Anyone who owns a dog knows that dogs cost money. Food, vet bills, random accidents – these little things all add up. Dogs also cost you time. You have to feed them, take them for walks, and all the other tasks that come along with dog ownership. It’s pretty crazy how much a dog can change your schedule.
In 2015, I started up a side hustle petsitting business on a sharing economy platform called Rover. I thought I’d share some thoughts on how dog owners, like myself, can use their dogs to actually help them make money.
I’m a firm believer in finding side hustles that incorporate tasks that I’m already doing. And one thing I’ve already been doing is taking care of my dog. So what side hustle could I do that would incorporate the dog tasks I was already performing.
Petsitting was something that seemed to fit the bill. The way I figured it, I was already taking care of my own dog. It didn’t seem like that much work to add a second pup to my home from time to time. That’s where Rover comes into play.
What Is Rover?
The easiest way to describe Rover is to think of them as an Airbnb for dogs. You might be going out of town and need someone to watch your pup. As a dog owner, if you’re going out of town, you basically have three options:
- Find a friend or family member to watch your pup.
- Put your pup in a kennel.
- Find a sitter on Rover.
Having a friend or family member watch your pup is usually most preferable but isn’t always an option. And putting your pup in a kennel isn’t always the best fit. Not to mention that it can be expensive and impersonal.
This is where a platform like Rover steps in. People who are going out of town can search for sitters who can board a dog in their home. As a Rover host, you set your own rates, set your own calendar, and set your own rules and policies. You’re free to reject any sitting requests you receive for any reason or no reason at all. For dog owners, Rover is generally cheaper than boarding your dog in a kennel. Your dog also usually has a better experience since they get to stay in a home with a loving family.
Sitters on Rover are independent contractors, which means that when you sign up to host with Rover, you are essentially setting up your own small business. Similar to Airbnb, Rover handles all of the payments and you communicate with clients through the Rover app. The two platforms also provide insurance for their sitters, which are meant to cover really bad situations that might occur. (However, please note I’m not an expert on these host insurance policies)
Why Pet Sitting Doesn’t Feel Like Work To Me.
Make no mistake, there is some work involved in watching another person’s dog. But if you already own a dog, the amount of work you have to do beyond what you are already doing is pretty minimal.
This makes sense when you think about it. If you’re a dog owner, you already have the set tasks you do every day with your dog. For me, my dog goes out for a walk in the morning before I go to work, goes out for a walk when I get home from work, and then goes out one more time before I go to bed. She eats twice a day – once in the morning and once in the evening.
I’ve found out that almost every dog follows this basic schedule. Sure, I have to hold two leashes and feed two dogs now, but that really doesn’t add much time to my daily schedule.
What happens if I encounter a dog that doesn’t follow this schedule? The beauty of side hustling with an app like Rover is that you are in charge. I choose which dogs I want to watch and which ones I don’t want to watch. Naturally, I only accept dogs that fit with my schedule. Since I don’t want to watch any large dogs, I also only accept dogs that weigh less than 40 pounds.
Other than basic dog tasks, my only other added time is setting aside 15 or 30 minutes every few weeks to meet with potential new clients. This is some work, but it’s not much.
How Much Have I Made?
You’re not necessarily going to get rich off Rover unless you want to host multiple dogs at once, and even then, I think it would be pretty hard to have this be a sustainable income on its own. Since I really just want to have some fun and make a little bit of extra side money, I limit myself to watching only one guest dog at a time. Still, its not too hard to make a couple hundred extra bucks a month.
In terms of rates, I generally charge $28 per night, but I do occasionally increase it during high demand holidays. It’s not a ton of money, but I’ve consistently been able to pull in about $200 per month with minimal work. Add it up over the course of a year and that’s $2,400 extra dollars in your pocket that you can use to pay off debt, or my recommendation, save in a Solo 401k.
Here is a screenshot of some of my payouts from Rover. You can see what I charged and what Rover took out in fees.
What Expenses Can You Expect?
In terms of expenses, the largest expense is the fee paid to Rover using their platform. Right now, Rover charges a 20% fee. The fee is worth it to me since I find the platform is a great way for me to drum up business with minimal work.
Any other expenses are minimal. Dog owners provide their own dog food, treats, and toys. Most dog owners also provide their own poop bags. The only other expenses would be general wear and tear to my furniture and house, but I don’t really know how to properly calculate that expense.
