I’m a self-employed house and pet sitter. I’m a qualified Veterinary Nurse and have worked with companion animals for over 30 years. I set up my own business over 7 years ago. I also provide other services such as cat/pet sitting visits, treatments such as nail trimming, ear cleaning etc and am qualified to administer medications such as insulin injections.
I charge £50/night, am fully insured with Petplan business insurance and have a DBS certificate. I always show these documents, including my VN certificate to new customers.
When I’m house sitting in a customer’s home, I provide all my own food and beverages. I keep their home and garden clean and tidy. I launder all the bed linen before they return and provide fresh milk, loaf of bread, etc for them.
I mainly advertise on Facebook and Google business. I don’t have a website as I get lots of recommendations from existing customers.
Pros - meeting lovely customers and their fabulous pets. Getting to stay in some great places which can be like a little holiday. My biggest pro is the peace of mind and reassurance that I give the customer whilst they’re away which means they can relax and enjoy themselves knowing that their pets and home are being well cared for.
Cons - the nature of the business is very seasonal so I am a lot quieter over the winter months and then extremely busy between March and October. Also, it can take a couple of years to build a solid customer base.