“merito”, so to speak, of the pandemic. Even in New York, as in Italy, many people have adopted a pet to have company in the difficult days of the lockdowns. But, with the end of the emergency and smartworking, when life has returned to normal and work in the offices, cats and dogs found themselves alone at home. Some new owners (in Italy it happened very often) have seen fit to abandon the furry. Others have sought help. Hence the boom in requests for dog sitters: in New York, the world capital of the art of ingenuity and proposing new futuristic services, they also earn 100,000 dollars a year (as told by one New York Times article). In short, not what is commonly defined as a “job”.
Food, Dog Sitter & Co. We spend more on pets than on children
Also in Italy the lockdown has favored the adoption of pets, up to 62 million (we are second in Europe). Far exceeding the Italian population itself, which stands at 59.11 million individuals. In short, the future belongs to a society with fewer children, but full, full of dogs and cats. Hence the estimates on the growth of products and services related to the pet world: will go from 232 billion dollars in 2020 to 350 billion in 2027 (today in Italy it is worth 3.5 billion). Italians already spend – notes Nielsen – something like 949 million a year just for dogs and cats, almost 50% more than what is destined for their children (633 million).
How do you become a pet sitter and how much does it earn?
Given these factors and the growing demand, the “profession” of dog sitter has also changednot just an occasional job for students. On average, a dog sitter or a cat sitter can start from a fee of 7 euros per hour up to over 18 per hour. The average is 11 euros. But then you need to consider variables such as the size of the dog, the number of animals to manage, whether the service is provided at home or at night.
Platforms for Dog Sitters and Cat Sitters
There are many platforms available that are worth signing up for to be easily reachable by the owners. And some are stricter on their sitter acceptance requirements. It is, admittedly, Roofusa booking platform for Dog Sitting, to which dog sitters can register for free, entering their certifications, the rate and the availability of the day and time.
There is then rovers, large global network of dog sitters, pet sitters and dog walkers. If you want to register there is a profile review cost of 35 euros plus a 20% commission on the profit obtained from each booking.
Pawshake is an Italian petsitting platform: if you want to register as a dogsitter, the commissions on the income obtained from each booking are 19%.
Holidog is one of the most important and reliable companies in Italy to rely on to find dogsitters and petsitters.
Also Petme is a very professional search engine for dogsitters, catsitters and petsitters. You can sign up for free and earn without commissions.
There is then Animalin where you can also apply as a sitter of snakes, iguanas, rodents, ferrets, horses, birds, fish, turtles and even chickens.
Pet sitter courses and certifications
On the training front, it is of course not necessary to be a dog educator to become a pet sitter. On the contrary: in general you can start without having taken courses. Of course it is essential to be familiar with animals, to know their characteristics and to know how to “treat” them, even in the case of temperamental excesses or physical ailments.
In any case, as a rule, before being “hired” as a pet sitter, the dog and owner meet, perhaps for a walk, to understand if there is a feeling with the animal.
A course for Dog Sitters and Cat Sitters
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