Fun and Unique Ways to Make Money as A Pet Lover
With the holiday season quickly approaching, many people are searching for ways to bring in a little extra money. After all, the costs can add up quickly. But what about fun ways to make money as a pet lover, specifically? Let’s talk about how you can turn your passion into income!
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Are you on the search for an opportunity to make a little extra cash this year?
If so, I may have just what you’re looking for…
I’ve put together a list of different ways you can make money as a pet lover ranging from quick money in a pinch and smaller scale side hustles to fulltime business opportunities.
Whatever you’re looking for, you can do it while embracing your love of animals!
Extra income AND pets – What’s not to love?
10 Great Ways to Make Money as A Pet Lover
Dog Walking
If you’re getting out and walking your dog already, why not make a little extra money at the same time?
Many pet owners are searching for solutions to their dog’s loneliness while they are at work.
Especially with the sharp increase in pet adoptions during the lockdown! These are newer pet owners, now working to adjust to their return to work.
You can advertise on local community bulletin boards or community Facebook groups. However, the best option may be to sign up for Rover!
Not only does Rover connect you with potential customers, but it also provides liability insurance.
Pet Sitting
Another great way to make money as a pet lover is to become a pet sitter.
This is a great business option for all pet lovers, not just dog lovers (contrary to popular belief).
Pet owners are searching for reliable and trustworthy sitters to care for cats, dogs, birds, reptiles, horses, rabbits, and more.
If you are looking at making this a full-time business, I recommend checking out the Pet Sitters International ‘Certified Professional Pet Sitter’ certification.
While this is an investment (both in time and money), it is a great way to stand out from the others in your industry.
Much like dog sitting, you can advertise on your own or choose to be listed on an online platform.
Rover (listed above) not only caters to dog walkers but also to pet sitters. By signing up for Rover, you can offer both services in one location.
If you are located here in Canada, you may choose to list your services with Pet Sitters Canada.
Related: ‘11 Must-Have Apps for Pet Parents in 2020‘
Pooper Scooper
This may not sound like the most enticing of jobs, but it is a great entry-level option to make money quickly.
Most people don’t enjoy cleaning up after their pets and would be more than willing to pay someone to come to their home and take care of the ‘dirty work’.
The concept is simple – offer your services cleaning up people’s yards on your local community board or community Facebook group.
You may also choose to create flyers, dropping them off in the mailboxes of local dog owners.
There are very few tools required to get started and your business can grow quickly by word of mouth as long as you’re doing a great job.
Pet Grooming
Starting your business as a pet groomer is going to require training, however, it can be a profitable choice for those interested in starting a pet business!
Pet groomers are highly in demand, meaning that it’s a great opportunity for success.
You can choose from working at (or owning) a brick and mortar shop, or travelling to your customers, bringing your grooming services to their door.
The journey to get started as a pet groomer can take different paths, depending on your learning style.
Some prospective groomers choose to attend a training certification program, while others prefer to take an apprenticeship approach, learning the skills of the trade working alongside an established groomer.
Create and Sell Stock Photography
Are you interested in photography? Do you enjoy taking pictures of your pets?
Stock photography websites such as Adobe Stock, Shutterstock and Getty Images are always on the search for new photos to feature and sell on their websites.
They are looking for high-quality photos that would be of interest their millions of subscribers.
This is a great option if your pet is photogenic and willing to pose for the camera!
Pet Photography
Do you love taking photos, but you don’t have a ready and willing model at home? You could build your business and make money by taking photos of someone else’s pets.
When people think of photography, they often think of weddings and maternity shoots, but there is growing demand for talented pet photographers as well!
More families are starting to see their pets as a part of the family, sparing no expense.
Pet photography isn’t easy, especially when you’re working with pets that you’re not familiar with.
It requires an eye for photography, skill with a high-quality camera and A LOT of patience.
You can’t describe what to do to your models the way that you can with human photography, so be ready for a lot of trial and error!
Sell Your Handmade Products
Maybe you aren’t a master behind a camera, but you have another creative skill that you’d like to share.
You can make money as a pet lover by leveraging your talents!
This could include sewing clothing and accessories, constructing scratch posts and pet furniture, or drawing beautiful portraits.
Turn your passion into some extra income and have fun along the way.
Teach Online Classes
Do you have knowledge, education and/or experience in a specific animal-related topic?
If so, you may be interested in creating an online course, sharing your knowledge and teaching skills to others.
Examples of course topics include dog training, first aid & CPR for pets, DIY tutorials and more.
These can be created and marketed on your own or offered through a platform like Udemy.
