Dog Walking and Pet Sitting: The Side Hustles That Will Actually Make You Money

I don't know who needs to hear this but in 2025, its not always feasible to only have one income stream.

You're probably in the same boat as me. You work a full-time job but are just getting by. Your bills keep going up, your gas is more expensive, and groceries? Let's not even talk about groceries. The reality is that the world of 2025 is not the world that our parents and teachers taught us about. Very few of us are able to get one job out of college that we cam stay with and grow with for the entirely of our working lives.

In an effort to bring up your income, I'm sure you've tried all the things - survey apps, POD, digital templates - and nothing is working for you, despite all the time and effort that you put in. It's frustrating and discouraging. to say the least! But I have a side hustle for you that actually works and is actually in demand.

Dog Walking and Pet Sitting As a Side Hustle

Dog walking and pet sitting are in high demand in 2025. Pet ownership in Canada is on the rise - just see the statistics below from Dogster :

• By the end of 2025, there will be an estimated 28.5 MILLION pets in Canada

• In 2022, there were 8.5 million CATS and 7.9 million DOGS as pets

• In 2020, there were over 8.5 million fish, 2.5 million birds, 1 million small mammals, and 270,000 reptiles.

In addition to the increasing number of pets, more people are choosing to not have (or to have fewer) kids and instead are devoting their time, energy, and money to pets. Dogs and cats especially are more part of our families than ever and over the last few years I have noticed a shift - in a way, people are treating their pets like their children. They want legitimate day care services, trained professionals taking care of their animals while their away, and insured walkers who have experience. Where once people might have trusted a young neighbor or random recommendation, I don't necessarily think that that is enough anymore. While some pet parents are still of the old mind, many more are realizing that the pet care industry is largely unregulated. Going the extra mile and taking the time to establish yourself as a legit, professional service provider will go a long way to both bringing in new clients and further solidifying your position as an authority figure in your local industry.

How Much Do Dog Walkers and Pet Sitters Make?

Further to my previous point, people are willing to pay more for better service and better care. I'm not saying that you should set an astronomical rate for a dog walk, but giving pet parents peace of mind and confidence in your abilities can be worth a lot of money. Do some research on apps like Rover to see what people are charging around you. In my area, a 30 minute walk goes for about $20 (+/- $5) depending on the provider so I set my prices at:

• $20 CAD for a 30 minute walk; plus $10 for every additional dog.

• $35 CAD for a 1 hour walk; plus $10 for every additional dog.

The prices in your area might be wildly different, so make sure that you do your research and set your pricing in the middle of the pack - not too cheap, but not too expense. Even doing casually walking, you can easily make an extra $100 per week once you have your clients lined up.

The majority of the money that I bring in week by week is from dog walking; however, there is SO MUCH MONEY to be made in pet sitting. The going rate in your area will probably range greatly but similar to dog walking, do some research on what other providers are charging around you. Pet sitting is a little more nuanced, so tailor your services to the specific need of the pet and their parent - if the pet can't be left alone for long periods or requires a lot of extra care, I will charge a premium. Right now, my base rate for sitting is as follows:

• $70 CAD per night of dog sitting; plus $10 for every additional dog

• $25 CAD per visit for cat sitting; plus $10 for every additional cat

Additional Perks

The emotional fulfillment and self-improvement that I have experienced while developing my business was surprising! I knew that I would enjoy walking dogs and performing pet sitting services, but what I didn't know was how much I would also enjoy doing web design, SEO, marketing, and building these lasting relationships with my clients. I had to learn a lot of new skills in the beginning, but I have been able to transfer those skills to other areas of my life. Just overall, I feel so fulfilled, so happy and so glad that I took a chance in myself and built a business that I love.

Conclusions

This job PAYS, and it pays well. It isn't always easy and it is definitely time consuming, but you can most definitely make an extra few hundred dollars every month if you put in the work. You can easily work this job as a side hustle OR build it into a thriving full-time business that offers a variety of different services. If you keep growing and expanding your offerings, I think you'll be surprised at just how much success you'll find in dog walking and pet sitting.

Thank you so much for reading!

Do you want to start your dog walking and pet sitting business but want some additional guidance? Contact us today to learn about our mentorship opportunities <3