Yes. Welcome to rural Alabama.
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My “formula” for my farm sitter is based on cost of animal at a boarding facility, plus $20/trip to feed horses. So if she is staying at the house, it’s $100 --$40 for horses and the rest for 2 cats and one small dog. I also tip generously, but she cleans before she leaves . . .
Wow, that is crazy cheap.
$20/day with four visits is $5 per visit.
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It is. The teens walk one house over and let them out, then play with them or play on their phones for a bit and let them back in. The parents complain I pay to much, lol.
SEVEN seniors??? I have two senior German Shepherds in my house, plus two younger dogs and a giant cat… the amount of time and effort we’ve had to increase as the dogs age has been unexpected. Helping dogs up/down stairs, furniture, the yard, you name it IS time intensive and requires actual lifting. Plus there’s parsing out various meds and making sure potty breaks are frequent enough to avoid accidents in the house (my oldest is MORTIFIED if she has an accident). I would think $200/night for seven seniors is more than generous on the pet sitter’s part. If you feel like it’s “too much” sticker shock, you could maybe offer a bulk discount for a certain number of nights. Alternatively, you could do a per dog base rate for basic care (meals 2x/day and x number of trips outside) then add a la carte services like meds, pee pad cleanup, extra turnout, multi-dog discount, etc.
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Thanks everyone. I ended up declining the job. Just a few too many red flags.
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I think you dodged a nightmare. Likely not enough money in the world for that workload, that risk, and owners who started off not seeming very understanding or appreciative of such an undertaking.
In VA, flat rate of $50/day for someone with an established reputation and clientele. Surely not enough and wow do I appreciate her!
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My neighbor does dog sitting. She has several long time clients. She stays in their homes and doesn’t do daily drop in care. Charges $75 for two dogs and $50 for one but she hasn’t raised her rates in years because she really likes her clients and loves spending time with the dogs she has cared for for years. I’m in a LCOL area but there are not very many reliable caretakers around. My neighbor gets contacted all the time for work but she is really picky. Besides her current clients keep her busy.
