Dog walking & sitting
You walk and look after other people's dogs, either at their place or yours. Clients find you on Rover and Wag or by word of mouth, and you get paid per walk or per night.
Rover
DoorDash
Instagram
WagIf you love working with animals and dont mind picking up feces and throw up, it is a very rewarding hustle! I enjoy caring for all the little critters! I honestly wouldnt change a thing.
Rover· 1–2 years in · 2 weeks agoI really enjoy dog walking, and Dogsitting because it gives me the flexibility to work, and it gives me the ability to move and get exercise, interact with my customers, and work across Charlottesville. It has low barriers to entry. If you use an app, you just have to pay the background check fee and percentage of your earnings go towards the app, but it's an easy way to market yourself online. It can be difficult to scale, you can only visit so many dogs in a day, or board x amount of dogs, but with a strong clientele trust base comes increased earning potential. I wish I had planned to have more regular dog walking schedules in select neighborhoods, so I could walk multiple dogs at once to scale more.
Rover· 5+ years in · 2 weeks agoWhat do you love or hate the most about your side hustle? What I love most is getting to spend time with animals while making extra money. I genuinely enjoy taking care of pets, and it’s nice having a side hustle that can be flexible around my regular work schedule. The hardest part is that it can sometimes be unpredictable, especially with last-minute requests, early mornings, weekends, or holidays. What advice would you give someone just starting out? Be reliable and communicate well with pet owners. People are trusting you with their pets and their homes, so building that trust is really important. I’d also recommend starting with a schedule you can realistically manage and being clear about your availability and expectations from the beginning. What would you change about your side hustle if you could? I would probably be more selective about the jobs I take and set better boundaries around my schedule. It can be easy to say yes to everything for the extra money, but the driving and time can add up quickly. I’d focus more on repeat clients who live nearby and fit well into my schedule.
DoorDash· 3–6 months in · 2 weeks agoValue your design skills
Most people doing dog walking & sitting overpay on taxes — here's the full write-off guide.
