I make £30,000 a year doing a dream job everyone loves – you don’t need a degree and anyone can do it
AN ANIMAL lover has revealed how she rakes in £30,000 a year doing a dream job everyone would love to do.
Kelly Evans, from Billericay, Essex, used to run her own estate agency but packed it in to set up a dog walking and sitting business in 2016.
The company, The Fairy Dogmother Essex, has grown from just a handful of clients to Kelly now walking around 30 pooches a day.
Kelly earns around £30,000 a year from the business and is planning on saving up enough money to buy a home in a few years' time.
The 46-year-old told The Sun how her friends were originally sceptical of the career change, which came after she felt guilty leaving her own dog, Bray, at home to go to work.
But now they think it's "amazing".
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She said: "At first they thought it was funny that I worked as a dog sitter - they thought I could do better with my life.
"I'm a uni graduate and they wondered why I was doing it. Now they love it."
Although Kelly has a degree, it's not something that's required for her new career, which she described as a "dream job".
The dog lover said the job suits her because she can set her own hours, working however much or little as she wants.
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She also gets to spend time outside in nature with animals, rather than being stuck in an office.
But running her own business can be demanding.
She said: "Being a pet-sitter is ideal for someone who is single.
"But you have to be prepared. I give up a lot of my social life.
"I've had Christmases where I've not seen family. You can't always determine your working hours."
Kelly's business is a full-time job and starts most days at 7am, picking up dogs in packs of six in her van, but this can vary depending on whether she's walking pets or dog sitting at someone's home.
Her customer base is varied, with a lot of people having bought dogs during coronavirus lockdowns who now need extra help after returning to offices,
Many of her clients working from home still need a hand with the day-to-day caring of their dogs too.
Kelly doesn't just work with pooches - she also offers cat feeding services and houses reptiles and other exotic animals while their owners are away.
Kelly loves the work, and is even at a point where there are people keen to invest.
She said: "I have been approached by an investor. I'm well known in the area.
"I'd like to expand into full time day care, with a purpose-built area. So I'm in talks about that."
How to become a dog walker or pet-sitter
Becoming a dog walker or sitter doesn't require any official qualifications, meaning anyone can do it.
And it's something that could be picked up as a side-hustle alongside another job.
But you'll need to like dogs of course, and be able to take care of the animals.
Kelly recommended local Facebook pages where you can start advertising your availability.
You can also sign up to websites like pawshake.com, which matches dog owners up with sitters.
If you want to become a sitter, you have to enter your email address and then personal details such as name and where you live.
You can set your own rates and Pawshake takes a 19% cut. Be wary, your application isn't always accepted though.
There are other websites you can sign up too, such as barkingmad.uk.com.
Again, you have to sign up with your email address and personal details and wait for someone from the website to get in touch about any jobs.
Or, you can try borrowmydoggy.com.
Kelly's day rate for dog sitting is £30 and she works for some clients on a daily basis, while for others she spends weeks looking after their pets while they are away on holiday.
She charges £12 an hour for each dog walking session.
But there are no hard and fast rules for how much you can earn as you can set your own rates.
You'll need to factor in any costs, like getting to and from clients, any equipment you might need like harnesses for multiple jobs.
Bear in mind, the cost of fuel can rack up if you're picking up multiple pooches for example.
If you're dog sitting while someone's away on holiday and staying at their home, you could save money on some living costs, but you'll likely still need to pay for food.
What to watch out for
You'll need to make sure you're getting all the right documentation and checks done before becoming a dog sitter or walker too.
That means having an up-to-date Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS), public liability insurance and a pet first-aid certificate.
The only legal requirement is insurance, but you'll still want a DBS check and pet first =-aid certificate in place either way to show you're a reputable sitter.
Clients will want to know their precious pooches are being well taken care of.
You can use price comparison sites like Compare the Market or Uswitch to find the best public liability insurance policies.
Public liability insurance means if something goes wrong, like if the dog you're looking after bites someone, that you won't be left with a huge bill.
Meanwhile, you can complete pet first-aid courses online or in person through websites like firstaidforpets.net.
Kelly also said it's worth completing a dog behaviourist course or dog communication course as well.
Not only will these courses give you a better chance of being snapped up by clients, they'll ensure you know what dogs to walk together to avoid any issues.
Kelly said: "You have to know your dogs, have to know your dog breeds and the vibe of your group."
Also, bear in mind if you're taking up a dog sitting or walking side hustle and earn over £1,000 a year, you will have to file a self-assessment tax return.
Depending on your other income, you may also have to pay tax on any earnings over this amount.
This is because you're classed as self-employed.
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Meanwhile a cat lover revealed how she made £2,000 through a little-known side hustle app.
Plus, how a pet portrait side hustle added £2k to one first-time buyer's deposit pot.
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