Tips For New Hosts
If this sounds like something you’d be interested in doing, here are my general tips:
- Figure Out Your Target Market. You want to make sure that your profile appeals to dog owners who have the types of dogs you want. For me, I’m looking for dog owners who are working professionals like myself. This usually means they have a good, well-trained dog that is used to a regular working schedule. By aiming for this type of market, I reduce the risk of getting dogs that will be a pain to watch.
- Limit Yourself To Certain Types of Dogs. I have a small dog and don’t want to deal with watching a big dog, so I make it clear that I only accept dogs that are 40 pounds or less. This results in me having two small dogs in my home, which makes walking and caring for them a breeze. I’m already used to taking care of a small pup!
- Always Set Up A Meet And Greet. You’re letting a strange dog into your home, so always set up a meet and greet before you accept any booking. This gives you a chance to make sure the owner has a good dog and isn’t a weirdo. To be frank, I wouldn’t trust any owner who didn’t insist on setting up a meet and greet in advance. After all, what dog owner would just let their dog stay in a stranger’s house without meeting their potential sitter in advance? (Pro Tip: Set up a meet and greet near your house. I have a park just a block away from my home, so I always have new clients meet me there. It saves me time and lets the dog owner get a feel for my neighborhood).
- Limit Yourself To A Reasonable Number of Dogs. I only watch 1 dog at a time. This reduces the amount of extra work I have to do. While watching more dogs does increase what you can earn, for whatever reason, watching 2 extra dogs seems like a ton more work to me.
Downsides
It’s not all sunshine and rainbows though, so I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out the downsides.
- Potentially Bad Dogs. The biggest risk you face when you take in a new dog is that you have no idea if the dog is going to be nightmare. So far, we’ve managed to avoid issues, but we’ve had a few dogs that were a little bit more work for us than we’d like. One way to reduce this is to get yourself a base of repeat clients. At this point, we’ve been doing this for years and have a decent number of repeat dogs that we know fit with our schedule and are well behaved. Do what you can to get those repeat clients.
- It’s Not Necessarily A Ton of Money. You’re not going to get rich from dog sitting alone. That’s why I typically recommend petsitting for folks that already own a dog. The reasoning is that you aren’t forced to change your schedule if you already have a dog, since you need to take care of your own dog too. If you don’t have a dog, you’ll have to think about whether adjusting your schedule to watch a dog is worth your time.
- Your House Can Get Messed Up. Dogs mess up your house. They pee and poo and leave dog hair everywhere. It’s just the nature of having a dog. If you’re bringing another dog into your house, you have to accept the risk that your guest dog might pee or poo in your house. Just hope it’s on a surface that’s easy to clean!
Why Every Dog Owner Should Sign Up For Rover
In the end, I think there are a number of reasons that every dog owner should give sites like Rover a try:
- Make Money On The Side. There are so many ways to make money on the side using sharing economy apps and sites like Rover are easy ways to make a couple extra bucks on the side. Use this money to pay off debt, save for emergencies, or, my personal preference, supercharge your savings and put this money away into a Solo 401k.
- Learn To Start A Business With Little Risk. When you start up your petsitting side hustle, you basically make yourself a small business owner. The beauty of this, however, is that you can start up your business at no cost. If you find dog sitting isn’t for you, you can just stop doing it. No harm, no foul.
- Make Side Money Doing Things You Are Already Doing. I love figuring out ways to make money doing things I’m already doing. I have to take care of my dog every single day of the week, no matter what. It’s a task that cannot be avoided. Adding a second dog to the mix doesn’t really change that schedule. All it does is make me take out two dogs when I go for a walk, instead of just one.
- Have Fun Watching Dogs. Finally, it’s fun. I’ve watched over 20 dogs in the past year, and every dog is different and hilarious in their own way. You get used to the quirks of your own dog, but its so fun to see the quirks of other dogs. If you like dogs, then you really should give these apps a try.
Think This Is For You?
As you can see, I really believe that any current dog owner can benefit from running a dog sitting side hustle using Rover. Your dog doesn’t have to cost you money. It can help you make some money as well!
If you’d like to be a host, feel free to sign up using my referral link on Rover.
Before we go, here’s another pic of one of my great guest pups!
