How to Start a Pet Sitting Business

Pet sitting has the lowest barrier to entry of any business on this site. The startup cost is genuinely under $300, the skill requirement is "comfortable with animals and reliable," and you can be doing your first paid visit within a week of deciding to start. This article walks through the actual sequence.

It's part of the Pet Sitting Business guide.

The 8-step sequence

1. Decide which services you'll offer
2. Pick a business name
3. Form an LLC (or operate as sole proprietor)
4. Get pet sitter insurance
5. Buy your starter supplies
6. Set up Rover and Wag profiles (optional but high-leverage)
7. Set your prices
8. Get your first 5 customers

The whole sequence can be done in 1-2 weeks. By week 2 you should be doing paid visits.

Step 1: Decide which services

Pet sitting is an umbrella term. Pick which specific services you'll offer:

• Drop-in visits. You visit the customer's home for 20-30 minutes, feed the pet, refresh water, scoop litter, walk the dog, and provide a quick photo update. $20-$45 per visit.
• Dog walking. Solo or group walks of 30-60 minutes. $20-$40 per walk.
• Overnight house sitting. You stay at the customer's home overnight while they're away. $50-$120 per night.
• Boarding (in your home). You host the customer's pet at your home. $30-$70 per night. Note that some states and many landlords/HOAs restrict in-home boarding.
• Doggy daycare. Half-day or full-day care at your home or a dedicated facility. $15-$45 per day.

For your first month, start with drop-in visits and dog walking. They have the lowest insurance and regulatory complexity, the lowest equipment requirement, and the highest predictability. Add the more complex services after you have a customer base and a sense of what you're good at.

Step 2: Pick a business name

Quick rules: pronounceable, easy to spell, doesn't lock you into one species, fits on a phone screen and a business card. Common patterns:

• [Owner first name] Pet Care - "Sarah's Pet Care" works because it's personal and memorable
• [Geographic feature] Pet Sitting - "Cedar Hills Pet Sitting"
• [Short word] Pet Care - "Atlas Pet Care," "Beacon Pet Care"

Avoid: cute puns ("Pawsitive Pet Care"), names with "Pro" or "Master," and names that lock you into dogs only when you might want to add cats and small animals later.

Step 3: Form an LLC (or operate as sole proprietor)

Pet sitting has lower liability exposure than most service businesses, so the LLC question is less urgent. Many pet sitters operate as sole proprietors for the first 6-12 months and form an LLC once they have meaningful revenue.

Talk to a small-business attorney if your situation is unusual. For most solo pet sitters in most states, the LLC is optional in the early days but becomes more important as you add overnight sitting, in-home boarding, or anything where you have keys to multiple homes. The cheapest legitimate path to an LLC is filing directly through your state's Secretary of State website.

If you do form an LLC: $50-$300 in state filing fees plus an hour of paperwork. EIN is free at irs.gov.¹

If you stay as a sole proprietor: track all income and expenses on Schedule C and pay self-employment tax of 15.3% on net earnings.²

Step 4: Get pet sitter insurance

Pet sitter insurance is one of the few things you actually do need before your first paid visit, even though pet sitting is a low-risk business. The risks are: a pet getting injured on your watch, a pet escaping and getting lost, accidental damage to the customer's home, and (rare but possible) liability if the pet bites someone during a walk.

Specialized pet sitter insurance providers in 2026:

• Pet Sitters International (PSI) member insurance - includes membership and professional liability
• Pet Care Insurance - pet-specific liability coverage
• NAPPS (National Association of Professional Pet Sitters) - membership includes insurance options
• Generic small business general liability with a pet care endorsement

Premiums for solo pet sitters typically run $200-$500/year for $1M general liability. Specialty pet care insurance is often a better fit than generic general liability because the policy language specifically covers the pet care exposures.

Talk to an insurance broker who has worked with pet sitters specifically. Generic small business general liability sometimes has exclusions for animal-related claims that would surprise you at claim time.

Step 5: Buy your starter supplies

The minimum kit is genuinely under $100. We have the full list in Must-Have Supplies for Pet Sitting Jobs.

The basics:

• Sturdy 6 ft leash and a backup slip lead
• Roll of poop bags (large quantity)
• Hand sanitizer
• Treats (universal-friendly variety)
• Small first aid kit
• Reflective vest or armband for evening walks
• Pen and notebook for visit notes
• A small backpack or hip pack to carry it all

Total: $50-$150.

Step 6: Set up Rover and Wag profiles

Rover and Wag are the dominant pet sitting platforms in the US. They take 15-25% of every booking, but they bring you customers fast in the early days when you have no reviews and no word-of-mouth.

Setting up:

1. Apply on Rover and/or Wag
2. Submit to a background check (Rover requires this; takes 3-7 days)
3. Complete the profile with photos, description, and services
4. Set your rates
5. Wait for first bookings

Most new sitters get their first booking within 2-4 weeks of profile activation in any reasonable-size metro.

You can also skip the platforms entirely and rely on Nextdoor, Facebook, friends and family referrals, and partnerships with vets and groomers. This is slower but you keep 100% of the revenue. We have a full breakdown in How to Advertise Pet Sitting.

Most successful sitters start on the platforms and gradually move customers to direct booking once they have a base.

Step 7: Set your prices

Typical 2026 rates for solo pet sitters in moderate markets:

Rates vary significantly by metro. Higher in major coastal cities, lower in smaller markets. Rover and Wag will show you what other sitters in your area charge once you set up your profile.

Step 8: Get your first 5 customers

The reliable channels for new sitters in 2026:

1. Rover and Wag profiles with quick response times and competitive starting rates
2. A single honest post in Nextdoor and Facebook neighborhood groups
3. Asking friends and family for referrals
4. Visiting local vets and groomers in person to introduce yourself

Your first 5 customers are the hardest. Once you have 5 happy customers and 5 reviews on the platforms, the snowball starts. By month 3-6 you should have a steady weekly schedule.

We cover the marketing side in detail in How to Advertise Pet Sitting.

What's next

Once you're running:

• Track every visit (revenue, time, customer notes)
• Ask every happy customer for a Google review and/or platform review
• Gradually raise your rates as your review base grows
• Decide whether to expand into overnight sitting, boarding, or doggy daycare
• Start moving repeat customers to direct booking where the platform terms allow

Or back to the Pet Sitting Business guide for the rest.