Interested in becoming a pet sitter at 13

162 Views 4 Replies 5 Participants Last post by LMMB, 14 d ago

AnimalsIsPassion

Discussion Starter · 14 d ago

Hello, I did not know where to post this, if there is a better place or site, please inform me.

I am thirteen years old, and I have an interest in becoming a pet sitter. I'm comfortable with most animals and some of the grosser stuff, like cleaning up waste or feeding bugs to reptiles.

I know that at this age it's a tough thing to do, since I have a busy schedule with school and vacation during summer. However, animals are something that I'm passionate about and I would like to earn money by doing something I love.

Any ideas, tips, or advice on how I could get started?

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Arwyn_loves_Petz

· #2 · 14 d ago

AnimalsIsPassion said:
Hello, I did not know where to post this, if there is a better place or site, please inform me.

I am thirteen years old, and I have an interest in becoming a pet sitter. I'm comfortable with most animals and some of the grosser stuff, like cleaning up waste or feeding bugs to reptiles.

I know that at this age it's a tough thing to do, since I have a busy schedule with school and vacation during summer. However, animals are something that I'm passionate about and I would like to earn money by doing something I love.

Any ideas, tips, or advice on how I could get started?

I am in the same boat with you. 15 and wants to petsit. I am hoping others will give suggestions. Goodluck

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MaisieAndGem

· #3 · 14 d ago

You could start by seeing if your local vet clinic will let you put an advertisement up in their waiting room. That way you'll reach the right target audience.

I pet sit quite a bit, and I know this isn't what you want to hear, but unless it's people in your local neighborhood, it can be very hard to do without a license. Whoever is giving you a lift to the houses you are pet sitting for will essentially have to also be pet sitting. If there are complications and the animal needs a vet, it has always worked better for me to be able to transport them if I'm able, rather than having to wait for someone to come pick me up. A lot of the people I've pet sat for also prefer someone to stay at the house so the animal/s have company the majority of the time, and if I can't do that I usually spend around 3-4hrs at their place anyway.

In Australia, shelters won't let you volunteer until you are 16 years old. There's a reason for that. Maybe you could try dog walking, if there's some elderly people in your area? Or even pet sitting smaller animals, like reptiles, parrots, or fish, that can be brought to you and kept at your home if your parents allow it.

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elvisdog

· #4 · 14 d ago

Petsitting is a local gig. Look for local social media that older people in your neighborhood use, like Nextdoor or Facebook groups for your neighborhood. Advertise there. Don't advertise here. Figure out how to convince people that you are reliable and you can do the job. You may have to petsit for free for a while to build a reputation. Some clients may not hire you unless they know your parents are behind you (and will take financial and legal responsibility for you if you mess up). So get your parents to back you up. At your age, your clients are probably going to be people who already know you or people who know people who know you.

Don't say stuff like "I have a busy schedule with school and vacation." That just sounds like you don't want the gig.

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LMMB

· #5 · 14 d ago

AnimalsIsPassion said:
Hello, I did not know where to post this, if there is a better place or site, please inform me.

I am thirteen years old, and I have an interest in becoming a pet sitter. I'm comfortable with most animals and some of the grosser stuff, like cleaning up waste or feeding bugs to reptiles.

I know that at this age it's a tough thing to do, since I have a busy schedule with school and vacation during summer. However, animals are something that I'm passionate about and I would like to earn money by doing something I love.

Any ideas, tips, or advice on how I could get started?

Arwyn_loves_Petz said:
I am in the same boat with you. 15 and wants to petsit. I am hoping others will give suggestions. Goodluck

As well as the excellent advice given above, you’d probably need insurance (you certainly do here in the UK), and they won’t insure you until you’re 16.

Chances are, at such young ages, no one except those who know you well would trust you to be mature enough to be able to deal with an emergency (and if you’re referring to cleaning up after pets as “grosser stuff” chances are you aren’t mature enough to be able to deal with an emergency).

Wait awhile. It might sound like it’s forever (heck, my holiday in December feels like it’s taking forever to get here), but it really won’t be.

This forum has an obscure rule about not posting until you’re 18 (we didn’t make the rule, we’re just tasked with enforcing it), so can I ask you both to refrain from posting until you’re older?

Thank you.

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