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More Recommended Ebike/Scooters
Check out these other ebikes and scooters I've reviewed:
- Urban Arrow Ebike – Last year, I made one of the largest purchases I’ve ever made – I bought a $9,000 electric cargo bike from Urban Arrow. In my Urban Arrow review, I will discuss what it is and why I decided to buy this bike, as well as discuss how impactful a bike like this can be on your journey to financial independence.
- Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Ebike – The Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is a fat-tire ebike that I’ve had the pleasure of riding for a while now. It has amazing power, great looks, and awesome range. If you’re looking for a great fat-tire ebike that offers a lot for the price, the Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is definitely one for you to consider. Check out my Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Review.
- Hovsco HovBeta Ebike – The HovBeta is a folding ebike with great specs and a lot of interesting features, and importantly, it’s sold at a good price point. I’ve had a blast commuting with it and using it to do deliveries with DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. Check out my Hovsco HovBeta Ebike Review.
- Vanpowers Manidae Ebike – The Vanpowers Manidae is a fat tire ebike that I’ve been riding as my primary winter commuting bike and have also been using it to do food delivery with apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. After clocking in a decent number of miles with this ebike, I wanted to write a post sharing what my experience with the Vanpowers Manidae ebike has been like. Check out my Vanpowers Manidae Review.
- Sohamo S3 Step-Thru Folding EBike Review – A Great Value Folding Ebike – The Sohamo S3 Step-Thru Folding Ebike is an entry-level folding ebike that offers a lot of value for the price point. I’ve been riding the Sohamo S3 for a while now, putting the bike through its paces, and I have to say, this bike has exceeded all of my expectations. Check out my Sohamo Review.
- KBO Flip Ebike – The KBO Flip is an excellent bike. I’ve had a great time riding it and think it’s a versatile bike that can be used for a lot of purposes and can fit a variety of lifestyles. It’s worked out great for me as a general commuter bike and as a food delivery bike. Check out my KBO Flip Review.
- Hiboy P7 Commuter Ebike – The Hiboy P7 is an excellent electric commuter bike that’s offered at an affordable price point. The range and speed of this bike are both very good, so you won’t have any trouble getting anywhere you need to go with it. As a food delivery vehicle, this is also good – with how much range it offers, you’ll be able to work all day on a single charge. Check out my Hiboy P7 Commuter Electric Bike Review.
- Himiway Escape Ebike – The Himiway Escape is an interesting bike for anyone looking for a moped-style ebike. If you’re a gig economy worker, the Himiway Escape is particularly interesting and it’s possible to think of it as an investment, especially if you can opt to do deliveries with the Himiway versus using a car. It’s not cheap, but you can definitely make your money back when you compare the mileage you’ll put on your car versus using an ebike. Check out my Himiway Escape Bike Review.
- Espin Sport Ebike – The Espin Sport is a good ebike for someone who is looking for an ebike that feels and rides more like a regular bike. There are many ebikes that are really only bikes in name. In reality, they’re basically electric mopeds. The Espin Sport, by contrast, is a bike you could probably ride without the battery and you’d feel like you’re just riding a regular bike. Check out my Espin Sport Review.
- Varla Eagle One Scooter – The Varla Eagle One is an excellent scooter that can make sense for a lot of people. It can work as a primary mode of transportation. You can use it to work on gig economy apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. And it can also be a recreational vehicle if you’d prefer to use it for that. Check out my Varla Eagle One Review.
- Varla Falcon Scooter – The Varla Falcon is an excellent scooter that offers a good amount of power at a lower price point compared to more powerful scooters. It’s not exactly an entry-level scooter, nor is it a high-powered scooter. I think it fits somewhere in-between those two categories – an intermediate scooter if I had to give it a category. Check out my Varla Falcon Review.
- Hiboy S2 Scooter – The Hiboy S2 is an excellent entry-level commuter scooter that's perfect for someone looking to save some money in transportation costs and improve their commute. Check out my Hiboy S2 Review.
- Hiboy S2R Scooter – The Hiboy S2R is one of the more interesting electric scooters I’ve been able to test out. It’s not a high-powered scooter, but for an everyday transport option, it’s very useful, especially given some of the unique features that it has. Indeed, for the price, the Hiboy S2R might be the best value scooter I’ve used. Check out my Hiboy S2R Review.
- Fucare H3 Scooter – The Fucare H3 is a fun scooter and I’ve enjoyed testing it out. For a daily commuter or quick trips or errands, the Fucare H3 is probably the scooter I’ll use. It’s portable and easy to maneuver, so it’s just easier to take on the road when I need it. Check out my Fucare H3 Scooter Review.
