end of the day at around 1.30pm.

All the dogs live within 2-3 minutes of each other so travel time is limited. I don't wash the dogs but I will rinse and dry off and just ask that the owners provide a safe space for them to be left if they're damp.

I also do pop-ins during the day - just fifteen minute visits so the dogs can get out for a wee - normally this is for older dogs who don't need a walk.

Yes I can take dogs who are crated at night. I have to get a signed note from the owner. I had 2 that were crated but now they’re older the crates have been ditched.

Fair enough OP! Glad it works for you. Probably better to keep customers thinking you 'don't earn much' or they'll complain that you're profiteering 😂

LadyThistledown is right OP! Don’t tell
people how much you earn. Ever. The less they believe you earn the better!!!!

Will say that i do shop around esp for longer stays. Price matters to me when it reaches 300-500 for a holiday stay. If I didn’t have kids, would be happier to pay more for the dog though so def target that market!

No, I never discuss earnings with my customers, but you would think they might work it out. That's what surprised me with the pocket money comment.

I actually think there are a lot of self employed people, in somewhat menial jobs, that are out earning white collar workers. I was musing this about my window cleaner. He's quite cheap at £10, but he must be doing at least 10 houses a day, if not more. That's £3k a month for zero stress. I earn more than my DH, who works in a very stressful professional role.

@Dogs223 do you check they’ve had flea treatment before you take them

Locally charge £30-50 .

I actually think there are a lot of self employed people, in somewhat menial jobs, that are out earning white collar workers

It isn’t without stress. Cleaning gutters and windows at heights is dangerous. Being in charge of a dog who could potentially bite someone, maim a child, run off or sustain injuries and/or injure another dog, carries substantial risks, costs and potential court appearances and/or fines. People underestimate the risks involved for the so called ‘pocket money’.

@Dogs223 I think people don't take things like dog walking or doggy daycare seriously. I do walks and home sitting and people are shocked when I say I can walk 15+ dogs a day easily. They just don't seem to think it's viable!

Good for you OP, it sounds like you enjoy it, are good at it and making a decent income.

Yes, it's weird isn't it?! You could easily walk more than 15. Tiny dogs, I find my limit is 4 at a time.

Isn’t that £2k for the window cleaner? (Still not bad for cleaning windows)

I mean, if you look at other threads about 'menial' jobs it's the opposite. People complaining about why the services are so expensive, or people wanting to start their own business and thinking it'll be easy money. And posters responding with the costs.
Dog-walking/pet-sitting for example - if you use the search there are loads of posters wanting to start their own business, being told how much insurance, animal first aid, the 'driving to pick up' etc all costs a lot. Even people supposedly in the industry like @fieldsofbutterflies have guessed your earnings at much lower because of all the other costs.

Personally I think people underestimate how much more the self-employed make thanks to how tax/business expenses work. DH's family are all in trade/agriculture as contractors and keep most of more of what they make, compared to the equivalent FT salary.

I am always horrified at the cost of dog boarding. Why do dogs cost £35 or more a night to house in your own home (assuming the owner provides the food) when I only get paid £5 a night for boarding a horse (DIY livery where the owner provides the food)and maybe an extra £5 pounds if I feed it and turn it out in the field for a few hours? I does seem odd that people think horses are expensive to keep when dogs cost more!

My rate is £30, which is similar to kennels, maybe a few quid more. So, people who use me do so, because they want their dog in a nice warm home, with home comforts, a human always close by etc, instead of being shoved into what is essentially an outside prison for a few weeks. The kennel near me closes at 5pm, all the workers go home, and the dogs are completely alone until 8am the next morning. Hardly the same as sleeping on my bed, is it? It's worth an extra £3 a night for their peace of mind.

Dog-walking/pet-sitting for example - if you use the search there are loads of posters wanting to start their own business, being told how much insurance, animal first aid, the 'driving to pick up' etc all costs a lot. Even people supposedly in the industry like @fieldsofbutterflies have guessed your earnings at much lower because of all the other costs

Insurance - £120 per annum
License - £120 per annum

These are literally my only overheads. I do not collect dogs or drop dogs off. Owners deliver them to me.

How do you know which dogs will get on with each other?

You do a meet and greet, where a new dog comes to your house BEFORE it stays. You observe it with the other dogs you have in, and if there is any hint of aggression, they are rejected. In 11 years, I have turned away about 6.

Well technically they aren't the only ones- even though you're 'using it anyway' the cost of heating, electricity, cleaning materials etc. should also count as overheads, although they may be negligible. Also, your 'salary' per hour should also be factored into the cost of providing the service - although the dogs are just sleeping, you still have to be present except for those 3 hours you're allowed out.

Finally, if you think about it from a business POV , you (and others in the industry) get zero benefits from publicizing your low overheads, and making it sound easy. Not only will you encourage competition - although I'd imagine the size of house needed is a barrier to entry - although someone else with a smaller place could board less dogs. You'll also get people complaining about how expensive you are, considering you profiteering, and all sorts of other things!

I'm not sure what your intention was at starting the thread - miffed at people thinking you earn 'pocket money', curious at the lack of understanding regarding how easy , stress-free and decently paid your job is. All of this only benefits you, so in your shoes, I'd actually be happy that they don't know. And not attempt to correct them...

Why don't you charge more?
Dog boarding isn't big business everywhere, there has to be a captive market. Where I live friends/neighbors look after each other's pets so there isn't much demand.

£5 a night for DIY livery is incredibly cheap. Around here the prices are almost double that.

But you also need to remember that nobody boards their dog 24-7, so it works out much pricier for a horse when you look at it as a year-round cost. Horses are also more expensive to feed and need tack, shoes, rugs, dentists etc.

The one I chose not to go with has six boarding at £30 a night, plus another six per walk for four walks a day. Each walk is about £20. A business van and I imagine insurance is high but everything else is provided by the dog owner.

So assuming dog walks are just weekdays then £9600 a month for walks and around £5000 a month for boarding assuming usually fully booked, which they seem to be. So up to £175k?? Even if only half full all of the time, that's still well over £80k.