To do blatant market research here that has feck all to do with children or babies

[LEMhasgonetothedogs]

Ok, so, its lucyellensmum here, i know im not meant to be here (de-registered because spending too much time here!). But, ive had an epiphiny.

I have battled with the work thing, been a SAHM and loved it, now DD at school but not settling THAT well and i feel she needs me at home in the evenings a bit more (probably because i was SAHM) she is quite a homely wee thing.

But, i need an income - i wont be happy working in an office/shop/cleaning bla bla bla - this is because i have a problem being told what to do after pretty much being my own boss for the past 8 years.

Often thought of having my own business but coudlnt think of anything i could "do", im not very arty or anything. No real transferable skills (was a biologist in a previous life). But i love animals, especially dogs. I'm good with them and have worked with them for a long time in the past.

Why this never really occured to me in the past i don't know.

Ive looked at insurances, i have a recent CRB disclosure and lots of experience. I want to start out dog walking, and then maybe include other services as i get established. Maybe look at some self study on dog behaviour etc.

Anyway - what i want to know is - how much can i charge per hour per dog? I wouldn't want to take any more than 3 possibly 4 dogs at once. I am in the south east and was thinking about £8 per hour, per mutt. This would involve an on lead walk, with a view to off lead once i am confident that the dog will come back to me. I am learning to drive so will be able offer pick up etc and woodland walks but not straight away.

Does this sound like a feasable business? I need to bring in at least £100 to cover the loss of tax credits, obviously this wont happen straight away, but do you think i could get enough interest?

£8 an hour PER DOG? So if you had three dogs, £24 AN HOUR? For doing something most teenagers do for a couple of quid?

Sorry, I might be being thick and missing the point, and I don't have a dog, but minimum wage is £5.80 an hour, loads of people do much worse jobs for that amount. I suppose it is unlikely to be full time, so you need paying slightly more, but, really, £24 an hour is a bit much tbh.

Although, if people will pay it, good luck to you

round our way people pay mpore to have their dogs walked than they do to have their children looked after

Why would you need a CRB check to walk dogs? Genuine question...I'm baffled!

But butter there is more to it than that really, which i think, if you had a dog, you might understand. Being responsible for someone's pet, being able to keep it under control but still provide a stimulating walk. Three dogs at once - i think i would be earning my money. I certainly wouldn't bother for £5.80 an hour, it wouldnt be worth my while. There will be costs, advertising, insurance etc. I have extensive dog handling experience, am ex veterinary nurse so they are paying for the confidence that the person handling their dog knows what they are doing - i certainly woudlnt trust it to a teenager.

I have to say i was a bit but the going rate does seem to be £10 per hour, for a group walk.

Its one of those things though, a bit like cleaning - you wont work all day because you will have down time between clients etc, therefore you have to earn a decent living. £5.80 an hour? for possibly only a couple of hours work?

mylife - thats what my DP said!! lol, but i would assume that i would be in posession of people's keys and being in their house while they are at work. I have two recent enhanced disclosures, im not sure i would bother to pay to have one done though.

There is a pet walking/visiting service near us. They charge £8 per dog per hour on weekdays and £10 at weekends, max 4 dogs at once. They do pickup/dropoff and walk in local woods. They also do day visits to dogs/cats to stop them feeling lonely whilst owners are at work - that's about £5 per visit.

The CRB thing is because you have people's keys and go in theit houses.
My cat feeder charges £7 for a visit. She basically spensds 5 mins topping up the automatic feeder and water bowl. I feel that is a rip off but it is still considerably cheaper than a cattery. Especially as she is just round the corner from my house anyway to walk dogs.
I would include this in your plans if you can as it could help your plans become financially viable.

Where I live I think the average is about £6 per hour, I know of a couple of dog walkers who do about 5-7 dogs at a time, sometimes the more dogs you have, the more they want to stick together.

£8 to £10 ph sounds about right to me, its the average rate here in the Home Counties.

I wouldn't dream of entrusting my dogs to a teenager, btw, ButterPie and would far rather pay an experienced adult who has the maturity and knowledge to ensure that they and the public are safe.

Good luck LEM!

(From a very jealous Vallhala!)

I thought CRBs were job-specific? Any I have had have reported on my suitability for that particular role, and, even when I was starting two similar jobs at the same time, I had to have two CRB checks.

Round here, if you want your cat fed while on holiday it's £10 a day for one visit, £15 for two (am and pm). My friend uses some form of doggy daycare in Surrey - dog-walking, feeding etc - and I thinkshe said it was £25 a day.

I agree that £8-£10 sounds right for a straightforward dog walk in this area.

Wow. Honestly, if that is the market price then good luck to you, but I used to take fully grown adults with severe mental, learning and physical disabilities shopping and to the park and I got paid minimum wage. I suppose a dog is more likely to bite someone or something, but they aren't people...

I know what you are saying butterpie about the CRB thing, would have to look into that, its all a bit vague isnt it - they only last a short time anyway. I had one for a teaching position and needed a separate one for working for the job centre even though there was only a few months between the two.

I think that says more about how bad it was that you should have been paid to do something so specialised and caring only minimum wage My friend does similar thing and has to supplement it with nightwork - tis not right

I would quite like to offer the daycare thing actually, but not willing to at the moment as DD is too young.

I guess, ButterPie, that the reason for your wage was because it was paid by a LA or similar. If the parents or people with family responsibility for your charges were paying you privately they may well have been happy to pay you more in return for your experience and qualifications, in the same way that people pay for a private midwife, doula or a qualified nanny.

I'd want someone who knew their stuff about dogs, was aware of the law regarding them, had the means to organise immediate vet treatment if needed and so on and who was savvy re watching out for less friendly ones than my own, prevented them from approaching mums with children in tow and the like (we know from stories on here how much hassle that can cause!).

I know dogwalkers can get specific insurance which you might want to look into - this also includes key insurance - my dog walker friend had her van stolen and a bunch of her clients' keys were in there - about 30 differnet locks and the insurance covered it.

All you need to know

hf - have been looking at that site last night - thanks though x

I have to say valhalla - that i sort of felt much the same as butterpie really before i thought about it seriously, which is why i think i have discounted it as a way of making a living before. But as you say, dog walking isn't just about walking a dog - you do need to be able to have an instinct for how they are going to react to certain situations etc. Be able to spot if the dog is unwell etc. First aid, that sort of thing.

We used to use them! For our (dearly departed) cat.