RSSYou too can become a “Dog Walker”
Nov 07
animals, dogs, pet sitter, Pets No Comments
Jen & Andy 1999
So, I have had a lot of people ask me lately how I got into the pet sitting Biz. Well, it all started back in 1998 when I was working for a vet hospital in Scottsdale. At the time I was living in Mesa and drove up to Scottsdale every day. At 23 years old the drive didn’t seem to faze me at all. I was just glad to have the work. You see at that time I was planning to go to vet school. I had dreams of going to UC Davis and becoming an equine vet. Somehow I wound up a pet sitter and to some a mere Dog Walker. I hate that term Dog Walker. It sounds so subordinate. Can’t we have a great PC term like pet care technician? Maybe then we would garner a small amount of respect. It’s funny to me because you see most people think I am a poor and a meager pet sitter, walking dogs for a living down the Phoenix streets because I am too stupid to do anything else. I have had clients feel the need to show me how to open the mail box and one that had to show me how to throw out a bag of poop in the dumpster. I had to ask “is there a trick to this or something?” Funny thing is this client still uses our service 12 years later. I’ve also had several clients over the years act as if I should be honored that I can stay in their large and luxurious homes. One even willed me their home so that I could move in and live with their cat if they passed away. Now I don’t mean to seem ungrateful. I mean that’s a lot of trust, and it was a cute condo, but it is a bit presumptuous to think I’d be so willing to move out of my home in the event of their death. You see, I live in a 3000 sq ft home on 1.5 acre in Rio Verde with a pool and 6 stall barn in the backyard. All of which I acquired with my great deal of stupidity, so I ask you where would you rather live?
Back on subject, the start of my pet sitting or dog walking career (depending on which term you prefer) began with two separate occurrences, and I can’t remember which came first the chicken or the egg. One occurrence was with a lady by the name of Kate, who bred Oriental Short Hair cats that came into the vet clinic where I worked. She had dropped off one of her cats for surgery and need someone to take it home to her house because she wasn’t able to make it to the clinic before we closed. Being the enthusiastic money earner I am, I volunteered. Well, not volunteered I did make $20.00. The second occurrence was one faithful trip to the mail boxes. Doesn’t that just sound cliché? A guy by the name of Mike had posted a sign at the apartment mailboxes were I lived requesting someone to come and care for his dog every Monday thru Friday while he was out of town for business, so I pulled the little tab and I called the number and set up a time to meet with Mike to discuss the job. When Andy and I arrived at the house we were greeted by a man about 6’1” wearing Hawaiian boxers, and a cute little Schnauzer mix, “Buster”. It was quite a sight let me tell you and unfortunately wasn’t the last time I would have to see Mike in boxers. After some very short negotiations we found ourselves agreeing to come be Busters pet sitter for $5.00 a visit. Yes, you heard correctly $5.00 a visit. Learning to stand firm on prices came much later in my career. The following Monday my first dog walking job started and The Animal’s Kingdom Pet Sitting Service was born.