So you love dogs and walking with them gives you pleasure. Have you ever considered making dog walking as a full-time or part-time career? It’s true that walking around with some dogs through parks and on the roadside can earn you some good money. In fact, dog walking is one of the upcoming careers even though a good percentage of the population can’t figure out how this job can earn them enough money to cater for their bills. After all, how much money can you make as a dog walker?
Whether pursued as a full-time or fun, it is no doubt that thousands of dog walkers in the country are getting something good to sustain their lives. Let’s look at the actual figures of the money that you can generate as a dog walker.
Calculating the numbers
To know the exact amount of money that you can make as a dog walker, it will be prudent to research the rates of a typical dog walker in your area. This is because these rates tend to vary with the geographical location. The prices can range between $10 to $40 per walk. This means that for a 30-minute walk per dog, you will earn $30 or any other agreed rate. Walking four dogs at once for thirty minutes will earn you a cool $120. If you do the walks three times a day, let’s say at 8:00 a.m, 1:00 p.m and 4:00 p.m, you will earn $480 per day. If you maintain consistency, your yearly salary will be something good to smile about.
You can still use this calculation when you use different rates or a different number of dogs. Maybe the rates can be $10 per walk, and you walk with three dogs. This time round you can do four walks in a day. While calculating the actual salary of a dog walker, you should consider other expenses such as the cost of transport. However, there are days such as during holidays whereby you can be lucky to get some amazing tips. Some clients will also be willing to give you bonus especially if they are happy with the kind of work that you are doing for their dogs.
Location matters
Don’t walkers in the country don’t have a fixed salary. Their pay depends on the region that they are working from. According to the data from a jobs website, the average salary for a dog walker in New York is $45,000 while in Los Angeles is $35,000. In general, working as a dog walker in big cities tends to be more lucrative than working in the suburbs. However, the competition is also tight in the cities, and you may be forced to put more effort before you land a client.
The salary does not solely depend on the geographic location. There are several other factors that are under your control. For instance, the amount that you charge per walk. The number of clients that you can serve and the number of walks that you can comfortably walk with will determine your overall salary.
Working as a dog walker in a large city comes with extra advantages. There’s a high chance that dog owners live close to each other and you can work with several clients at once. This means that you will spend less time traveling between different dog owners.
The lucrative side of suburban areas
We cannot rule out the fact that dog walkers in suburban locations can also earn impressive salaries. First competition in these areas is not that tight, and you may be the only dog walker in the whole neighborhood. Most people living in the suburbs are not always available to take care of their dogs. Probably they commute several miles to their workplaces hence spend less time at home.
One major downside of working as a dog walker in suburban areas is you will be forced to cover some distances between different houses. Dog owners in the countryside may not take dog walking seriously because there is plenty of space available for the dogs to do exercises.
Marketing is the key
There can still be a big difference between dog owners who operate in the same geographical location. For instance, a dog walker in LA can earn $20,000 and another one $120,000, yet both of them work in one city. How you market yourself will determine the number of clients that you will get.
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