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The Smiths are planning their summer vacation. For ten wonderful days they and their children will be relaxing on the sunny beaches of Florida. Along with arraigning the hotel reservations and time off from work they must also make plans for their pets care during their absence.

A quick call to the boarding kennel takes care of Sammy, the Cocker Spaniel, and Tiger, the Tabby Cat. Or does it? Sammy got so upset at the kennel last time that it took weeks for him to stop urinating on the carpets afterward. Better call the vet for tranquilizers, too.

Now the problem of the parakeet, hamsters and fish comes to mind. Also the plants can't go that long without being watered. They could call the boy down the street again, but last time he let several of the plants die, and cleaned out the refrigerator. He also couldn't come one night and the mail and newspaper got soaked in the rain. Better call the Post Office and stop the mail and have the newspaper girl hold the papers.        

Such a situation can turn a dream vacation into a nightmare. Many people refrain from owning pets for this very reason, and others just don't leave home more than a day or two. You can offer a sound solution to the Smith's dilemma with a car and a little advance planning. 

A Pet sitting business

 
Pet sitting and plant care can be a rewarding and profitable business. The idea is not to spend a day or two in the person's home but to visit once or twice a day to provide food, water, a walk, play and needed companionship to the pets at home. Pet sitters supply a necessary service to people with many pets or whose pets do not do well in a kennel situation.        

With its family gone and the normal routine upset, an animal has enough stress to deal with without having to cope with strange surroundings and other animals. In its own environment, pets do quite well alone as long as they receive the daily necessities that keep them healthy and comfortable.        

Much thought and planning must go into this type of service before ever going public with the idea. You will be entering homes of people you do not know well and can be the target of a lawsuit should something be broken or missing. You may want to contact your insurance agent to discuss the cost of a policy covering such loss. Coverage of this type would be considered liability or bonding.

Also, should this sideline business prosper, much valuable time would be taken away from your number one priority&ldots;grooming. You may want to look into hiring part-time help to conduct this service, with the option of full time, should business boom. If your pet sitting service does extremely well, you may need several employees. 

Since the most active season for your pet sitting will be summer and holidays you may need to hire an employee from the very beginning, since this is also the busiest season for the grooming salon. If you do not already employ help, you will need an employers tax number obtained through your local internal revenue office. With this you will receive information and forms necessary to deduct tax from employees' wages.

You must also file for unemployment insurance and local employment privilege taxes. A tax accountant would be of valuable help in making sure all your employer obligations are met.        

Insurance requirements are the same whether you conduct the service yourself or through your employees. Liability insurance is needed should anything be broken by you or your workers.

You are not liable for damage done by any pets your clients own unless you were negligent in caring for a known destructive animal. For instance, Sammy the Cocker Spaniel is known for chewing up rugs when left alone. The Smiths told you about this problem and instructed you keep him in the recreation room where there are no rugs. You come in one day to find that Sammy had broken the door and got into the living room and chewed a $200 carpet. You should not be liable for this damage. But if you had forgotten to close the door and left Sammy have the run of the home, you might  be liable, and would have to pay for the carpet.      

On the other hand, you should not liable should you unknowingly hire an unscrupulous and dishonest employee who steals from your clients. This of course would be terribly damaging o your professional reputation, but your employee and not you would be open to criminal charges and restitution. Also an immediate dismissal from your employment would be in order. If you knew that the  person you hired had a criminal record, though, you might  be liable for damages.        

After looking into the legal aspects of a pet-sitting service, you next must plan the service itself and your fees. The only costs you incur in this type of service is  time, travel and employee wages. You must charge enough to cover these cost and provide a profit.        

Mileage:  You may not wish to charge a mileage fee for customers within a pre-set distance radius but with the price of gasoline these days charging mileage is a must. If your free mileage area is five miles from your home or business, than everyone outside this radius should pay a fee for the mileage from your home. You may wish to set a fee according to the IRS mileage rate. Calculate the mileage round trip. If you visit a home more than once a day, this would be calculated per trip, not per day.

Let's return to the Smith family.  
The Smiths live 8 miles from your business.  You charge 45 cents a mile per trip. You must visit the  home 2 times per day. Your mileage fee would be $14.40 per  day. 

