Henry is the gentlest soul. And I can watch him all the time.
I didn’t wake up one day and decide to start a side job. Quite the opposite.
After my neighbor’s dog sitter turned her down just before a trip, I offered to look after her dog for a few days. That’s when I realized how easy it was to fit dog sitting into my life as a part-time job.
With Beagle Felix you can’t start your day without a walk (even when it rains).
Turning a passion or hobby into a second source of income is pretty common these days, even among other financial experts at CNET Money. My colleague Dashia Milden is a fitness enthusiast who works as a spin instructor to pay her student loans and recreational expenses. Another colleague, Katherine Watt, has several babysitting clients and watches the kids up to four times a week to pay the rent.
Last year I made about $4,000 just hanging out with other people’s dogs. What’s not to like?
Dog sitting is not for everyone, but for me it is perfect
Dog sitting fits my lifestyle since I work from home and have no kids or pets, plus there’s nothing I like more than spending time with a cute dog.
Sister, a German Shepherd mix, is always ready to play a mean game of catch.
I have dog sitting jobs on my calendar months in advance. Most of the time I stay overnight. Sometimes I just stop by to walk a puppy when his owner has had a long day at work. It took me a while to come up with a price list that was competitive with the cost of boarding a dog in my zip code. All of my clients found me through word of mouth, so I’ve managed to build a client list without spending any time or money on marketing.
I usually make between $200 and $1,000 a month, depending on the season. For example, over the holidays I spent the entire month of December dog sitting and made over $1,000. Once the holidays were over and fewer people were traveling, I had nothing to do until spring break.
Now that it’s summer, my schedule is getting more busy again. As I write this, I am looking after two rescued puppies that weigh 45 kg and that I look after regularly.
If you’re interested in dog sitting, sign up to apps like Wag or Rover where you can offer dog sitting services with customized rates. This is a great way to connect with people in your area who need care for their dogs. If you’re not interested in overnight stays, you can just offer dog walking.
What I do with my dog sitting income
I often share my experiences with balancing saving and paying off debt. For the first time in my adult life, I was able to make regular contributions to my high-interest savings account, thanks solely to my dog-sitting income.
Poppy, a dachshund mix, always thinks about treats and belly rubs.
I put about 50% of my extra income into my high-interest savings account and the other 50% into my checking account. Sometimes I use the second half for myself, other times I need it to supplement my monthly bills. The best part is that I know I have a little extra cushion in case there are any financial surprises.
A part-time job doesn’t have to feel like work
It doesn’t matter what your motivation is for pursuing a side hustle, the majority of U.S. households live paycheck to paycheck, so most of us need the extra money.
However, I would never suggest a side job without knowing that it can be challenging to handle a job alone. For this reason, I never considered taking a part-time job.
If you’re thinking about getting a side hustle, try spreading the word by posting on public forums like Nextdoor or local Facebook groups. You can use websites like Canva or Adobe Express to create custom business cards for free or at a low cost. Print them out and hand them out to your neighbors or hang them on public bulletin boards.
To avoid burnout, it’s important to find a part-time job that you really enjoy. I also realize that we can’t always choose how and where we earn money to survive.
If you’re motivated to develop another source of income and have talents or interests that can be monetized, try to incorporate it into your lifestyle. As long as it seems doable, you may be able to grow it into something bigger.