To find out more about teaching with Udemy, check out their Teaching Center.
Related: ‘12 Pet Influencers You Should Follow on Instagram‘
Become an Instagram Influencer
This is often seen as a ‘get rich quick’ solution to making money, but it’s not as easy as it is may seem.
That being said, it can be profitable if you’re willing to put in the time and effort.
Instagram influencers make money by leveraging their following to promote sponsored posts and even their own merchandise.
However, first, you will need to build a loyal following.
There is more to building a following than just posting whatever your heart desires and hoping for the best.
You will need to learn about social media marketing, Instagram algorithms, and more.
If you are serious about becoming an Influencer and looking for valuable information, consider investing a ticket to The Pet Summit 2020 for access to their online library of classes and workshops specifically focused on success in the pet industry.
Start A Pet Blog
If you love the idea of having your say in the pet industry, but you’re more interested in writing than the visual focus of Instagram, blogging may be for you!
Like the Instagram Influencer option, this is anything but a ‘get rich quick’ scheme.
When starting a blog, you will be doing a lot of work up front for nothing, even investing before seeing any return.
However, if you’re willing to stick it out and put the effort in, you can build a profitable business with sponsored posting, ad revenue, affiliate sales and more.
While there are free blogging platforms available, these also come with limitations.
I recommend creating a self-hosted WordPress blog in order to set yourself up for success.
Unsure of what that means or how to get started? I use Lyrical Host for my hosting and have had nothing but the best experience with them!
In addition to fast, reliable hosting, they also offer additional support, exclusive stock photography and a blogging resource library.
Use the code ‘SHEDHAPPENS10’ for 10% off your first hosting payment!
Check out my Blogging Resources page for more information about the products and services that I use here on Shed Happens.
Have you tried any of these ways to make money as a pet lover? Do you have another pet-related business idea? I want to hear all about your experiments, experiences and success in the comment section!
Pet lovers make tons of that sweet IG dough managing accounts for their pups and kittens lol. They don’t even need to scoop poop; of course product sponsorships et al account for this too. Everyone has a home on social media.
If you’re willing to put the money in, it can definitely be a lucrative form of income!
My niece is a dog walker and she makes pretty good money. I think she walks about five dogs a day. I’ve never heard of pet owners hiring people to be pooper scoopers, but it makes sense.
There is definitely great money to be made in these jobs. Too often people assume that it’s nothing but pocket change – but if you treat it like a business, you really can build a good income!
If I was a pet sitter, I can’t promise that I won’t want to take the dogs with me lol. These are great ideas!
Right? I feel like I would fall in love with every pet that I’m spending time with!
I would love to be a pet sitter or pet walker for a living! I think it’s better to surround yourself with animals sometimes instead of humans. I’d also love to explore pet photography considering that my cell phone is 90% pictures of my dogs.
My phone looks the same – dog and cat pictures everywhere. Although, now that I have a pet blog, I have created an excuse for myself 😉 lol
I love that you can make some money from just loving pets and doing activities you’d enjoy. Dog walking is great where you can get some exercise in as well. I didn’t even know poop scooping is a job on its own! But that is great – don’t think this would be included in landscaping work. Oooh people love pet photographs especially during the holidays. Thanks for sharing all of these ways to make money!!
Nancy ✨
So many people would LOVE to pay someone to clean up their yard versus having to do it themselves!
I just love dogs so much that I would not mind at all walking them, or even dog sitting as well. I had a friend who did both actually, and loved it. She did it for a few months, and then took a break from it. She said it was something she really enjoyed, and she also loved the extra activity for herself as well. Being a pet walker would be perfect especially for those who want to get out, and get fresh air. And also for those who want to get their daily steps in as well. Great list of ways to make money as a pet lover. Thank you for sharing.
Yes, being a dog walker would be an amazing way to get your steps in and encourage yourself to be active. I can vouch for the fact that having dogs rely on you for their daily walks means that no excuse to skip it is considered valid lol
I knew all of these jobs existed, except for pooper scooper, THAT is an interesting one ? although not too exciting, as I can see many people not wanting to deal with that. If I had my own pets already, I’d definitely consider being a dog walker or pet sitter, as I’d already be doing those things, so why not make some money out of it? I’d also probably start a second Instagram for my pet out of pure obsession, and not wanting to annoy my regular Instagram followers ?
That’s just it, if you’re out walking your dog regularly, why not walk another couple and make some extra money? Especially if you enjoy walking your dog, so you don’t necessarily see it as a chore.
This post is going to be great for my teenage nephews!
Rosie
I’m sure there’s something on the list here that they will love!
