I need to know what to charge as a pet sitter!

[EconDiva]

So after moving into a new place by myself and now that I work from home, I decided to post an ad on our apartment's website stating I am available as a dog sitter.

This was this morning and upon checking my email two people who have contacted me already inquiring about rates.

I looked on Craigslist and see people charging $25-$30 it seems per visit.  I was going to tell people $20 per visit (slightly lower than market rate since I don't need to drive to the actual pet) which can include feeding/petting/playing/walking. I can offer a discount if they want it done every workday every week for instance though.

Any idea on if the $20 per visit rate seems reasonable??  I haven't walked dogs in a long time.  The last time I did the couple paid me $75 per week to visit their golden retriever Monday-Friday.  I would mostly just walk and feed him with a little bit of play time at the end usually up to about 30 minutes per visit.  That was way back in 2007 though. 

[Undecided]

Pet sitting can mean a range of things. Depends on what you're going to do. I presume you're not talking about sleeping in the pet owner's apt. while s/he's away? Doing a morning and afternoon walk, feedings and letting the dog out to relieve itself before bed could justify $25/day where I live, sure.

[lizzzi]

My pet sitting company, that most of the people in this apartment complex use, will come into your apartment as often as you want from early AM until 8 PM, and will walk your dog, feed and play with him, do anything else the dog needs (medication, whatever) sending you a text each time--often with a photo--for $20 per visit. This is in the mid-Hudson valley, around 90 miles north of Manhattan.

[mozar]

Look at people's rates on rover.com for your area.

[tweezers]

Our petsitter is a vet tech and charges $25/day for two visits (and half that for the first and last day if she only needs to come once given our departure/arrival time).  We only have a cat, but she gives him medication and takes care of the chickens too.  I'm in a relatively small (but HCOL) town in the PNW.

[MayDay]

I would say 10$ for a 10 minute let out to pee, and 20$ for food, walk, meds, etc, ie anything more than a quick pee break.

But people might take advantage. I think you'd have to be clear that if their dog doesn't pee quickly you aren't walking them around the block or anything.

[APBioSpartan]

My wife and I do a lot of Rover (~$700/mo) since I work from home.  We initially set our prices at $5 under Rover's average for our area (Avg: $25, us: $20) to get some clientele/ratings, but we have since raised our prices.  We're up to $30/day and $33/night now, but considering increasing prices again to keep up with demand.  Really depends on how many requests you are getting!

[Megma]

$20 per visit for a 30 minute visit to walk/play/pee seems right to me. If they do a whole week maybe 18/ day. I would charge an extra $3 for giving medication and for additional dogs beyond the first 2.

This is about what I've paid for my pets when they needed care. It's s pretty good gig and I've thought about it as a side hustle myself but my schedule doesn't work well for it.