House sitting
 

I am house sitting for a family that has 3 dogs, two older which require a lot of attention. They also want me to stay at their house, set alarms when I leave the house, take the dogs on walks (individually), administer medication 3 times a day, and feed twice a day. Two of the dogs also have no control so they tend to pee and poo without knowing that they are doing so. I am house sitting for 7 days and 6 nights. How much should I charge for the week?

You haven't told us anything about where you live or what the going rate is for housesitters where you are. In Seattle, the going rate is in the $35-50 a day range.

I'm not sure what the going rates are in my area. I'm in the northern suburbs of Chicago

I think it also depends on the relationship and who you are. If you are a poor 20-something living in a studio apartment and these are close friends who are giving you the run of a wonderful house - that is different than if this is the way you make your living.

I'm paying $40/day for my pet sitter to watch 2 dogs who do not get daily walks or have any special needs. She is not a friend or close acquaintance, but was reccomended by my VET. I am in the Atlanta, GA area. Hope this helps.

I pay my cat sitter $20 per *visit*, or $40 per day. She does not stay over, but she does perform all the other duties you describe.

I would look into how much it would cost to kennel the three dogs in your area then I would charge about the same, based on that cost. Or look at the www.dogvacay.com site and see the going rate. There is also another pet-sitting site., the name escapes me now.

But I agree that it depends on your relationship. Are these strangers or neighbors or friends? Off the top of my head, I would say you should be charging at least $100/day.

I pay at least $50 a day to a friend who takes care of my one small dog in her house. That, of course, is much more convenient for her. No medical issues. I'd certainly pay extra for someone giving medications, walking 3 dogs individually (if they are longer walks), and the cleaning up after the dogs.

I live in Boston.

Well, it would cost me a lot more than $40/day to kennel 6 cats, not to mention that cats don't board well at all so I'd never do it, BUT I think $100/day is way too much.

With walks, medicine three times a day and cleaning up daily messes from dogs who are elderly, I think charges should be a lot more than average.

Also, realized they want each dog walked individually! That is a lot of time! Much more than for cats.

My sitter charges $45.00 per day for 4 cats, two visits a day. She cleans two boxes. No walks, etc. Her total time per day is about an hour.

People here charge $50.00 to $100.00 per day for house sitting with pets, unless, as someone said, it is a beautiful house, so more like a vacation for you. When we had a huge house, my house sitters never charged. Now, they do, if I can even find one.

With individual walks and cleaning up messes all the time, I would not do it for less than $25.00 per dog, per day, so $525.00 for the week, and even that is low, IMHO.
$700.00 would not be unreasonable in that situation.

Having often taken care of cats for friends and neighbors, it is easy compared to taking care of dogs.

If a dog walker can and does charge $10-20 a visit, and you have to take each dog out separately 3-4 times a day--it's way more time and work.

This sounds like a full-time job - with all the different walks and cleaning up after the pets. (Frankly I would;t do it for any price.)

But I think what would be fair is checking with a local kennel and see what they would charge for this - including giving meds and whatever. You are providing a huge benefit by allowing older animals to stay in their own home.

The last time I looked our vet wanted $40 per day to board cats - dogs of course being charged more due to the walking. So they would probably charge $150 per day or more - granted in Manhattan.

With everything they are asking you to do and how they are asking you to do it (walking dogs separately), I would charge at least $100 per day.

I pay 40.00 but have huge yard and dog door so all she has to do is feed, water and let them sleep with her. Picks up poo in the yard once a day. I leave food and drinks and want a text to tell me all is well. Easy, you are describing a mess. I would want at least 60 a day.

We pay $50 per day for a college student to stay in the house with our 2 cats: feeding, cleaning the litter boxes, play time, brushing, giving dental and other treats, and generally being substitute parents.

Given the medicine doses, separate walks, and pee and poo clean-up, I think $500 minimum.

I housesat for my sister in Houston, in July for three weeks, all free of course, but walking in humidity, and having a 20 lb. moody rescue cat (who slept on the bed with me) was quite an adventure.

Good luck. I would take the money, and treat myself to a spa day when it's all done. ((@))((&))

Friends or family with a great house - nothing.

Acquaintance - $700

It's a lot of work.

I agree that the $500 price range seems reasonable, for all the work you are doing.

However, this should have been negotiated upfront! Good luck after the fact in getting your due.

Are you in the suburbs like Wilmette, Winnetka, Kenilworth, Highland Park, Northbrook, etc?

I have no experience in this whatsoever, but I think what they are asking you to do is crazy!!! If you don't have a full-time job I can see it being realistic, but if you do I don't know that can be done.

I'm a New Yorker and we pay a lot for this stuff...I'd charge the $150/day someone else mentioned, which is probably saving them a bundle still in vets/kennel fees. Also staying at their house should count for something....

I'd say $1000, in cash up front. Just in case when they get home and a carpet is damaged they don't hold it against you.

Oh for god's sake. This is pet sitting we're talking about, not splitting the atom. $1k is cuckoo for cocoa puffs.

Based on the scenario the OP is describing.....$1,000,000. ;)

HA! What Janet said, and I am a dog person.

Personally, unless the pet owner(s) were family or very close friends I'd simply pass on this deal. Too much aggravation for the money no matter how much the people are willing to pay.

