How much to charge?

Question

I want to take care of people's pets while they are on their vacation. How much should I charge them for my services? By pets I mean cats and dogs,
Thank you

Lets say that I will have to feed the animal and walk it three times a day. What is the daily charge?

Answer 1

Hello sweetundina - here are a couple of links that will be helpful to you:

http://home.earthlink.net/~tishaw/id1.html (fees for everything to a visit and freshening waterbowl to overnight stays), for example $10.00/walk, changing a litter box (with supplies provided by owner): $3.00.

www.angelfire.com/gundam/ayane/sitting_fees.htm - fees for daily visits for one pet, add $2.00 for second cat / $5.00 for second dog.

www.cateredcritters.com/fees.htm - fees in New Jersey
www.vipetsitter.com/service.htm - fees in Colorado
www.raincitypets.com/petsitting.html - fees in Seattle/Oregon
www.aaapet-sitting.com - petsitting w/payment by Visa or MC
www.thepetcompanions.com - (nice website that offers other information on breeders, Pet Sitters International and National Association of Professional Pet Sitters).

Be sure and check out domain name availability for a caring or catchy name. Work up a creative flyer with bullets outlining what you offer and visit the local pet stores to ask if you can leave some flyers with them. (Be sure to throw some business their way, and ask for their cards.) Best of luck. Woof.

Answer 2

charge 20 dollars a day, and for a week, charge a 100. Just to get started off, you know, like maybe a first time to take care of your pets special. Then once you start getting more animals to take care of, and the the second time people come to you to let you care for their pets, maybe charge 25-35 dollars for the day, and 150-200 a week. Charge what you need to make what you want. Always have a goal in mind. Do you want to make 500 dollars a month or do you want to make 1,000? Also if you are buying the food, you have to take that in account, as well. I would charge more if you provide the food. If you provide food, maybe charge 30-40 dollars a day and 200-230 a week. But, also go by the feedback that you get from your clients. because i wouldn't mind paying 25 dollars to have you take care of my dog for a day, you know? I would maybe be hesitant of paying 40, though, you see what i mean? So, if you live in a rich area, charge a little more and go by the feedback of your customers.

Answer 3

I'm sure it will vary based on where you live, your expertise and how well you can position your business. That said, just go down to local stores like Petco or local pet stores which have boards where similar services are offered- check their prices. Also check websites, etc. to see what information you can gather.

If you are experienced, maybe you can get more money. If you're someone just starting out and you just like animals, perhaps you can't charge as much. But do come up with one important thing: a reason why someone should hire you over someone else. If that means getting some additional qualifications, do it. Then you can certainly charge more in the long-run.

Answer 4

do you have a business license, or is this something you want to do on the side? Call other pet sitters in your area and find out how much they charge. Also, make sure you charge a little extra for "special needs" pets.

I live in Nevada, and we have pet sitters that charge $15-$18 a day, they come to your house, sit with your pets 45 min and feed them, clean litter boxes or poopie. I would think that different parts of the US would charge different amounts.

Answer 5

Be advised: Price is the most important decision a business person will ever make. Charge enough to cover your expenses (including your time) but not too much that people won't pay. Lots of luck. Sounds like a good idea to me..people will pay a lot when it comes to their pets. Pets get sick and catch bad things in those kennels.

Answer 6

Most boarders charge at least $20 per day, per pet. It may also depend on where you are hosting the dogs and what kind of capital outlay you put into those facilities. Rates usually also escalate up a bit based on weight - a 80 lb. dog requires more effort, food, etc than a 20lb. dog does.

Answer 7

Call some other services as a customer and find out what they charge. Are you going to keep them in your home, or are you starting a new business in a separate location? If you're going to a separate location, you can go 3 - 5% less than the lowest quote you get to help bring customers in. If you're working out of your house, you can go as high as a ten percent discount or better because you have no overhead.

Good luck!

Answer 8

You should probably charge anywhere between $50 to $100 a week for basic care. If the dog or cat requires certain care like food must be prepared this way, must be groomed this way etc. you should charge more.

Answer 9

Consult with your local phone book.

Call a dog sitting/service and ask how much
they charge and what services they provide.

If you are planning on doing just as much work
as the pro, then keep your price near to what
the service quotes you on the phone.

Answer 10

Have a look at the local kennels and cattery etc, and see what they are charging and go from there. You can probabley find them in the phone book, just call them up with a "query"