Retirement Hobby: Dog walking

Here is another Retirement Hobby - Dog walking - with income benefits for you!

Yesterday, as I was driving along, I saw a senior man with THREE dogs on leashes. THREE of them! I flashed back to Las Vegas, early June, when I saw a young lady also with THREE dogs on leashes.

Now I am not suggesting you walk three dogs at once! I don't know  how these two people even walked them without the dogs getting all tangled up, or even falling over one of them.. Yikes!

Dog walking can be an income.

This is a simple job for seniors, nothing complex if you don't care to “work”, but just driving to a home and taking a dog for a walk, is a nice diversion to your day. If you enjoy walking and are physically fit... great way to keep yourself fit too! Of course, if you need a real income, you'd have to have several dogs and do this daily... just depends on what you nee

My sister and her husband both work full time and are away from the house for at least nine hours each day. Lucky for her, my parents (age 83) go over to let the dog out and walk him around a bit. The dog totally looks forward to Grandpa coming to visit!

In fact, “Grandpa's Doggie Sitting” could be a great business name! Put a few flyers in mailboxes in the neighborhood and see what happens! It implies, I think, that “grandpa” will take care of the dogs, just like he does with grandchildren.

Dogs need exercise and many couples both work full time nowadays, plus some workers have after-work busy lives with the kids, caring for parents, whatever - or even some retirees might need help after a surgery, etc. We all love our pets like a real member of the family, and many are willing to spend money to keep the pets healthy and happy!

How to Start a Dog Walking Business?

Put up flyers in your neighborhood – post them on bulletin boards at the grocery store, hardware store, library. Drop them on the neighborhood door steps. Nothing elaborate, just use your computer to type it up or run to any Office Supply Store and most will print you something professionally for a reasonable price. Here are a few examples:

Grandpa's Doggie Sitting :
I love dogs. I will walk your dog to keep it fit and healthy. Low hourly rates. Call Mike at -telephone number- to schedule a visit. Let's see if your dog likes me and how we might work this out!

Karen's Dog Walker Company -
I walk dogs and love spending my time with pets. If you need someone to take your dog for a walk or two each day, call me and let's talk. Low Hourly Rates. Karen at -telephone number - .

Need a Dog Walking Service?
You've found the right guy... your dog will love me and will really enjoy our walks together. Keep your dog happy and healthy with a daily walk. Time is valuable for those of us in the working world, so I walk dogs in my retirement to help others! Reasonable Rates. Call me and we'll talk... Don - telephone number - .

When these customers realize how the dog loves to see you coming, they might extend an offer to take care of doggie while they are on vacation for a week. You'd pretty much do the same routine, but maybe more frequently visit to let the dog out, and to feed and water it. Another source of income!

This is not a get rich quick idea.. it will take time for folks to make that call and to trust you. Even ONE customer is a good start as the word-of-mouth buzz that gets you more customers is even more valuable than the flyers. If they like your service, they will recommend it to others! Don't get disappointed if it takes some time to get customers, they will call!

Dog Walking Income 

What do you consider a reasonable rate? How long would you walk each dog each visit? Should it be a “per visit” rate or an hourly rate?

The lower you charge the easier it is to get customers. Later, you could raise your rates and they'll know you are well worth it. Also, if a dog is a pain, a finickity dog, a growling mean dog, whatever... you could ask for more and tell the owner why you think their dog requires some special care. They'll understand as they know their own dogs, and will either accept the negotiated fee, or not...

Now, People really do walk three dogs at a time. It earns you a higher hourly rate, of course, as you walk three at once. Sometimes there are multiple dogs in one household, other times you might have two on the same street and the two dogs get to know each other and walk nicely together. Just please be careful and make sure you are up to multiples all at once... grin!

Here is an article on How to Become a Professional Dog Walker!