OP may not have that luxury, however, as it is not clear if she is already house/pet sitting for the people and just now trying to figure out how much she should charge or if she is still in "pre" negotiations. Either way, with all the requirements for tending to the pets it sounds like a potential for "no good deed goes unpunished scenario". I'd walk away from this one.

It is the age, medications and no control of peeing and pooing that make more issues, plus separate walks. Pet sitting, especially older animals, is more than just feeding. Besides cleaning, it is being watchful of the animal's appearance and behavior.

During one of my recent trips, one of my cats became very ill. My pet sitter is (due to needs of elderly family) a non-practicing vet. After she made two trips to the vet (once during a bad storm) and medication for my cat, it became clear that emergency hospitalization was required. My sitter and the vets were in contact with me every few minutes for nearly two days. I was at sea, so could not fly home, and it would have made no difference in care. My cat survived and my pet sitter earned every cent. Had I not had a very competent sitter, my cat would likely have died. It was a rare and totally unexpected event, but I was lucky to have her, not just someone plopping down food.

BTW, the cost of the medical care for the cat during those two days, was more than the cost of my trip. LOL. But, my little cat is here with me, purring and chewing my hair.

Consider that when pricing pet care. That peace of mind allows me to take a trip and enjoy it without too much worry.

I would never skimp on our pets' care, but I think some of the suggestions for pricing here will cause the OP to lose her pet sitting gig entirely.

Pet sitting 'gig?' Like she is being offered a wonderful opportunity to shovel shat?

I believe losing the "gig" would be dodging a bullet unless she is starving or getting ready to lose her residence.

or if they have a pool, landscaper, a stocked gourmet kitchen, and a wine cellar.

Sorry, but you do not ask a "friend" to do THIS kind of pet care without offering compensation unless you are a cheapskate.

This is NOT "the usual" in any way, shape, or form and I don't care what your house looks like or where you ordinarily live. And that "ordinarily live" stuff is about as condescending as it gets and that is being charitable.

As if you are supposed to be grateful for cleaning up some dog's pee and sh*t. Get REAL.

I live in the North Shore area of Chicago mentioned by the OP and I recently paid a pet/house sitting service (found on Angie's list) $100 per day to stay at our house and take care of our two medium sized elderly dogs. Typically that price includes feeding (2-3x per day), individual walks as needed, any necessary medications and general house-sitting (mail, plants, etc). So, I would say that an "arm's length" pricing without regard to any family/friend discounting would be around $100- $125+ per day for 3 dogs.

The only untypical "duty" described by the OP is the bathroom issue which as an owner of 2 elderly dogs I fully appreciate this can be a real challenge. The key advice here is to fully understand the pet owner's expectations and then levy a surcharge directly relative to those expectations (e.g., do they honestly want 24/7 vigilance versus do they have an area of the house sectioned off for their dogs thereby limiting the potential for a big mess, etc.)

For finally comparison, the going rate for boarding at a kennel around this area is between $70-$125+ per day for "triple occupancy". I've lived in various states and generally find that house/pet sitting costs more than a kennel.

Good lord, things must be slow in the Lounge today!

It's called "a paying job". If she didn't want it, she wouldn't have taken it and wouldn't be asking how much to charge.

The rest--whether or not You would want the job, for example--is irrelevant.

<I'm not sure what the going rates are in my area.>

That's easy to find out. Get online, or call vets, whatever you would do if YOU were looking to hire a pet sitter.

I do think you deserve premium rates because of the intensive medical/health situation for these dogs.

By the way:

A few years ago I took a job running the front desk of a boarding kennel. There were half a dozen teenagers whose job was to clean the kennels while the dogs were out of them, including removing feces and urine.

According to you folks, these kids: should not have taken this foul job in the first place; should have charged $1,000 per week for their services; should have charged a million bucks for their services.

It's nice to be privileged, but you guys have lost your grip on reality!

Those teenagers were not in charge of feeding and walking the dogs and looking out for their well-being. They were not responsible for giving medications. And crates and cages are a lot easier to clean than floors and rugs. At least you know where to look.

I don't know where you live NewbE but I would think people would pay their dogsitters a rate commensurate with their responsibilities. Sassafrass brings up a good point about having a sitter who will recognize if medical care is needed.

We should all be able to agree that the cost should be similar to what the owners would pay if they put the three dogs into a local kennel.

Cleaning at a kennel is a who different task from cleaning in a person's home. Kennels are designed with pet waste in mind. Most homes are not.

Since the OP appears not to have done this before, I wonder if she knows what she is getting into.

noragrace!! If you decide to do this job, make sure you have the name and location of their vet, and that the people have made arrangements in advance that you can bring in any of the dogs for any reason and the cost will be covered. You want to have a backup if one of them ends up really sick. Because accidentally peeing and pooping all over the place, isn't the sign of a healthy animal!!

I think the OP will not return. Wonder why...

When I click on noragrace's name it seems she has left Fodors all together so everyone can stop giving advice to a non existent person.

It would be interesting to know how the job goes, and what she ended up charging. Maybe she will come back and provide that info.

NewbE, it would be easier sitting cats, right? ((@))

*I* have a chip on my shoulder? Right.