More Recommended Investing App Bonuses
For additional investing app bonuses, be sure to check out the ones below:
- M1 Finance ($100) – This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account. Check out my M1 Finance Referral Bonus – Step-By-Step Guide.
- SoFi Invest ($25) – SoFi Invest is an easy brokerage account bonus that you can earn with just a few minutes of work. Use my SoFi Invest referral link, fund your SoFi Invest brokerage account with just $10 and you’ll get $25 of free stock. I also have a step-by-step guide for the SoFi Invest referral bonus.
- Webull (20 free stock shares) – Webull's current promotion gives you 20 free shares valued between $3-$3,000 each if you open an account using my referral link. Here’s a guide I wrote about how to earn your free shares using Webull.
- Moomoo (15 free stocks) – Moomoo is a free investing app currently offering 2 different referral bonuses if you open an account using a referral link. Read my Moomoo referral bonus guide for more information.
- Robinhood (1 free stock) – Robinhood gives you a free stock valued between $2.50-$225 if you open an account using my referral link.
- Public (1 free stock) - Public gives you a free stock valued between $3-$70 if you open an account using my referral link.
More Recommended Bank Account Bonuses
If you’re looking for more easy bank bonuses, check out the below options. These bonuses are all easy to earn and have no fees or minimum balance requirements to worry about.
- Upgrade ($200) – Upgrade is a free checking account that’s currently offering a $200 referral bonus if you open an account and complete a direct deposit. These bonus terms are easy to meet, so it’s well worth doing this bonus as soon as you can. Here’s a post I wrote with more details: Upgrade $200 Referral Bonus – Step By Step Directions.
- Ally Bank ($100) – Of all the banks out there, Ally is, without a doubt, my favorite. At the moment, Ally is offering $100 to customers who open an eligible Ally account and meet the requirements. Here are the step-by-step directions to earn your Ally Bank referral bonus.
- Fairwinds Credit Union ($175) – Fairwinds Credit Union is offering a referral bonus for users that sign up using a referral link. Fairwinds has no fees or minimum balance, so this is a particularly easy bonus to earn. Since this is a smaller credit union, my gut instinct tells me this offer won’t be around long, so if you’re in a position to meet the bonus requirements, grab this bonus before it’s gone. Here is my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Fairwinds Credit Union bonus.
- Chime ($100) - Chime is a free bank account that offers a referral bonus if you use a referral link and complete a direct deposit of $200 or more. In practice, any ACH transfer into this account triggers the bonus. This bonus is easy to earn and posts instantly, so you’ll know if you met the requirements as soon as you move money into the account. I wrote a step-by-step guide on how to earn your Chime referral bonus that I recommend you check out.
- US Bank Business ($900) – This is a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, since there are no direct deposit requirements. In addition, you can open the Silver Business Checking account, which comes with no monthly fees. Check out how to earn this big bonus here.
- GO2Bank ($50) - GO2Bank is an easy bank bonus that I recommend people take advantage of if they have an easy way of meeting the direct deposit requirement. I like that it’s easy to open the account and that the bonus pays out quickly. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your GO2Bank $50 referral bonus.
- Current ($50) – Current is a free fintech bank that’s offering new users a $50 referral bonus after signing up for an account using a referral link. Current is an easy bonus to earn and also gives you access to three savings accounts that pay you 4% interest on up to $2,000. That means you can put away up to $6,000 earning 4% interest. That’s very good and makes Current an account I recommend to everyone. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Current Bank bonus.
- Novo Bank ($40) - Novo bank is a free business checking account that’s currently offering a $40 bonus if you open a Novo business checking account using a referral link. In addition to being a good bank bonus, Novo is also a good business checking account. It has no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements and operates a good app and website. Indeed, it’s the business checking account I currently use for this blog. Check out my post on how to easily open a Novo account.
- Varo ($25) – Varo is a free fintech banking app similar to Chime or Current. It’s currently offering a $25 bonus to new users that open a new Varo account with a referral link. The bonus for this bank is very easy to meet, all you need to do is spend $20 within 30 days of opening your Varo account. Check out my step-by-step guide to learn how to earn this bonus.