You have a lot of great ideas on here. I think that several of them would be great for teenagers to start their own businesses too so I’ll keep them in mind as my kids get older. I would have enjoyed that a lot more than working in fast food and retail like I used to do.
Yes, they are a great way for teens to start working and learning the value of money. I worked retail early on as well. I would have been much happier walking dogs lol
I love this post! Such creative ways to make a little more money and to take care of/have fun with pets too. I may look into pet sitting in the future.
I love that we can make money doing something that we genuinely enjoy!
Great ideas! I would love to pet sit, but it would be so hard to give them back at the end. Maybe taking pictures is a better option for me. ?
I know that a lot of pet sitters have regular customers so that they can see them time and time again. That might be a great solution!
Such a great list! I think the first few ones are easy to do… and those that involve more time and effort like be an influencer and start a pet blog are such nice ideas too if they’re passionate about all things digital/social media. 🙂
That’s the key to finding the right job for you – find something that you are passionate about but also have time for in your life. There’s no point in committing to something if you know that you can’t follow through. It’s only setting yourself up to fall short.
I have considered making engraved pet name tags or even designing custom pet bowls. My son is still so little I have a hard time getting anything done let alone work on another project but in the future I have lots of plans!
Those are great ideas! I have a few different products that I would love to create in the future. Eventually I will find time to get a start on it all! lol
Had no idea there were so many ways to make money with pets. Some good suggestions right here and for a pet lover this probably wouldn’t even feel like a job because it’s what they love. Awesome!
Exactly, that’s the goal. Find a way to do money that’s also connected with the things that you love. Even the pooper scooper role may allow you to spend time with more dogs!
Pet sitting would be the dream for me as I love looking after pets and what a great way to make money! I know that dog walking is a really good one for making money in my local area – especially during lockdown x
There have been A LOT of pets adopted during the lockdown for companionship. These are people who brought their new family member into the house when they were working from home and will have to consider how to navigate going back to work outside the home again while meeting their new pet’s needs. It’s a big opportunity!
This is such a great list. I didn’t realise there were so many ways to make money as a pet lover. Id love to be a dog walker or pet photographer. Maybe time for a career change!
I love that you literally get paid to spend time with dogs. I am at my happiest when I have animals around me.
I’ve actually thought about signing up for dog walking before, I love playing with all of the neighbourhood pups when I walk Hugo so I’m sure I’d enjoy that, and obviously a little extra cash would be good! x
That sounds like it would be a great fit!
I love this. I never knew there were jobs like pooper scooper.
It’s one of the most overlooked ways. Sure, it’s not glorious, but it’s a great way to make some fast cash. No one WANTS to do it – so they’re happy to pay others.
Wow there are so many fab ideas here and who knew that you could make money like this. so good of you to share this x
Thank you!
There is a local company I use that come to my house and trim my cat’s nails. This saves me a LOT of headaches of taking him to the vet. But their big claim to fame and how they got started was doing the pooper scooper thing. They have this hilarious truck that has the words “got poop?” in giant letters on the side. It’s easily identifiable around town! I’ve been seeing it for years and they’ve clearly grown through their genius marketing techniques. So I guess there really is money in the poop business!
We don’t currently pay someone to clean our yard, but I could definitely see myself doing it in the future as my own business continues to grow. I love the idea of supporting a local business while also taking something off my to-do list that I don’t enjoy doing anyway lol
Great topic! I have a Savannah Cat e-Magazine and website so I’m always looking for ways to monetize! I love the stock photo idea. Do you find you actually make decent money with that?
I’m not a skilled enough photographer to make good money on that one, personally, but I do know people that have had great success with it.
I love your blog!!!! And you’re right, Shed happens!!!!! I have a hoodie that essential says that too! We have a ton of animals at home! I could start a petting zoo for some extra cash lol
Now that would be a fun side hustle, wouldn’t it? lol
Pet blogging if hard. I tried it before but I utterly failed. Photography is pets is different and I love it. I kinda wish more people ordered photo sessions for their pets
It’s a challenge, but it’s also incredibly rewarding. I love sharing tips and tricks for new pet owners so that they can enjoy the happiness that we do.
So many people make decent money from dog walking! It’s a good idea as a job and would also be good exercise xx
It’s a great job option for dog lovers looking to earn a little extra income!
I am a mom of 3 dogs and these are brilliant. I love the idea of putting up a pet blog or get started with stock photography. Can’t wait to get started. Thank you for sharing this.
I LOVE the world of pet blogging. It’s a lot of work, but if you love what you do, it’s worth it!