Cathy Vaughan - How to Start a Home-Based Pet-Sitting and Dog-Walking Business

Cathy Vaughan began pet sitting professionally in 1998 through the encouragement of her husband, Phillip. She had left her career as a Zookeeper and Sea Lion Trainer at the San Antonio Zoo earlier that year to raise their first child. However, she quickly realized that making ends meet on one income for the family was a daunting challenge and she missed using her skills and passion for animals of all species. Cathys Critter Care was born as a way to help the family budget and quell the daily desire to work with animals. Since 1998, Cathys Critter Care has grown from a one client, startup business with Cathy Vaughan being the only provider of care to a business that employs 16 part time pet sitters and a full time office manager. In 2006, Cathys Critter Care was doing well enough for Phillip to leave his full time job and begin working in the pet sitting business.

Throughout her 12 years as business owner, Cathy has served as a Goodwill Ambassador for Pet Sitters International, spoken at conventions and written articles that have appeared in the World of Professional Pet Sitting. Cathy has appeared on local television and spoken at local events to educate people on the benefits of hiring a professional pet sitter and the importance of responsible pet ownership. She is currently a certified Pet First Aid and CPR instructor through PetTech and continues to educate pet sitters and pet owners about handling emergency first aid situations.

Currently Cathy is focusing her efforts to expand Cathys Critter Care. In 2010, she and Phillip, along with their business partner, Cynthia Gibson, will open the Bluebonnet Bunkn Biscuit. This pet care facility will incorporate boarding, doggy daycare, grooming and a membership dog park and indoor 9000 square foot play area.

This book would not have been possible without the support, help, and love of the many people in my life who supported me in my research and gave me encouragement to forge ahead.

I often comment to my clients that I am a much better pet sitter than I am accountant and records keeper. I heard those words run through my brain on numerous occasions during the writing of this book. As a pet sitter and animal lover, I knew the tools I wanted to share with the tidbits and insight, but getting them down on paper was the hard part. Thank you to the many people in my life who made this project possible.

This was truly a labor of love and was made possible primarily through the support of my incredibly wonderful and supportive best friend and husband, Phillip Vaughan. On any given day, hes found to be doing the laundry, helping our kids with their homework, or cleaning the kitchen. Its this day-to-day support in keeping our family going that has made it possible to grow our pet-sitting business into the family legacy it is today. During the many months that it took me to complete this project, he was virtually a single parent many of those days, making it possible for me to devote hour upon hour to my writing at the local library. Without his support, our business and thus this book would not have been possible.

Thank you to the many staff members at Pet Sitters International whove provided innumerable nuggets of wisdom over the course of the years of my membership, many of which you will find in this book. Thank you to those PSI staff members who sent me the information needed to complete areas of research into our industry, the behind the scenes information that made my writing complete. The pet-sitting industry is made up of some of the best people in the world, with the cream of the crop at the PSI office. Thank you for supporting me in my efforts to write this book and for your daily support of all of your members.

Thank you to Stacie Jaeger, my awesome office assistant, right hand gal and fabulous friend and to the staff of Cathys Critter Care who saw to it that our standards of care were met even when I was absent from the front lines while writing. Having a team of pet sitters to bounce ideas off of and provide the information in this book was invaluable.

Finally, thank you to my mom, Carol and my three great kids, Collin, Ryan and Ainsleigh who were never ending in their understanding of the necessary absence needed to write this book. Thank you for allowing me the freedom to do the things that make my life complete.

www.business-insurers.com, Pet Sitters Insurance

www.entrepreneur.com, Entrepreneur Online Magazine

www.intuit.com, Website Design, Accounting, Payroll

www.IRS.gov, Internal Revenue Service

www.mourerfoster.com, Pet Sitters Insurance

www.nase.org, National Association for the Self-Employed

www.petraxsoftware.com, Pet Sitter Business Software

www.petsit.com, Pet Sitters International

www.petsitllc.com, Pet Sitters Insurance

www.petsitters.org, National Association of Professional Pet Sitters

www.petsitusa.com, Pet Sitter Directory and Resources

www.powerpetsitter.com, Power Pet Sitter Web-Based Software

www.professionalpetsitter.com, Bluewave Professional Pet Sitter Software

www.sba.gov, Small Business Administration

Client Information/Service Agreement

Congratulations! You are considering stepping out on your own and starting a home-based pet-sitting business. If you are an animal lover, chances are youve helped a friend, family member, or coworker at some point in your life with his or her pet care needs. In fact, until just a few years ago, the term pet sitter meant the kid down the street or the neighbor who agreed a couple of times to put out some food and let the dog out, and you filled that need. When you helped your friend or family member, you might have thought to yourself, This would be a great job! I wish I could do this all the time! Its true. It can be a great job. After all, who wouldnt want to play with animals all day? But can taking care of other peoples pets really generate a livable income?

The pet industry is booming. According to the American Pet Products Association, the total dollars spent on pets and their care, feeding, and well-being have doubled since 1998. In just the last five years, the industry has grown from $36.3 billion to $47.7 billion (an almost 25 percent growth). To put that into perspective, that cumulative total of $47.7 billion is more than the entire revenue generated by the toy industry in America. Pet sitting falls under the pet services category in the pet industry, which alone accounts for over $3 billion.

When I started pet sitting in 1998 I never imagined our home-based business would generate enough work and income to support a family of five. I often stop and think how amazing it is that a business taking care of beloved pets can really do that! It truly amazes me. What a blessing. We grew our pet-sitting business with a small investment of a couple of hundred dollars and a book we bought online to a business employing fifteen part-time pet sitters and supporting our family comfortably. Your home-based pet-sitting business can do that, too.