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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To give up nursing to become a dog Walker??

28 replies

Ploppity · 06/10/2022 18:05

I work as a nurse part time I earn roughly £700 a month. It’s stressful, get treated like shit by staff and patients alike and the pay is shite.

My mate gave up her job to become a dog Walker. She loves it, spends all day strolling around outdoors and earns £900 a month.

Sounds too good to be true!? AIBU to consider giving up my career to walk dogs??

OP posts:
serenghetti2011 · 06/10/2022 18:10

You must be very part time? I’m part time and earn 1500 a month

you’d need insurance and some idea about dogs?
id work in a shop if I could but I can’t afford it at the moment but sick of nursing and being made to feel like I’m just another grunt

miceonabranch · 06/10/2022 18:13

Only if you can guarantee enough work.

You could work one nightshift a week on agency or in a care home in order to provide yourself with a basic background income then do dog walking as a top up. Nights are less stressful, especially in care homes. No relatives, phones ringing, meals, hospital visits, physios etc.

nannybeach · 06/10/2022 18:15

A friend who was made redundant from admin did this. She had to complete 32 modules,stuff you would expect, how to cope with aggressive dogs,first aid, but a lot you wouldn't,other animals, right down to lizards. I don't know how much her insurance was. She bought a proper ex police dog van with sections.

RedWingBoots · 06/10/2022 18:17

miceonabranch · 06/10/2022 18:13

Only if you can guarantee enough work.

You could work one nightshift a week on agency or in a care home in order to provide yourself with a basic background income then do dog walking as a top up. Nights are less stressful, especially in care homes. No relatives, phones ringing, meals, hospital visits, physios etc.

This.

One of my SILs use to do some agency work until she got a community job.

nannybeach · 06/10/2022 18:17

Forgot about the cost of advertising, online site, business cards, accountant.she has a good client base now,works on word of mouth, also does doggy day care, occasionally boarding just for friends.

girlmom21 · 06/10/2022 18:26

Can't you do both while you build a client base?

Levriers · 06/10/2022 18:47

Do you know anything about dogs ? It’s not just strolling around in the countryside 🙄

Teenytinyfeet · 06/10/2022 18:57

No. You need to have good knowledge of and experience of dogs (ex dog Walker here) it’s hard, stressful work if you’re taking groups out (which is where the money is) and it’s a completely saturated market nowadays, bit like being a personal trainer and the like, everyone’s doing it now. Stick to nursing.

GardenOfficer · 06/10/2022 18:58

I'd only be a dog-walker if the dogs would only ever shit deep in the wood so I wouldn't have to pick it up! Otherwise you're basically a professional shit picker-upper.

Also the problem is that everyone wants their dogs walked at the same time, lunchtime, so there is a real limit to how much you can make.

WonkasBooboofixer · 06/10/2022 19:05

Given the cost of living increases when things get tight I think the dog walker will be the first thing to go maybe not the right time to make the change

LicoricePizza · 06/10/2022 19:05

Grass is always greener but don’t blame you for considering it given nursing pay, hours, treatment etc.

Like others are saying you need insurance, knowledge, transport, dog skills & are responsible for peoples’ animals that are viewed as importantly as their kids.

If you can’t recall a dog, lose one or god forbid have one stolen from you (dogs are lucrative business sadly even outside of Covid demand etc) could you reimburse them, cope with that??

Plus managing animals & knowing how to de-escalate /intervene with fights /fear aggression etc?

Don’t think it’s as easy as you may think unless you’re skilled already.

Makes me wonder about other dog walkers now though!

But obvs if you are knowledgeable & already experienced with dogs or willing to train nothing wrong with a career change 🐶 & out of the NHS (alas).

lannistunut · 06/10/2022 19:06

YANBU to look for alternatives to nursing, sadly, it is a disgrace how this government is treating nurses.

But dogs are horrid <ducks>

Arnaquer · 06/10/2022 19:07

I would suggest its an already saturated market and as others have said in the current climate where money is short will be one of the things people will cut back on.

DeliberatelyObtuse · 06/10/2022 19:07

Being self employed is very different to being employed. Make sure you factor that in.

ohsotired2022 · 06/10/2022 19:07

Been nursing for 17 years and desperately want to leave.

Xiaoxiong · 06/10/2022 19:11

I would try and leverage your skills to make more money with what qualifications you have, being a nurse is so valuable and you worked hard for that! Can you get a job being a nurse in a private facility? Private nurse to a rich elderly person? Research trials? Boarding school nurse with free accommodation and school holidays?

RoseAndRose · 06/10/2022 19:11

Do remember when you're making pay comparisons to ensure you're comparing like for like.

Is your pay your gross or net figure and what are your pension arrangements? Is your dog walker friend giving you figures for turnover, gross profit or net?

SimonaRazowska · 06/10/2022 19:12

Are you good with dogs?

Could you handle walking multiple dogs on the lead (or control them when off lead?)

Do you have a van?

Insurance?

As a dog owner with 2 large dogs, I find the idea of being a walker of other people's dogs very stressful

MatildaTheCat · 06/10/2022 19:12

Dog walking is erratic. You need a decent number of regular clients and to get that you need to build up by offering ad hoc walk as well. Maybe also boarding which is better paid but a big commitment.

