House sitting fees?

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Jacey (In- loving- memory)

spay and neuter

Barked: Mon Jun 29, '09 4:56pm PST


	I have a job offer for a house sitting job. I'm trying to figure out what a reasonable fee to charge would be. The people have two english setters and will be gone for a month. If I take this job I will have a 45 min drive to work. So I want my fee that I charge to be worth my time and gas mileage. I was thinking $20.00 for the first dog and $10.00 for the second. So it would be $30.00 a day. I looked at one of our boarding facilities in our area and they charge $20.00 for the first dog and $12.00 for the second. That made me think that maybe mine should be a little higher since I will actually be staying at the peoples house. I feel that the price is getting steep, but if that is the going rate then..... Would you be willing to pay someone $32.00 a day to stay at your house and watch your dogs? Should I charge more then the boarding facilites? If so, what would you consider reasonable?

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Rondo

Puppy Prodigy

moderator

Barked: Mon Jun 29, '09 5:05pm PST


	Well, there are a few things I would take into account before setting a price: 1. Look at the going rate for mileage reimbursement. I'd subtract the amount you USUALLY have to drive, and figure out what it's costing you a day for gas/routine maintenance for your car and go from there. 2. What will your duties be with the dogs? Do they have special diets, need medications, require long walks or other kinds of exercise? 3. What will your other duties be? Are you going to have to water plants, gather mail, answer the phone? 4. Are you providing your own food or are they covering that too? 5. Do you have to come home mid-day to walk them/let them out? 6. Going rates in your area for other in-home sitters? What I would do is think about how much YOUR time is worth. You are providing an extra service by staying in-home with the dogs, but as someone who's done a lot of in-home stays, it can be rough, ESPECIALLY with the commute you're going to have to make. Figure out what you'd like to make as well as the minimum you'd need to do the job and go from there! Don't be afraid to ask for what you think this service is worth. As someone who's gotten taken advantage of numerous times, trust me...if they're not willing to pay your minimum or more it's not worth it. Good luck!!

Jacey (In- loving- memory)

spay and neuter

Barked: Wed Jul 1, '09 2:35pm PST


	Thanks Rondo for you ideas to think about.

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Sonja

It's all about- me.

Barked: Wed Jul 1, '09 4:38pm PST


	Mom does quite a bit of house sitting for friends with pets. She charges $15. per dog... per day as she wants each dog to be the same "worth." We live in a small city (60k) so nothing is too far away. Mom's schedule, when she house sits, changes with each client. But typically, she spends the night at their house so she can easily do morning and evening chores...then comes home to us during the day. The advantage for us is we have dad with us while mom is gone...and mom with us when dad is gone. Good luck to you!

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Lilith

I'm a trilingual- dog!

Barked: Wed Jul 1, '09 7:34pm PST


	In my area (we are in a medium-sized city), the pet sitter we use will spend 24 hrs with a dog (sleep over included), walk him/her for a long 30min-1hr walk, 3 potty breaks, feeding, and she'll also take care of your houseplants etc. She will also take special requests for medication, treatment, etc. She charges $60 per dog, $10 per extra dog. Though in the past, she's given us one dog pro bono, since two of our dogs are extra small. Even though on the surface she is more expensive than boarding at a kennel, I rest assured knowing my dogs A) love her B) feel comfortable in the house and C) are taken care of personally the way I want them to be.

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Tippi

If you are- going, so am I.

Barked: Thu Jul 2, '09 2:02pm PST


	i paid 36 dollars a day for a sitter to come 3 times a day for the girls and bain. good luck!

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Buddy ☮

Ducks Are My- Nemeses

Barked: Thu Jul 2, '09 9:31pm PST


	we paid somebody $30.00 a day to watch one dog. Plus some grocery money and/or groceries.

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Sassy

Princess and the- Pea

Barked: Fri Jul 3, '09 12:07pm PST


	My daughter house sits for friends and gets $50 a day. She spends the night and visits several times a day. She gives medications, waters the plants and walks the dog. And because it annoys her that the pets are shedding she will groom the pets too! House sitting is worth more than kenneling the dog. Don't sell yourself short!

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Otto - Registered- Service Dog

ADI cert. - the only one- that matters!

Barked: Fri Jul 3, '09 8:18pm PST


	We live in a major metropolitan city in a trendy warehouse loft conversion. When we were looking for a house sitter for our cat two years ago, people were offering to pay us! It depends on location - prime for our place - and type of pet. We had one cat. We decided on a retired couple who lived in our home for two months. We paid all utilities and our normal cable service. We both thought we got a great deal. It all depends on where you are and if other people would want to stay there. If you're in an area that gets a lot of tourists during the summer, I would say you're lucky be offered any pay for your services since it's easy to find a service on-line that will match up sitting services at no charge to the homeowner. Now that our cat has gone to the Bridge, we've rented our condo for July and August for $3,000 a month. It was the house sitters who gave us the idea. Good luck!

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Allie - RIP

Mom thinks I'm- just BEAUTIFUL - am I?

Barked: Sat Jul 4, '09 5:23pm PST


	I live in the suburbs of a big city, and petsitting companies here charge from $65 - $75 for someone to spend the night, plus $20 for a mid-day visit to walk the dog(s). That's for up to 2 dogs. That's a lot, but with a professional company you get professional and reliable service, and you get an insured petsitter, so it costs more. This is also a pretty big city, so prices are on the high side. I recently had a friend stay over while we went out of town for 5 days, and we paid her $25 a day. She was fantastic, and if we use her again, which is likely, I'll probably pay her $35, since she was home so much, and walked the dogs so much. I personally think that $25-35 is not unreasonable in your case, since you will be paying a good amount for gas, and spending a lot of time with the dogs. You'll also be there making the house look occupied, and making sure the AC doesn't fail, or pipes burst, etc., so that is worth something that people don't get when they take their dogs to the kennel. I agree with a previous poster - don't sell yourself short, especially with that 45 minute drive! You should definitely charge at least a little more than a kennel or other boarding facility. Edited by author Sat Jul 4, '09 5:26pm PST

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