Just like
David Marcks, founder of Geese
Police, you too can earn a living from
your pets. David turned his dog’s natural exuberance and love for chasing
geese into a multimillion-dollar business. Thirty-six border collies and six
offices later, David’s Geese Police is the leader of their industry.
(article continued below ...)
Pets can be a very profitable business. Like David, you may wish to start a
business that uses your pets as a living. Or if your pet does not have any
special (moneymaking) talents, you can always target the growing market of pet
owners.
As pet ownership grows, pet businesses have grown tremendously in the past
decades. In Australia, which has one of the highest pet ownership in the world,
about 64% of the 6.8 million households own pets. According to the American Pet
Association, Americans own a total of 136.4 million pets.
Working on a business that deals with pets entails a love and understanding
for furry friends. If you work directly with animals yourself, you need to have
a hands-on, patient, and caring personality. For many types of businesses,
particularly where you deal with other people’s pets, you need to know first
aid for pets. As David Marcks said, you need to be “an animal behaviorist,”
possessing an extensive knowledge of animal health and behavior.
Here are five ideas on starting a home-based business for and about pets:
1. Pet sitting. Pet sitting, where you go to your client’s home to care for
their pets when they are not there, is one of the most popular pet-based
businesses today. In many communities around the country, a number of pet
sitting services have sprung up. Pet owners, like any other people, have to work
and travel; and would thus need someone to take care of their pets while they
are away. Many pets suffer from Separation Disorder and become highly stressed
with the owners absence. Pet sitters help to alleviate this problem.
Others may be sick that they are unable to care for their own pets on their
own and need assistance in walking the dogs, for instance. Others also use a pet
sitter if they want someone to stop in during the day because they don't want
their pet locked up alone all day. Customers are often those who simply do not
like boarding their pet in a kennel when they are away and want the pet to stay
in the comfort of their own home while receiving personalized care and
attention.
There are three ways to operate a pet sitting business: (a) you can find a
set of regular customers and make daily stop at their homes to feed, walk, and
visit with pets; (b) you can establish an agency or referral service lining up
pet sitters for your clients; or (c) you can combine house sitting with pet
sitting and actually live in the home of your clients while they are away.
2. Boarding kennels. If you have a farm or a large enough facility, you can
open a boarding kennel to house pets when the owner leaves for a vacation or is
unable to take care of the pet due to some personal emergencies. Pets are
provided with their own “suites,” often with their own sleeping areas and a
small play area. You are also responsible for feeding the pets and providing
medication, if needed.
If you decide to open a boarding kennel, check first with the animal
authorities in your area. In many countries, proprietors of boarding kennels are
required to get a license from the local authority. Before you are issued a
license to operate, a local authority officer will visit your premises and must
be satisfied that the business meets the required standards. You must also have
an appropriate qualification before a license can be issued. The number of dogs
and cats for which the premises is licensed must be specified on the license,
and a copy of the license itself must be displayed at the premises.
3. Doggie Day Care. If you want to avoid the zoning problems, homeowners
association restriction and neighbor problems associated with boarding kennels,
you can instead turn your home into a place to take care of pets. It costs less
than a kennel, and you can collect $15 to $30 a day per pet. Unlike boarding
kennels where interaction with other dogs may be minimal (if any), most doggie
day cares offer off-leash play and socialization with other dogs.
In addition to keeping watch over the pets, most doggie day cares offer added
services like nail trimming, grooming and other pampering. Sometimes pick-up and
delivery is included. Adding additional services can increase the income you can
get from your day care services, where rates are between $15 to $30 a day. Some
adds pet wash, which can cost about $10 to $20,
4. Guard dog rental
service. If you have big dogs such as German shepherds or
Dobermans, you can offer a service that would protect a wide variety of large
outdoor and indoor areas at a very affordable cost, often much lower than hiring
security guards. Clean, healthy, well trained dogs could serve as an excellent
deterrent to crime and vandalism.
To operate this business, you would need to have full commercial liability
insurance as well as worker's compensation insurance. Some states require a
watch, guard and patrol license. Your pricing will depend on your location,
number of days dogs need to be locked up and what time in the morning they need
to be locked up.
As an extension of this business, you can supply trained dogs for government
authorities (police dogs etc.), or protection services not only to companies but
to professionals including professors, doctors, veterinarians, sporting people,
or businessman.
5. Pet wear. Pets now have salons and spas, so why not clothes, too? If you
love to sew and can design outfits, this business can be for you.
Four on the Floor Pet Wear ( http://www.fouronthefloorpetwear.com
) offers a
wide variety of styles for various canines the macho dog, the urban dog, the
designer dog and the athletic dog. Now, even birds are given their own clothes!
Oliver’s Bird Wear ( http://oliversbirdwear.com
) provides clothing and
accessories for parrots, “mixed and matched to fit your bird’s personality.”
You can also extend this business by offering cage covers, towels and toys for
the pets.
More recommended resources:
How
to Start a Home-Based Pet Care Business (Home-Based Business Series) by
Kathy Salzberg
Operating
Your Own Pet Sitting Business Kit : Lessons learned from successful pet
sitters...what works and why! by Vicky Whelan
Pet
Sitting for Profit : A Complete Manual for Professional Success by Patti J.
Moran
Like
this Article? Recommend This to a Friend
| 