Then you have transport costs- my Walker spends more time in her car than walking. Expensive on fuel and maintenance. If she’s injured or I’ll she can’t work.

I suspect you are venting. As a former nurse and midwife have you looked into other roles? There are so many. I loved outpatients and clinics. The pension has saved me as I had to retire early on health grounds.

inheritanceshiteagain · 06/10/2022 19:13

Good luck with the dog walking. Out in all weathers, picking up multiple bags of dogshit, Wet muddy dogs to wipe down each day. Take off the rose tinted glasses. Get a better paid nursing job where you are appreciated.

WiddlinDiddlin · 06/10/2022 19:14

You need some dog skills, just being able to put one on a lead and go out and come home with the same dog is not enough.

To be financially viable you need to be able to walk several peoples dogs at once.

The alternative is to offer private walks, and possibly do some training - which gets a higher fee but you need far more skills for that and it is less popular due to the higher costs.

You will need a van with secure cages - vans aren't too expensive, but the cages ARE, and the commercial vehicle insurance of course.

You will need your own insurance, dogs can cause very expensive accidents.

You need some understanding of how to run a dog business, for example you can't just load up a bunch of dogs who do not know one another, stick leads on and walk them, you will end up with a dog fight on your hands.

You'll need to understand dog behaviour, have some first aid training, set up a system to assess new client dogs before they go out with you.

The market is pretty saturated, and of course good dog walkers prices will always be undercut by the uninsured, un-skilled twats who will load their car up with ten dogs, drive to a field, let them go, causing fights and drama everywhere... or load up the car and drive around all day and not walk the dogs (or shut them in the conservatory in their own home and go out for the day and the dogs all die from heat stroke... actually happened, she lied and said the dogs ran off in the woods, she had everyone out looking, claimed they'd been stolen, all sorts, when she knew they were all dead.)

These people will not just steal clients from you, they'll stop people ever being your client because even though most people cotton on and stop using them... they're usually so put off dog walkers they won't ever use another!

It does on the surface seem an easy way to earn money but it isn't, and it's also pretty unreliable income wise - this summer all my dog walker friends lost thousands because it was too hot to walk dogs, and no walky... no money. Even with going to clients homes to let dogs out for wees, they didn't make the money they were used to making during those weeks and many people didn't need them to do that at all.

There are also days the weather is just too horribly wet and windy to take dogs out and again, you'll lose money there.

You really do need to love dogs and actively want to work with them, AND have a good understanding of the professional dog industry and running a small business. I am not saying don't do it... im saying do your research!

LicoricePizza · 06/10/2022 19:17

WiddlinDiddlin · 06/10/2022 19:14

You need some dog skills, just being able to put one on a lead and go out and come home with the same dog is not enough.

To be financially viable you need to be able to walk several peoples dogs at once.

The alternative is to offer private walks, and possibly do some training - which gets a higher fee but you need far more skills for that and it is less popular due to the higher costs.

You will need a van with secure cages - vans aren't too expensive, but the cages ARE, and the commercial vehicle insurance of course.

You will need your own insurance, dogs can cause very expensive accidents.

You need some understanding of how to run a dog business, for example you can't just load up a bunch of dogs who do not know one another, stick leads on and walk them, you will end up with a dog fight on your hands.

You'll need to understand dog behaviour, have some first aid training, set up a system to assess new client dogs before they go out with you.

The market is pretty saturated, and of course good dog walkers prices will always be undercut by the uninsured, un-skilled twats who will load their car up with ten dogs, drive to a field, let them go, causing fights and drama everywhere... or load up the car and drive around all day and not walk the dogs (or shut them in the conservatory in their own home and go out for the day and the dogs all die from heat stroke... actually happened, she lied and said the dogs ran off in the woods, she had everyone out looking, claimed they'd been stolen, all sorts, when she knew they were all dead.)

These people will not just steal clients from you, they'll stop people ever being your client because even though most people cotton on and stop using them... they're usually so put off dog walkers they won't ever use another!

It does on the surface seem an easy way to earn money but it isn't, and it's also pretty unreliable income wise - this summer all my dog walker friends lost thousands because it was too hot to walk dogs, and no walky... no money. Even with going to clients homes to let dogs out for wees, they didn't make the money they were used to making during those weeks and many people didn't need them to do that at all.

There are also days the weather is just too horribly wet and windy to take dogs out and again, you'll lose money there.

You really do need to love dogs and actively want to work with them, AND have a good understanding of the professional dog industry and running a small business. I am not saying don't do it... im saying do your research!

Good reply - shocking too

RagzRebooted · 06/10/2022 19:19

Not all nursing jobs are bad.
I love mine. I'm well paid (£30k a year for 32 hours a week) for someone who qualified 3 years ago, treated well, always get my breaks, have time to chat to my patients and really make a difference to each one. Plenty of ongoing training. Mostly work alone but within a brilliant team. Lots of autonomy and control over my workload.

I work in General Practice.

RedWingBoots · 07/10/2022 05:36

One thing people haven't mentioned is in some places e.g. parks, commons you need a license to walk dogs in them and you can only walk 6 dogs at a time.

And yes they will catch you as other people using the park, common, etc will report you especially if any of your dogs are out of control.

Qwerkie · 07/10/2022 05:46

How many hours does your friend work compared to you?