How to start a pet sitting business in San Diego

Pet sitting is simple to start. You need to be reliable, good with animals and organized. The rest is a little paperwork and a lot of word of mouth. Here’s the order we’d do it in.

Decide what you’ll offer

Start with what you’d happily do on a busy Saturday in August:

• Drop-in visits. Feeding, fresh water, litter, medication, a short walk or some play.
• Dog walks. Solo or small groups, on a regular schedule.
• House sitting. Overnights in the client’s home.
• Boarding. Pets staying at your place. The city has rules for businesses run from home, so read the boarding section of our business license guide first.

Then narrow it down:

• Which animals. Cats only? Small dogs? Nothing that pulls harder than you can hold? Are you comfortable giving pills, or injections?
• Where. Pick neighborhoods you can reach in a few minutes. A 20-minute visit with 40 minutes of driving and parking isn’t a 20-minute visit.
• When. Mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays. Decide what you won’t do as well as what you will.

Set your own rates

We won’t tell you a number. Rates vary by neighborhood, service and experience, and what sitters near you actually charge is a better guide than any average. Here’s how to work out your own:

1. See what sitters near you charge. Look at sitter listings in your ZIP code for the same service and length of visit. Note the range, and what’s included at each price.
2. Count your real time. Travel, parking, the visit itself, and the update you send afterwards.
3. Count your costs. Gas, parking, supplies, the city’s business certificate, insurance if you buy it, and any background check.
4. Decide your extras. Additional pets, holidays, last-minute bookings, medication.
5. Write it down. A simple price list you use every time is easier to stick to than a new number for each client.

If you list on Heelwise, you set your rate and keep 100% of it. Clients pay a 15% service fee on top.

Sort out the paperwork

• City business certificate. If you work in the City of San Diego, the city asks self-employed people to get a Business Tax Certificate. For a one-person business it’s $38 a year, and you can apply online. Our business license guide covers who needs one, other cities in the county, and the exceptions.
• A business name. Trading under a name without your surname in it, like “Happy Tails Pet Care,” means filing a fictitious business name with the County Clerk.
• Taxes. You’re self-employed. Federal business income goes on Schedule C, and you pay estimated tax during the year. Keep a record of every payment and every expense from day one.

Think about insurance

Insurance is your call, but think it through before your first client. The U.S. Small Business Administration describes the common types:

• General liability protects against financial loss from bodily injury, property damage, medical expenses and defending lawsuits.
• Professional liability covers loss from errors and negligence.
• A home-based business rider on a homeowner’s policy can add some liability cover for injuries to other people.

The SBA’s advice is to talk to a licensed agent and compare prices and terms. You can look up any California agent’s license on the Department of Insurance’s license status page.

When you talk to an agent, ask specifically:

• Does it cover an animal that’s hurt or gets sick in my care?
• Does it cover damage in a client’s home, or a lost key?
• What does a bond add, and how is it different from the insurance?

Heelwise doesn’t provide insurance.

Background checks

You’re asking people to hand you their keys and their pets. Expect them to want to know who you are. Have two or three references ready from people you’ve sat for, and be open about your experience.

Heelwise checks every sitter before their first booking. The check costs $35, and it’s taken from your earnings.

Stay safe on the job

• Do a meet-and-greet first. Meet the pet with the owner there. Go over feeding, medication, habits, and anything the pet is scared of. Get the vet’s name and number and an emergency contact, and ask what they want you to do if the pet gets sick.
• Get it in writing. A one-page care sheet per pet saves a lot of guessing at 7 a.m.
• Look after keys and codes. Label keys with a code, never an address. Don’t share entry codes with anyone.
• Check the gear. Make sure collars and harnesses fit before you set off. In the City of San Diego, leashes in parks can be no longer than 8 feet.
• Mind the heat. The County’s advice: if it’s too hot for you to walk barefoot, it’s too hot for the dog. Walk early on hot days.
• Tell someone. Let a friend know your schedule, especially for late visits.
• Send an update. A photo and a line or two after every visit.

Dog park etiquette

If you walk dogs, you’ll end up at dog parks. Our guide to San Diego’s off-leash dog parks and dog beaches lists every one the city approves, with hours. A few habits that matter:

• Ask the owner first. Some dogs shouldn’t be off the leash with strangers’ dogs, and it’s the owner’s decision.
• Count your dogs. One person can’t have more than 3 dogs in a city off-leash area (6 on Fiesta Island). If you walk groups, plan around it.
• Leash up to the gate, and clip back on before you leave.
• Stay with them. Leaving dogs unattended is against the rules, and so is bringing a female dog in heat.
• Watch the dogs, not your phone. Leave early if play gets rough.
• Pick up every time.
• Check the beach hours. Outside Dog Beach and Fiesta Island, the city’s beaches only allow dogs at certain times, and on a leash.

Find your first clients

• Start with people who know you. Neighbors, friends, coworkers, the people you see at the dog park.
• Do great work, then ask. Ask happy clients to pass your name on, and ask past clients if they’d write you a short reference.
• Be findable locally. Neighborhood groups and newsletters are where people ask for recommendations.
• Use a platform. Apps and marketplaces put you in front of owners who don’t know you yet. If you use more than one, read each one’s terms about working with clients outside it.

Join Heelwise as a founding sitter

Heelwise is a new San Diego pet sitting marketplace, and it’s signing up founding sitters now. It’s free to join. You set your rate and keep 100% of it, and clients pay a 15% service fee on top. The $35 background check is taken from your earnings.

Join Heelwise as a founding sitter.