How much would you guess I earn?

[Dogladyloveswine]

I took redundancy from a very corporate job a few years ago. Very respectable job title with a big company.

I decided to have a go at home dog boarding. So I look after dogs in my home for people who don’t like kennels. I also do a bit of doggie day care. It’s all just in my house.

It obviously doesn’t carry the same respect that my corporate job did! You don’t need any qualifications.

If you had to guess, what would you think I earn a month?

I assumed you were in a big farm!

How can you fit 7 dogs in?

I can’t WFH as I’d go mad but if I could then this would be my dream job - literally just get to play with dogs all day!
But I always assumed people did it when they just needed a bit of extra cash and it wasn’t their main source of income.
I had no idea you could make decent money out of it.

I can guarantee your house smells, especially in the winter.

Good for you Op for finding something you enjoy. I've never had a dog and can't possibly take in any cats, ours would have a fit and the house isn't set up to be able to do this.

Once DH has finished his PhD I'm going to suggest we try and get on the books of a pet sitting company. DH has had dogs in the past but I would prefer to cat sit.

I've not read all the threads but have you set yourself up with a personal pension, you may not want to be doing this forever

Why?

I find people starting their own businesses incredibly interesting.

I actually find hearing about what other people do and their lives really fascinating, as else you’d never know.

There was a woman who was an escort which I found fascinating.
And then someone said that as a child they lived in a funeral home and I’d have loved to hear more about that.

Ooooh, I wonder if people will let me look after their cats in my home 🤔😁

Yes!!

My DH is thinking of doing this when he retires!

My staffy stayed with a lovely lady, who also had a staffy of her own and unbeknownst to me a second staffy boarder there with my boy. All fine dog wise, my lad was very friendly. However, disaster struck when she left them alone for an hour or so - it was so long ago, I can't remember how long she said she was out for. She came home to her sofa in bite sized pieces of foam all over the room. It was utterly destroyed. I'm sure my dog didn't start it but he probably joined in.

I thought like this too. I remember when I was working in my old job, one day I was leaving B&Q and I saw an advert for a dog boarder on the notice board. I can clearly remember thinking "Ah poor thing" assuming she was on little to no money. How wrong was I? It's made me think more about these blue collar jobs, and realise some people are raking it in, and no one realises. Think about your window cleaner for eg. 7 small dogs take very little room.

the dog business is a good earner

i pay more and have someone stay in my house with my two dogs as I want them to have the persons full attention! It’s a great gig for someone with a wfh job as well

You are a dogminder! I like the idea. I'm glad you like your job and you are doing well. I hate my job at the moment but I don't like dogs as much as you so I won't be copying you.

I think well done you - there are lots of job which are relatively easy that earn well.
Your house does smell though - you just can't smell it anymore.

What area of the country are you in? Your prices are very low compared to what we pay here! Average is around £40 a day for day care and £60+ for overnight

Sounds like you got a sweet deal although I wouldn’t post about this 🤣 why are you giving yourself competitor’s when the bar to entry is very low. Especially with more people losing their jobs.

I also have a veryyyyy cushty stay at home job and make a hugeee monthly income (nothing weird or sexual) but there is no way I would talk about it online, I don’t want to make competition for myself 😂

I think it sounds amazing. Not sure why its wound up some people.

A lot of dogs together is not always safe for other dogs or the human, do you have strategies in place in case one goes rogue?

The world is a very big place with room for everyone.

I think it sounds great, OP! Some MNers seem to have got out of the wrong side of bed this morning, I've noticed it elsewhere today too. The 'stealth boast' thing is very tedious. 🙄

As a fellow freelancer albeit in a different line of work, I've had the whole thing of being expected to work for peanuts too. I think some people's perceptions of any work that isn't done in a 'workplace' and for an employer is that it's pin money (especially when it's done by a woman - I definitely think there's a gendered element to this). One MNer on a recent thread thought someone should accept a tenner for what sounded like quite a specialist task they'd completed! So depressing in this day and age.

Oh that’s a shame. I’d love to know what it is. Is it the sort of thing that could be ruined if anyone in the country did it or are you worried local people might compete?

Where I am we are really short of dog sitters. I no longer put my dog in with a sitter/border but at the time I had to take her to the next town because of a lack of local ones.

I experience similar, OP. I work in an unglam, poorly understood but highly niche (so won’t be divulging what it is) self-employed discipline. I get to travel around the country, work at lots of interesting events, and pre-Covid, travel internationally on occasion. I’ll pick up about £7.5k in income for June alone.

Family, friends and the general public - who have zero interest in or understanding of what I do - seem to think I work for sub-MW and a Curly Wurly. Not to mention “throwing my life away”. Such is life.

OMG? This is what you said ‘am done waking them by 9am. Then I don’t have to do anything till their afternoon feed at 3pm. I’m free to sit in the garden and chill’.

That’s very true.

I was a teacher and I got a job teaching adults.

Most of them had jobs but wanted/needed to do their maths and English to get certain qualifications.

The amount of them that were earning double what I was one was insane.
People like scaffolders, brick layers and HGV drivers. Plus they had half of the stress and pressure that I was under too.

None of my family went to uni but none were successful but I did because I thought that’s made you successful.
My DC is getting to that age and I’ve been drilling it into them that they just go to uni but I’m considering whether going down a completely different route is better.

I'm just in the process of getting my licence but mostly for doggy day care. It works out at £500 per dog/slot per month (£35 a day weekdays only). I know it's possible to earn a lot more than the but I'm going for minimal stress.

Oh that doesn't make sense. I'm only having a total of 3 dogs so I'm capped at £1500. It's aimed at dogs who need a calm environment.

Ok that’s cool. You definitely don’t work 3 hours per day then. It’s more like a full time job. You have to be there in the house with them in case the dogs needs you, you do 3 x hour walks a day and all the other various feeding, picking up poo, brushing. You might have downtime but it’s disingenuous to say you only work 3 hours a day when you’re on call 20 out of 24 hours. You in fact work more than most - just it’s not all active work.