Join our team with a Twin Cities pet-sitting job!
Attention kind, warm, and dependable pet lovers: Whiskers to Tails Petsitting is always looking for responsible, organized, and caring adults to pet sit for our clients.
What’s in the application? Please complete the brief questionnaire by clicking on the button above. It will take less than a minute, and no signing up or logging in is required. By getting your basic info, we can easily see how far away you are from the clients inquiring about pet-sitting and dog-walking jobs. Our goal is to provide you with pet-sitting jobs close to your residence and requiring a minimal commute. We hope to build long-term relationships with all our sitters, so we tailor your workload to fit your desired schedule, making it convenient to control your work-life balance.
We are excited that you are interested in pet-sitting and dog-walking jobs in the Twin Cities Metro Area!
- You pick which assignments you want when you want them
- We cover liability insurance and bonding coverage
- we pay for your background check
- we pay for all key pickup/drop-off trips, metered parking, pet trips, and client meeting requested beyond the initial meet and greet.
- you get an additional $20 per client surcharge for all holiday visits
- you get an additional $5 per visit surcharge for all short-notice requests
- we pay for visits that have been canceled within 24 hours
- Paydays are twice a month
- We provide you with a backup sitter when you can’t take care of your clients due to illness or vacation
Job Overview
Pet owners hire a pet sitter or a dog walker when they are not able to be home to take care of their pets. They don’t want to kennel the pets or impose on a neighbor or a relative. They are looking for a professional who will dedicate their love and attention to the pets. Below is a list of the most common tasks while pet-sitting and/or dog-walking:
- Feed & water pets at scheduled times
- Administer medication (you will be trained by the owner on each individual case)
- Exercise, play & brush
- Pick up after pets, including cleaning up the occasional pet mess.
- Scoop & change the litter box
- Walk dogs (rain, shine, snow, or cold)
- Transport pets to and from veterinarian or groomer (only as needed)
- Bringing in mail, newspapers, fliers & packages
- Alternate lights & blinds and turn off/on the tv/radio as requested
- Watering plants
What our pet-sitting and dog-walking jobs look like
Whiskers to Tails Petsitting is one of the largest pet-sitting companies in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area. We are a company that values your time. All pet-sitting and dog-walking job assignments are flexible. We aim to keep sits close to your residence. Having a short commute is essential to making this job fun. You are in complete control of whether you accept or pass on sits.
We can not guarantee the amount of pet sits – you work when your clients travel. So the volume can be sporadic, and you can never count on a set amount of hours you will work each week. You are on call when we have work for you, so this job is best treated as a part-time extra income generator or a side hustle. We do not want to over-promise and under-deliver. Those who are more flexible on timing, distance, and sit types will have more opportunities to make money as other sitters pass on opportunities. It is more of a lifestyle than a job. It is flexible and close to home. If you truly love pets and like being outdoors, you will enjoy how positive and self-managed this working environment is.
What we are looking for in an ideal sitter
We are looking for honest, reliable, well-organized people who love pets and extra income. Your flexibility of schedule is the key to this position. You will most likely work weekends, but you will not work every weekend. Again, you control your schedule.
Let’s say, we have an assignment for you starting Tuesday evening and ending Saturday morning. If it’s a cat, the time of the visits is usually more flexible. With dogs, you have to be there early in the mornings, late in the evenings, and possibly during lunch to break up a long day. Your midday availability is important, but you won’t be pet-sitting every day during your lunch hour. If you are organized, and good at managing your schedule, pet-sits can easily layer into your schedule with another full or part-time job.
Preferably, you are available for most major holidays. We pay a bonus for working on these days. Again, with the flexibility of this job, you will not be working non-stop during holidays, you are in control and take any time off needed by simply blocking out your calendar. You can just do a few pet-sits here and there, or you can make this a full-time job. It’s your call.
Having a strong character and being detail oriented is critical to this position.
The perks are many, including solid pay, a flexible schedule with flexible hours, and working with cute, loving pets. Clients are typically generous with tips and gifts, as you are taking care of their loved ones!
Other requirements:
- Have access to a reliable and insured vehicle
- Possess a smartphone
- Have the ability to pass a comprehensive background check
- Willingness to be outside in all kinds of weather
Ideal sitters will have these skills:
- Be punctual, responsible, and honest
- Excellent customer service and communication skills (written and spoken) for interaction with pet owners
- Excellent problem-solving skills, every sit is a different experience!
- Ability to commit to and manage your own schedule, completing and following through on assigned pet visits
- Ability and willingness to follow detailed instructions from clients
- Knowledge and experience caring for pets of all sizes and temperaments
- Be physically fit and capable of handling larger dog breeds
- Flexible schedule
How The Process Works
Our Clients
Our pet-sitting customers usually have dogs and/or cats. Exotic and pocket pets are accepted on a case-by-case basis. Usually, pets don’t have serious medical needs and won’t have major behavioral problems. In many instances, they have used a pet sitter before, and the customers are comfortable leaving their pets at home with a pet sitter. You would meet with clients before committing to the assignments. We want to make sure you are comfortable with pets and their routines.
Our Company
We’ve been in business since 2009. We now have pet sitters servicing thousands of pet owners in the Minneapolis and St. Paul areas.
Matching our sitters with pet sitting and dog walking jobs
Once a pet owner contacts us, we map all nearby pet sitters and start with the closest person that has the skills needed for the pets. If they are unavailable, we move on to the next closest sitter. We strive to ensure that all pet-sitting and dog-walking jobs are convenient for our sitters. We understand spending a long time in commute is stressful and unproductive.
Once you agree to an assignment
Once you confirm your availability to take a client, you meet with the client. During that meeting, you go over the pet-sitting routine. That’s when you also get a key. You become that client’s primary pet sitter. If they travel again in the future, you will be notified and you’ll be pet-sitting them again if you are available. If you need a backup, we’ll have you drop off all keys with a backup pet sitter, they will take care of your clients.
Your schedule
You can access your schedule on an app-based calendar. You log in, view clients’ info, and review your upcoming schedule. As you pet sit, you check visits off as completed – that’s how we know everything is going well.
Your compensation
Your base pay is 50% of the cost of the service provided. We also pay you for all key pickup and drop-off trips, 24-hour cancellations, and short notices. Our pet sitters receive compensation for all pet sitting and dog walking jobs no matter whether clients pay or not. An additional $20 per client is applied to all visits during major national holidays.
Our app tracks your time sheets and you get paid twice a month based on your visits completed during the pay period.
As a sitter, you are covered by our company’s liability insurance.
This is a contractor position. We do not deduct taxes, Social Security, or Medicare from your paychecks. We provide you with a 1099 form at the end of the year.