.45 per mile X   16 miles round trip X 2 times a day = $14.40 

Now that you have the mileage fee charged, you must charge a service rate. This can be done two ways. You can charge an hourly fee or a "per serviced fee. The hourly fee is the easiest. Calculate how much you will be paying your employees per hour and double or triple this time. If you will be paying    a $10/hour rate, charge $25/hour. Most homes will not require an entire hour to visit.

The problem arises when you must pay employees not only for the time spent in the home but also on the road. The key here is although you used an estimated hourly rate paid to your employees you actually pay on a commission basis, say 50% of the total receipts.           

Do you think this price is a bit too high for your customers? Remember that the Smiths would have paid over $200 in boarding fee for the dog and cat alone. That doesn't include paying the boy down the street for taking  care of the house, the hassles of calling the vet and  canceling the mail and paper, the worries that all was alright  at home and Sammy's nervous condition. You are not only supplying care for the animals, but also peace of mind and security for the home itself.

Now that you have figured out how you are going to conduct this service and the rates you will be charging, you must draw up the paper work and contracts you will need with each assignment.         The contract you draw up must include the services you will be rendering and the fee billed for that service. You should include a down payment of anywhere from 20 to 50 percent. Also included in this contract should be a liability release on all property to protect you and a veterinarian release should one of the animals in your care become sick or injured. There should be sufficient room for you to write down any special instructions and any medical information you should be aware of, such as medication, seizures, allergies, etc.

Liability and veterinarian clauses can be as follows: 

In case of emergency, I allow my veterinarian, stated above, to provide any and all treatment he finds necessary to insure my  pet's health and comfort. I agree to make immediate payment for those services upon my return.   

I understand that the Pet Sitters will take all reasonable care in carrying out the services stated above and release them from all liability to damages that might occur

To cover yourself and your business, have your contracts reviewed by a lawyer. A few dollars spent in the beginning for legal advice is much less expensive than paying higher insurance rates because of a claim or legal charges defending yourself from a lawsuit.

Now you are ready to offer your new service to the public.  Advertisements placed in your shop, on local bulletin boards and in newspapers will bring a few new clients. Business will increase gradually as your service becomes more known.  Your grooming customers are a great source of pet-sitting needs and word of mouth with spread your service where you're advertising did not reach. Handing out flyers to your customers is the best way to get word around, but be ready to explain your services and answer question several hundred times. The service is new and unknown in most areas and you will be flooded with questions.       

 When you first take on a new sitting customer, you must make an initial visit to their home to become acquainted with the animals and their routine. You will take down all the instructions and fill out the contract at this time and get a key to the home. Do not allow the owners to hide a key for you outside. If you can find it, so can someone else who may break in to burglarize the home. If the new client expects to be using your service often, you can agree to keep the key or get a copy made so you don't have to continually make initial visits for the key.        

Every clients keys must be labeled separately and kept in a file or coded with a file number and kept in a safe place when not in use. Never label the key with the owners name or address, but always use a code number. Should the key be lost or stolen, it will remain unidentifiable to someone who may use it dishonestly.        

Take the time during your initial visit to get to know the animals and gain their confidence. The worst problems usually arise when this important step is neglected and you come to the home for the first time and the family dog won't let you in the house. You can't blame the dog for this because he is only doing what comes naturally. A good rapport in the beginning is the best defense against such behavior.        

Have the client show you where everything is instead of just telling you. This includes not only the animals but their food, medication, vitamins, bowls, beds, litter boxes, collars and leads. Also make sure you know where every plant sits and where the watering can is. It's very easy to miss a plant situated in an odd window or shadowy corner.  Instruct your client to have enough food and supplies at the home that will be needed for their entire absence. You should not be the one to be concerned about buying food and supplies.        

Calculate the estimated fee and have the client sign the contract before you leave. With the down payment in hand, you are now ready to serve your new customer.        

As business increases, you will be servicing not one, but several homes in one round trip, thus reducing your mileage costs and increasing your profits. The ultimate success would be returning from one round trip, having a bit of time for a meal than having to go out and do the trip again.