The honest truths I wish someone had shared with me before I traded my desk for dog leads
When I left my marketing career to start a pet business, I thought I knew what I was getting into. After all, I’d spent years helping other entrepreneurs market their businesses. I’d created business plans, built websites, and crafted content strategies for over 100 companies.
Surely running a dog walking business would be simpler, right?
Well, yes and no. There were some surprises along the way – both challenging and delightful – that no amount of research prepared me for. Today, I’m sharing the unfiltered truths about starting a pet business that most mentors and courses conveniently gloss over.
1. You’ll never be more physically exhausted – or physically fit
The brochure version of pet businesses shows happy people strolling leisurely with well-behaved dogs in picturesque parks. The reality? I walked 15-20 kilometers daily in my first year, in all weather conditions, often being pulled in multiple directions by excited dogs.
My step count tripled, my arms developed muscles I didn’t know existed, and I collapsed into bed most nights before 9 PM. But I also stopped needing my gym membership, shed the extra weight I’d gained sitting at a desk for years, and found myself sleeping better than I had in decades.
No one tells you that your pet business will transform your body as much as your lifestyle. Buy comfortable shoes – lots of them.
2. Your earning potential has a different ceiling (and floor)
When I worked in marketing, my income was tied to billable hours and client deposits. Some months were fantastic; others were terrifying. The pet industry operates differently.
Here’s the truth: You probably won’t make six figures walking dogs or pet sitting in your first year. But you’ll likely establish a more predictable, consistent income once you’re established. My income in year one was modest, but by year three, I had a waitlist and rates that provided a comfortable living.
What surprised me most? The floor is higher than you might expect. Pet services are remarkably recession-proof. Even when the economy stutters, people still need their pets cared for when they work or travel. During COVID, when many businesses struggled, pet services pivoted and thrived as people adopted more animals and needed help managing them while working from home.
3. You’ll need boundaries like never before
In my marketing days, a client emergency meant a website crash or a print deadline. In the pet world, emergencies are more immediate and often involve living beings who depend on you.
No one warned me about the 11 PM text messages asking if I could possibly come tomorrow morning instead of the afternoon. Or the client who “just needed five more minutes” of my time after every walk to chat about her dog’s behavior. Or the family who consistently arrived home three hours later than scheduled from their holiday.
Learning to set and maintain boundaries became essential not just for my business, but for my sanity. This meant:
- Creating clear policies about booking, cancellations, and schedule changes
- Setting specific working hours (and sticking to them)
- Charging appropriately for last-minute requests and overtime
- Learning to say “no” without feeling guilty
The most successful pet business owners aren’t necessarily those who bend over backward for every client request – they’re the ones who run sustainable businesses by protecting their time and energy.
4. You’ll become a therapist (for both pets and people)
I anticipated caring for animals. I didn’t anticipate how much I’d end up caring about their humans, too.
Many clients formed deep connections with me because I cared for the being they loved most in the world. You become a part of their pet care family, which means you mean much more than just a service provider. This created a unique type of relationship I never experienced in my design career – more personal than professional, but with important business boundaries.
You’re not just caring for animals; you’re providing peace of mind to humans who consider their pets family members. That responsibility goes deeper than most business relationships.
5. You’ll need different insurance (and more of it)
Insurance for a marketing business? Professional indemnity and maybe public liability. Done.
Insurance for a pet business? That’s a different story. Depending on your services, you might need:
- Care, custody and control coverage
- Pet bailee insurance
- Home business insurance if you operate from your residence
- Commercial auto insurance if you transport animals
- Key replacement coverage
- Specialised dog walker insurance
I recommend talking to a local broker that has worked with pet businesses in the past. Ask to talk to the pet care providers to ensure you are getting all the coverage you need for the service you provide.
6. Your social media marketing changes dramatically
In my marketing days, I created polished, professional content for business clients. With my pet business, I discovered that slightly blurry photos of muddy dogs having the time of their lives outperformed professional photoshoots every single time.
