How much to charge for dog sitting?

[CearaQC]

Last year we kept a dog for someone while they went out of town. They go out of town a lot. We kept Max for three separate occasions last year, they didn't pay us anything. All I got was a stuffed dog that barks, and Sheeba is afraid of it. lol They contacted us in April and wanted us to babysit Max but then one of them got sick and got to stay at home with Max. They tell us he's not coming, the very night they were supposed to show up, and I had made arrangements ahead of time. They could have called sooner, in my opinion.

So now they are asking again for us to watch him at our house for 4 days.

I really don't want to be doing this for free any more, and probably should have never allowed it the first time. But I don't want to be taken advantage of and they are making it sound like it would be advantageous for us to get to see him again.

Huh? It's more work, another dog to exercise out in the biting flies, and another dog to brush during coat blowing season. I can't see how this would be beneficial. I have enough to do as it is.

So how do I tactfully say that OK I'll watch Max but I don't want to do it for free any more? I almost feel guilty for saying no. I either would like to get paid for my time or not do it at all.

And no I don't know what the local kennel charges. Or any kennel for that matter.

Help? They are wanting to drop him off on the 25th, but I haven't answered the email yet. And yes he's neutered. They take great care of him.

[CClover]

I would pay from 12$ up to 18$ a day and bring my dog's food for a period of 4 days for someone else to take good care of my dog like I do at home.

[MommaKat]

When Hubby and I went to Toronto a few weeks ago we paid my Brother in law $200 to watch our two dogs for nine days. The cheapest kennel near us would have charged us about $315 . The Kennel I was looking at, It's pricing was for boarding,walking, treats for the dogs and just general looking after them. My Brother in-law is not as Dog savvy as some, but he took good care of them and they were happy as pigs in mud when we got back .

In my opinion you should tell your friend that even though you really enjoy looking after Max, on top of your other responsibilities it is work, and a job well done should be rewarded .

I feel $40 to $60 for 4 days should be fair. I don't know if that helps much but that's my .

[CearaQC]

They agreed and said that it was worth the money.

So it all worked out!

I don't want this to be a "job" though. But from time to time it should be OK.

[King]

When my friend goes away for a week she pays the the lady 120 for the week. My friend fills the fridge with food for her. She has two dogs and one cat and four chickens that need to be taken care of.

[Dog Dancer]

Boy am I ever overpaying for my dog sitter!! I pay $25 to the girl across the road to sit for the evening with my two dogs - normally maybe 6 hours. She doesn't have to walk them, feed them or anything. She just has to watch TV and eat all the food I leave her, plus she brings a friend to keep her company. The dogs are older and quite content to sleep the evenings away.

When I had to go away for three days my son took them for two and I paid another fellow $125 to stay with them for 24 hours. Two walks and two meals. Of course the one has SA very badly so it really is a 24 hour job, he was not allowed to leave them alone for 10 minutes. But it was a really easy gig for him.

I agree you need to get paid for minding Max, and $60 for four days is a BARGAIN!!! I paid my New Years Eve dog sitter $80.

[AnnHFashion]

Wow prices do vary.

I was paying 15 dollars a day for a girl to
come to my home,check on the dogs and let them
into the house at night and in morning let them out.

There was always enough water and food, as my
dogs were on self feed.

This time the new dog will go to the kennel here and
it is 15 for the first day and 13 for the rest.
The kennel feeds, water and has outdoor runs.

I feel better having Trooper go there, because
I am still feeling like someone posioned my last 2 dogs
( and we were home).


AnnHFashion

[BusterBoo]

When I went to Vegas in May, I paid $288 for 9 days. Buster went to a stay with a family and was treated as part of the family! The breakdown was ... $30 per night for the first 5 nights, then $25 for each additional night. (plus taxes).

I supplied the food, treats, crate, etc etc etc.....They supplied the walks, tummy rubs and loving.

This was all done through a company in Ottawa.

[mollywog]

oh wow, prices really do vary by the sounds of things, and from my own experiences! It can be tough because it is usually a close friend or family member doing the dogsitting.

When I was in University, my 2 professors (they were married) asked me to look after their Sibe and another person's Lab. I stayed at their house (which was about 40 mins away from school) and looked after these dogs for 2 WEEKS during XMas holidays I might add..... when they got back from their trip they gave me $60 and a box of tea!!

On the other hand, my best friend's parents always used to ask me to look after their Bichon whenever they left town. They would stock up the fridge with food, leave me their car and more grocery money, and then pay approx $20 a day on top of that!

[meow]

My cat sitter charges $16 a visit

[diandpat]

When we go away we have various people we know well come live at the house and pay between $25-30/day. We have two dogs that like to be walked twice a day and would not do well away from home so this is an ideal situation for us.

If we are going to be away over dinner we pay a teen $10 to come over feed the dogs, change the water and let them out. If the weather is good they will walk them too...total time 1/2 hr. Incredibly, none of the teens in the neighborhood now are interested any more :sad: I guess when your folks pay for everything, there is no need to actually work for $$$

Busterboo told me about her arrangement though and it sounds great. I would definitely consider dog watching from time to time but it seems to really disrupt Ginger now so I don't offer anymore

[bendyfoot]

I think we pay (either for in-home or boarding) about 40-50$/day for the three dogs. That would include feeding, any medicating, and at least two good walks a day.

Originally Posted by BusterBoo

When I went to Vegas in May, I paid $288 for 9 days. Buster went to a stay with a family and was treated as part of the family! The breakdown was ... $30 per night for the first 5 nights, then $25 for each additional night. (plus taxes).

I supplied the food, treats, crate, etc etc etc.....They supplied the walks, tummy rubs and loving.

This was all done through a company in Ottawa.

BusterBoo, can you tell me the name of this company? Our beloved petsitter has passed away and we're still shopping for a kennel/boarder that we are comfy with...

[quincymycat]

Just to add my
I usually used a registered pet sitting/security business for cat visits while I was away, they would charge about $21.00 per visit plus taxes and this would be about a 15 minute visit, or as close as I could figure that was about how long it was. I have 4 cats, they would scoop the litter and put out food and fresh water. Unlike dogs, no walking was required.
One of my guys now has to receive meds every morning and I was told by the service that this was too much to expect from a sitting service. Granted, he is getting 4 different meds, all oral, but he is not a crazy cat either. Pretty laid back in fact. I thought this was supposed to be a service that was performed if asked and I was paying $42.00 per day for the service - about 30 minutes per day. I had used this service several times in the past and part of their advertising included med administration if needed. I never needed that part before.
I was lucky enough to have a vet assistant at my vet's office offer to come in twice a day for me while I was away this time, and she is charging me $18.00 per visit, cash so no tax, and I have breathed a sigh of relief knowing that someone who truly cares about animals and has no fears about giving meds is going to be looking after them while I am gone, and at a lesser cost!
I really like my vet and her staff!

[BusterBoo]

Bendy...i will send you a PM with all the info....

[Ford Girl]

Glad its all worked out.

We dont pay eachother, we take each others dogs, take turns, when I need Dazy care, they take her, when they need help, I take their dogs, its even steven, I never thought about asking for $$ or offering it up either. I guess if you find it alot of work for those 4 days then its worth some $$, I find the play time and exercise Dazy gets with a friend over is worth if weight in dog hair. I never actually have to exercise them when she has another dog stay over. When you have one big dog, what another? lol!! But if you never need dog-care yourself then this wouldnt work.

The rates sure do vary, it could really get expensive.