Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life, animal lovers, this one’s for you. In the past, providing pet care required you to form personal connections offline and manually line up gigs. But now, there’s an abundance of petsitting apps and websites that make it easier than ever to land petsitting jobs.
You can work part-time and possibly even full-time walking dogs and petsitting while owners are at work or out of town.
10 Best Sites For Petsitting Apps And Websites
Here are the top apps and websites where you can find petsitting gigs today:
1. Rover
Rover is a popular pet care app and website that connects people to local pet care providers – and even though the name sounds like it’s just an app for dog sitters, you can pet-sit other animals as well.
You can use Rover to discover boarding, house-sitting, dog walking, daycare, and drop-in opportunities. Rover customers can search for care providers, read reviews, and pick a sitter who matches their needs. All bookings and payments go through Rover.
To work for Rover, you have to be at least 18 years old and pass a background check. Laws and regulations for providing certain pet care services can also vary from place to place, so it’s important to check your local area for licensing and certification requirements.
According to the company, walkers can earn up to $1,000 per month. Average prices vary depending on the job you do. For example, boarders make about $28/night, house sitters bring in $25/night on average, and drop-in visits land $25 per visit.
2. Wag!
Wag! is an online community that connects dog walkers, trainers, and sitters with pet owners. You can make money walking and dog sitting or boarding them for longer stays.
With Wag!, you can set your schedule and the company provides a convenient app that features instant pay, automated report cards, and even live chat for communicating with pet owners. The company also has a 24/7 customer support team and offers up to $1 million in damage protection.
Payment is hourly, and the rate varies depending on your location. On average, you can expect to earn around $12 for walking dogs and $26 for boarding per night.
3. Care.com
Care.com is an online community for caregivers. Among the company’s many services, it also provides pet care opportunities.
To start, you’ll have to provide your name and contact information, work experience, skills and certifications, and pay range.
The average pay on Care.com is $11 per hour, but you can make more if you have a special experience. For example, a certified dog trainer can make an average of $20 to $25 per hour.
Care.com offers you the ability to list your services as a care giver, or to list your needs for a caregiver and review background checks.
4. Fetch!
Fetch! provides dog walking, sitting, overnight care, pet taxi services, and pet medical administration. The company services all types of animals, including birds, lizards, fish, gerbils, and even farm animals like horses and chickens.
When working for Fetch!, you can build a clientele and take on various jobs depending on your availability and what you want to work on. Income varies depending on your level of expertise and the types of assignment you choose.
For people with specialized animal knowledge, Fetch! is a great place to search for gigs.
5. PetBacker
PetBacker is a global pet care service that dog walkers, boarders, groomers, and sitters can use to connect with pet owners. As a service provider, it’s free to list your services on the site, and you can set your own rates. However, once you land gigs, the company takes a 15% to 25% service fee from your total earnings.
If you’re a world traveler and want to find petsitting gigs wherever life takes you, PetBacker is ideal.
6. PetSitter.com
PetSitter.com is an online marketplace for petsitting gigs available in most major U.S. and Canadian cities. Pet owners can post their pet care job and caretakers can create a profile to showcase their services.
You can set your own rates as a provider, but you’ll want to keep them competitive with what other people are charging. Also, some gigs will have a fixed price, while you may be able to negotiate the rates on others.
According to PetSitter.com, most pet sitters are charging between $14 and $19 per hour.
7. Meowtel
Meowtel is a premium cat sitting service, so if you’re a cat lover, look no further.
However, it’s not that easy to qualify, as the company accepts less than 10% of applicants. If you make the cut, the service is flexible, and Meowtel lets you choose your rates and availability.
To start, create an account at Meowtel and go through the onboarding questionnaire. Then, you must clear a background check and schedule a 15-minute call with the company. Pay runs from $22 to $25 per hour.
8. Nextdoor
Nextdoor is a community marketplace where you can connect with local community members to find petsitting jobs. To be clear, Nextdoor isn’t a petsitting service. Like Craigslist, Nextdoor is a publicly available website where any community member is welcome to post jobs or ask for pet care.
To view opportunities in your area, sign up by providing your name and zip code and build a profile that shows the services you provide (e.g., dog walking, bird-sitting, or cat sitting).
Nextdoor is completely free to use, and you can set your own rates. If you’re looking to find clients directly, without going through a middleman, Nextdoor is a great place to start.
9. Bay Area Pet Pals
Bay Area Pet Pals is another option if you’re in the San Francisco Bay area. This is a family-owned facility offering dog walking, petsitting, and dog boarding services as well as round-the-clock checks for people traveling. The company serves places like San Mateo, Atherton, and Belmont, among others.
Pay is $500 to $2,000 per month depending on availability, client demand, and the hours you work. Applicants need to fill out an application, pass an interview, and commit to at least one year of service.
10. Sniff and Go
Sniff and Go is a premium San Francisco pet care provider. This isn’t an on-demand app, and you’ll have to go through a comprehensive interview process to demonstrate your skill, character, and trustworthiness. But if you prefer having steady work and you live in the city or even nearby in Oakland, this is a great company to check out.
Sniff and Go is looking for part-time dog walkers and puppy taxi drivers at the time of writing.
Payment starts at $21.50 per hour, and you can also receive tips and bonuses for employee and client referrals.