Pet business marketing thrives on authenticity, not perfection. My most engaging posts weren’t the carefully crafted ones – they were the candid moments: dogs splashing in puddles, cats curled up in unexpected places, and the occasional chaos of multiple pets playing together.
The irony wasn’t lost on me: after years of teaching clients sophisticated marketing strategies, my most successful business marketing consisted of genuine, unfiltered glimpses into daily life with animals.
7. Your capacity isn’t what you think it is
When mapping out my business plan, I calculated how many dogs I could walk in a day, how many pet sits I could fit into a week, and created financial projections based on those numbers.
Those projections were wildly optimistic.
I hadn’t factored in the time spent:
- Traveling between clients
- Handling unexpected situations (like a dog getting muddy and needing to be cleaned before returning home)
- Communicating with pet parents
- Managing bookings and schedules
- Keeping records and doing administrative work
- Taking breaks to avoid burnout
The sustainable capacity for quality pet care is lower than what looks possible on paper. The most successful pet businesses understand this and price their services accordingly, focusing on quality over quantity.
8. Your personal life will transform (mostly for the better)
Few career changes impact your personal life quite like starting a pet business.
Early mornings became non-negotiable. Weekends and holidays – prime time for pet sitting – meant adapting my social calendar around client needs. My wardrobe shifted from business casual to functional outdoor wear (with pockets, always pockets!).
But the changes weren’t all sacrifices. I connected with a community of other pet professionals who became close friends. I spent my days outside instead of under fluorescent lighting. And I never had to explain to a date what I did for a living – showing them photos of my canine clients was always a conversation starter.
9. You’ll need to become comfortable with poop
Let’s be honest – working with animals means dealing with the messy parts of life. I’ve cleaned up every imaginable bodily fluid, extracted questionable items from mouths, and become remarkably skilled at spotting potential digestive issues before they become emergencies.
No marketing meeting ever prepared me for arriving for a puppy visit, only to find he’d had diarrhea in his crate, walked around in it and smeared it over every bar and all through his bedding. But these moments – the ones that made me question my career choices momentarily – often led to the funny stories I now share with new pet business owners.
The good news? You get used to it. The better news? It makes for great stories at dinner parties (though perhaps not during the meal).
10. Your heart will break – and expand in ways you never imagined
The hardest truth no one tells you about pet businesses: you will love animals who aren’t yours, and eventually, you’ll have to say goodbye to them.
I’ve celebrated puppies growing into confident dogs and crazy kittens becoming sweet, loving cats. I’ve also sat with clients as they said final goodbyes to their beloved companions, some of whom I’d cared for since they were young.
This emotional aspect of pet businesses isn’t in the business plan spreadsheets. The attachment you form with client pets brings immeasurable joy, alongside inevitable heartbreak. But I wouldn’t trade these connections for anything – they’re what make this work meaningful beyond measure.
The Ultimate Truth About Pet Businesses
After a decade in this industry, here’s what I know for certain: starting a pet business isn’t just about loving animals – though that’s certainly a prerequisite. It’s about building a sustainable operation that honours your wellbeing while providing exceptional care to the pets entrusted to you.
The challenges are real, from the physical demands to the emotional investments. But so are the rewards: the daily joy of working with animals, the flexibility to create your own schedule, and the satisfaction of building something that truly matters to the people and pets in your community.
If you’re considering trading your desk for dog leads or your conference calls for cat cuddles, go in with your eyes wide open. It won’t be easier than your corporate job – just difficult in different, often more meaningful ways.
And on the toughest days, when you’re exhausted, overwhelmed, and questioning your choices? Remember that few people get to build businesses around what they truly love. Even fewer get thanked for their work with enthusiastic tail wags and purrs.
Those moments make it all worthwhile.
Ready to explore whether a pet business is right for your next chapter? Book a free chat with me to discuss the realities of pet business ownership and whether it might be the right fit for your skills and lifestyle.