Kevin is an attorney and the blogger behind Financial Panther, a blog about personal finance, travel hacking, and side hustling using the gig economy. He paid off $87,000 worth of student loans in just 2.5 years by choosing not to live like a big shot lawyer.
Kevin is passionate about earning money using the gig economy and you can see all the ways he makes extra income every month in his side hustle reports.
Kevin is also big on using the latest fintech apps to improve his finances. Some of Kevin's favorite fintech apps include:
- SoFi Money. A really good checking account with absolutely no fees. You'll get a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi Money account with a referral link, and an additional $300 if you complete a direct deposit.
- 5% Savings Accounts. I'm currently getting 5.24% interest on my savings through a company called Raisin. Opening a Raisin account takes minutes to complete, it's free, and all of your funds are FDIC-insured. I explain how it works, why I'm now using it to store my emergency fund and any other cash savings I have, and why I recommend everyone check it out in this review.
- US Bank Business. US Bank is currently offering new business customers a $900 signup bonus after opening a new account and meeting certain requirements.
- M1 Finance. This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account.
- Empower. One of best free apps you can use to monitor your portfolio and track your net worth. This is one of the apps I use to track my financial accounts.
Feel free to send Kevin a message here.
Sorry but do you still work fulltime? how do you watch dogs while working?
Yes, I don’t watch dogs 24/7. I only accept dogs that can stay home alone, just like my dog does when I’m at work.
We just started pet sitting for Rover this year, and LOVE it! We’ve used the service for our own dogs, and really enjoy taking care of other peoples’ pets. 🙂
Nice side hustle, and one that is great fun too, not sure if a similar platform exists here in the Netherlands, but worth looking into it!
If it doesn’t exist, you should consider inventing it over there!
That’s pretty interesting, I do not have a dog so I never heard of those sites. I’ll have to check them out.
We do dog sit occasionally for friends, and I am sitting my buddies dog now. It’s not much work and an easy way to earn some extra cash.
Glad you found this post helpful. If you like dogs, it’s definitely a nice way to make a few extra bucks without a ton of extra work.
I had never heard of this app. I should have assumed there was something like it though. A great way to make money, or even board a dog.
Hi Financial Panther, Thanks for the article. This seems like a pretty good idea. I like getting paid for things I would do for free if a friend asked. Do you have a referral link I can use to sign up for Dogvacay? I would have never heard about this without you so I feel like you should get a cut somehow.
Thanks for stopping by Matt! I’m glad you found this information useful!
DogVacay unfortunately doesn’t have a host referral program, but I do thank you for trying to help me out!
Thanks for taking the time to put all of this detail out there, I had heard of Rover but was not familiar with the details. We are fellow dog owners and wouldn’t mind having another dog around to earn some extra cash and help someone out!
Will bookmark for later!
Thanks AE. It’s definitely a fun thing to do. The beauty is, it’s a low risk venture. If it’s not for you, just move on to something else! Really no harm in giving it a shot.
Very cool! I’m pretty sure my girlfriend would watch these dogs for free, haha!
Does the app allow non-dog owners to dogsit?
We are looking into getting a dog, and have experience as dog owners and even dogsitters. This would be a fun way to make some money until we are ready to adopt a pup full time.
Nice article btw. I’m really liking the site!
You can definitely be a sitter if you don’t own a dog! One of the reasons I recommend this to current dog owners is that it makes it less work if you already own a dog, since you are doing dog care tasks already. It’s part of my idea of trying to get paid doing things I’m already doing.
I do suspect its a tad easier to get bookings when you already have a dog, since alot of dog owners, in my experience, seem to prefer their dog being able to hang out with a buddy.
Dog owners are also often more comfortable leaving their dog with a current dog owner because it seems more likely their dog won’t be neglected (after all, if I’m watching my own pup, I’ll probably watch your pup too)
However, definitely wouldn’t be a bad way to get your feet wet before jumping into full time dog ownership. You sort of get a trial run in dog ownership basically!
Feel free to let me know if you have any questions. These platforms are still new, but I think there is some fun opportunity in them. Every other platform I’ll probably quit at some point, but honestly, I’d probably keep doing dog sitting forever if I can.
Thanks for the info!
Just FYI, we signed up for rover using your link. Hopefully we find some trusting pet owners so you can get your deserved bonus.
Awesome! Thanks so much. And I definitely recommend putting yourself on both platforms if you can. Not every guest has heard about both platforms, so its a good way to increase your exposure. Let me know how it goes!