If you’ve ever thought: “I love dogs… but could I actually turn this into real income?” This is for you. After 24 years working professionally with dogs, here are some of the biggest things I’d want someone to understand before getting started. Not in a scary way. Just in a real-world way. 🐾 1. Decide what kind of dog care actually fits your life Dog sitting can look a lot of different ways. - Boarding dogs in your home - Drop-in visits - Dog walking - Overnight stays - Puppy care - Adventure hikes - Senior dog care - House sitting travel You do not have to do all of it. A calmer business usually starts with choosing what actually works for your home, schedule, energy, and lifestyle. 2. Loving dogs and caring for dogs professionally are different things This work can be amazing. It can also be stressful, messy, emotional, unpredictable, loud, and physically exhausting some days. The women who do best long term usually create structure early instead of trying to “figure it out later.” 3. Insurance matters more than most people realize Professional pet sitting insurance matters. A lot. Some women begin on apps like Rover or Wag to gain experience or early reviews. Just understand those platforms take a percentage of your income, encourage lower pricing, and their platform protections are very different from carrying your own professional insurance. Many people assume they are fully covered through those apps until something actually happens. The Rover Guarantee is a reimbursement program, not insurance. The distinction is critical and it affects sitters dramatically. Most just assume it’s insurance. It’s important to research what is covered, what is not, and where responsibility falls if a dog, person, or property gets hurt. 4. Create a safe environment before dogs arrive Some basics matter more than fancy branding. Things like: - secure doors and fencing - crates, gates, and separation areas - feeding dogs separately when needed - understanding dog body language - backup plans if dogs become overwhelmed - emergency vet contacts - protecting your own dog’s routine and energy

Can I tell you something nobody really talks about when it comes to building a dog care business? It is genuinely one of the best businesses you can run if you are an introvert. Or a people pleaser. Or someone who has spent years putting everyone else first and then wondering why you feel so depleted at the end of the week. Here is why. The dog is the relationship. The human is the scheduling. But here is what actually happens when you build this business the right way and this is the part that surprises people. You end up developing better relationships with the humans too. Because when your policies are written down and your boundaries are already set, you stop explaining yourself. You stop over-apologizing. You stop negotiating against yourself. The agreement does that work, and what is left is just a genuinely good working relationship with people who respect you. A lot of women find that starts bleeding into the rest of their life in ways they did not expect. And when you build your business with a real member agreement in place, clients follow the terms without you having to enforce anything out loud. Because it is their dog. And they already trust you completely. The boundary is set before the conversation ever happens. You wrote it down once, they read it, they agreed. No fumbling through "so about the deposit..." You never have to say the hard thing because it is already just how you work. For women who have spent a lifetime being the accommodating one, that is a different way to move through the world. So what goes into a member agreement? Here is solid starting material: Payment terms. How much the deposit is, when it is due, and that it is non-refundable. The conversation most people dread disappears when it lives in a document. Holiday policies. And this one is worth paying attention to. You get to decide which holidays you take bookings for and which ones you block off entirely. People will pay a premium for holiday care. That is real. But the other side of that is equally real: the holidays you actually want to spend doing something else? You block those. You do not have to work every holiday to build a strong income. Part of learning this business is figuring out which ones are worth it to you and which ones are not. Your policy makes both of those things possible.

Global standards for professional pet sitting and dog walking were established for the first time ever last year. Contracts. Insurance. Emergency protocols. Client privacy. Ethical conduct. The bar is being set publicly now. Clients are going to start expecting more from the people they hire. That's actually good news for you. The women who operate with real structure, clear boundaries, and professional standards are already ahead of most people in this space. If I did a live training, which of these would you want covered first? ✅ How to set your rates and actually charge them ✅ Contracts and what you actually need ✅ How to get your first clients ✅ How to screen dogs and clients before you say yes

Well, look who found her people! ✨ Welcome to Dog Sitting Sisterhood! 🐾 If you're here because you love dogs and you've been thinking there has to be a way to turn that into some meaningful income, you're in the right place. Maybe you're looking for an extra $500 a month. Maybe $2,500 or more would give you some serious breathing room. Or maybe you're ready to create something of your own that gets you outside, keeps you moving, and gives you a little more freedom with your time. Whatever brought you here, I'm glad you found me. I've spent 25+ years working with dogs and their people, and there's a whole lot I've learned about making a good living doing something you actually enjoy. That's what I'm bringing to this Sisterhood. First things first. Come say hello! ✳️ Tell us: 1️⃣ Where you're from and what brought you here. 2️⃣ Are you already earning money caring for dogs, or just kicking around the idea? 3️⃣. Got a dog photo? Bring it on. We never turn down a good dog picture around here. 🗺️ Your first stop: The Backroads to $2.5K Before you start wondering where to find clients or what to charge, go play with some numbers. The Backroads to $2.5K lets you explore different dog care services, what you could charge, and what that income could look like in your real life. No fancy business plan required. Just a place to start figuring out what's possible. 👉 Take the Backroads to $2.5K And remember, this is a Sisterhood. Ask questions. Share what you're figuring out. Jump into conversations. We've got women at different starting points, and that's part of what makes this work. Glad you're here! JT 🐾

You’ve played with your $2.5K Mix and seen what a possible route could look like. The numbers are useful. Getting the clients is where it becomes real. So where are you right now? Pick the one that fits you best: A. I’m looking for my first clients. B. I have a few clients and want more of the right ones. C. I know I need to tell more people what I do, but I keep putting it off. D. I already have clients and I’m ready to grow this into something bigger. Drop your letter below and tell us a little about where you are. Then reply to at least one other woman. Ask a question, share an idea, or give her a little encouragement. This is a service business. Clients usually come from conversations, connections, follow-up, and actually getting out there. That’s also why the Sisterhood matters. You can know exactly what you should do and still put it off until next week. Having women around you who are doing the same work makes it a whole lot easier to keep going. This is also where the Sisterhood really helps. Sometimes you know the next thing to do and still don’t do it. You put off the conversation, the follow-up, the outreach, or the rate change. Having women around you who understand what you’re working on makes it easier to keep going and work through the parts that feel awkward or uncertain. That deeper kind of support is there when you want it. ✅ Your turn --> A. B. C. or D.