Learning how to become a pet sitter is a great option for kids looking to make some money doing something they love. While a pet sitter business may seem like simply babysitting for a furry friend, it is more complicated than it sounds. Taking care of someone else’s pet while the pet owner is out of town or at work requires taking care of all of the needs of that pet. This means food, water, elimination, exercise, wellness, play and comfort. It is a lot of responsibility.

Pet Sitting and Liability
If you want to become a pet sitter, you should have protection in case something goes wrong. This protection comes in the form of pet sitter insurance. If your child doesn't have this, you could find yourself financially responsible for any damage or injuries caused by the pet. Rules vary, but as a general rule a homeowners insurance policy will cover any incidents as long as the pet remains at the pet owner's home. If your child brings several pets into your home, don't expect your homeowners policy to provide coverage, since these policies seldom extend to home-based businesses, even those run by kids.

Adult Support
A kid starting a pet sitter business needs the help of an adult. This is not something for the child to undertake alone. While taking the neighbor’s dog for a walk and making sure it has water sounds like an easy job, it is always important to have an adult to call in case the child needs help.

Taking a dog for a walk can become overwhelming for a kid in a split second. What if the dog is confronted by another dog? Suppose the dog jerked itself off the leash or became ill or injured? Suppose the dog jumped on a small child who was walking by and the child got hurt? There is a measure of preparedness and responsibility that is essential for pet sitting. A child cannot do this without adult support.

Knowledge First
Anyone interested in becoming a pet sitter needs to be prepared. This means learning all about the pet-sitting business. A suggested book is Patti J. Moran’s Pet Sitting for Profit. This gives a good foundation for what one needs to know to get started. It’s also a good idea to learn about pet sitter insurance by going to Petsit.com. This site is for professionals, but parents of a kid pet sitter should really have pet insurance for legal protection.

Kids should learn as much as possible about animal behavior before they start pet sitting. Teach them how dogs and cats react when they're frightened or ill. Teach them to watch for signs of aggression and how to spot symptoms of rabies. Be sure to let them know when they should and shouldn't approach an animal.

Meet the Pet and the Owner
It’s a good idea to get to know a pet before taking it on as a client. Go visit the pet in its home environment, and learn about its needs. Get very clear directions on what the owner expects. Get a feel for the temperament of the animal, and how easy the animal will be to take care of. A kid should bring his or her parents to this introduction, again, to have the support of the parent. The parent might have a sense of whether the animal would be more than the kid can handle alone, or whether the owner is going to take advantage of the sitter.

Figure out what You Are Offering to Do
Plan ahead of time whether you will sit in the owner’s home, in your home or both. Are you willing to keep a pet overnight, or just sit during the day? Will you walk dogs? Will you provide food? Give medicine when needed? Make a list of what goals you have, and what services you will provide, then set your rates. Talk to the pet owner ahead of time to establish your rates and when you expect to be paid. Pet sitters typically charge a flat rate for a job, rather than an hourly rate. Parents should help kids research pet sitting rates in the area and come up with a reasonable charge. You can use professional rates as a starting point, but expect that kids will earn half of that rate at most.

To get the first client, find out if there are people in your neighborhood who need a pet sitter. You can also put flyers around town. Take on one client at a time. Make sure you're comfortable with the responsibility before adding more clients.