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SO YOU WANT TO WALK DOGS? 
How to start a profitable pet sitting business Article by Page Wise
What is involved? How do I get started? Well, I've pet sitting for over 6 years, and it's been a wonderful experience. For anyone who is thinking about starting his or her own pet sitting service, read on.
Pet sitting is strictly an animal-lovers only profession. And profession is exactly what sort of business pet sitting is. It requires a great deal of commitment; walking dogs in the pouring rain, snowstorms, and 100-degree temperatures. It is not an easy job by any means, but it can be one of the most rewarding occupations if you sincerely love animals. Getting started is the hardest part.
 First, you need to come up with a name for your business. You will also have to check to see that no one else in your area has the same name. You can do this by looking through the phone book, and by contacting some of the pet sitters in your area whom have web sites. A great starting point is Pet Sitters International (PSI) (www.petsit.com). PSI maintains a full service web site that includes a locator service.
All you have to do is to key in the zip codes of the areas that you want to work, and the site will list all of the pet sitters who have also registered for those zip codes. This will tell you the names of the other businesses, so that you do not accidentally chose the name of an already existing service. It the name you wanted is not listed there, or is not in the phone book, then you have a pretty good chance of keeping the name of your business. Don't be discouraged if you find that there are many pet sitters in your area, or selected zip codes. Pet sitting is in high demand, and many pet sitters are no longer accepting new clients as they are booked to the maximum.
 The next thing you have to consider is liability insurance. Don't think that you can operate without having pet sitter's insurance. No one will hire you without it. You must understand where the clients are coming from; you will be a complete stranger with a key to their house. For safety's sake, and in this era of lawsuits, get the insurance. The insurance costs between $150.00 and $300.00, depending on where you live, and whether or not you will be offering grooming as a service. Pet Sitter's International provides a link to an insurance company that will get you started in about a week.
Once you have the liability insurance, you can start making business cards. You will also want join Pet Sitter's International so that you can be listed on their locator link. This way, anyone can key in his or her zip code, and if it is a zip code that you have selected, your name, phone number, web site, and information will appear. It's a great way of advertising your business. Be sure to put that you are a member of PSI on your business cards, as pet owners recognize PSI as a highly professional and recognized Pet Sitting organization.
Don't forget that once you show up to great clients you need forms and a contract. If you don't already have this in place we can help you get started. For only $40.00 you will have all the pet sitting and dog walking forms and contracts you need. You can edit them as much or as little as you want. CLICK HERE to get your forms.
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