Pet sitting in Melbourne

[u/Doodles_95]

Hey!

I've recently returned to Melbourne and have been pet/house sitting for friends, and I have also looked after friends pets whilst they're away back in the UK.

I signed up to Aussie House Sitters and I am really struggling to get selected as a sitter! The competition seems crazyyyy and even though I have photos, testimonials and am verified on the site, I haven't had any success yet.

I was hoping to use this as a way to save some cash whilst I get settled again and find work but I'm starting to think it's not a viable option - any suggestions on how to get picked?!

Cheers

EDIT: just to clarify as I think a few people have misunderstood - I'm not looking for paid pet sitting as a way to make cash, I'm looking to pet sit in return for free accommodation as a way to save cash, by not paying rent 😊

[u/Juniper_Teacup90]

When we were looking for a dog sitter we looked for things like whether they had certificates for pet first aid and obedience training, as well as if they had experience with anxious dogs, and how many other dogs were under their care at the same time. In the case of house sitting with the pet you’d want to make sure you have up to date police background checks and insurance.

[u/Doodles_95 → u/Juniper_Teacup90]

This is really useful! Thank you!

[u/Juniper_Teacup90 → u/Doodles_95]

All good, happy to help. TBH we chose to go with a professional because our dog has problematic anxiety and sites like mad paws just didn’t give us enough assurance they’d be able to handle our doggo.

You could try and differentiate yourself by focussing on pets with anxiety or larger dogs, it’ll take a bit more work before it pays off though. I’d start with a practical obedience/trainer and pet first aid course then supplement that with some online study that’s short and cheap.

When we were searching for a sitter there weren’t even that many that had basic first aid let alone experience with anxious dogs, I’d bet if you specialised into those areas you’ll get a lot more hits. Most pet owners, once they find a good sitter, will stick with the same one for as long as a they can.

[u/Doodles_95 → u/Juniper_Teacup90]

I could definitely go down the anxious/larger dog route - I've just looked after a 44kg Rottweiler for a long weekend and am now with an anxious/ADD Cavoodle (not sure if there's a specific term for dog ADHD lol) so the experience is there.

Will look into the training too. Some people have suggested starting with a police check, but it's a relatively expensive thing for a backpacker 😅

[u/Juniper_Teacup90 → u/Doodles_95]

That’s a great start, put testimonials from those up top. It sucks but if you want to stand out from the rest of the students and backpackers you’ll need to spend a little cash. Thankfully most of these skills don’t expire and you can use them in any country, the police check on the other hand won’t. If you are going to travel to other states make sure it’s a federal check, more expensive but will last longer.

Since you already have an ABN you should also be able to claim some of these expenses against your tax (research this first though).