No matter how well the business is going to do, you need to have the start up costs before you can begin to make any money. Therefore, looking at independent pet store start up costs is very important. The first thing that you need to do when you are looking at independent pet store start up costs is to make sure that you know how to tally them in the right way. You want to be sure that as you start to look at the start up costs you are doing it right and you are not going to be having too many or too little.

The first thing that you should do is think about what types of animals you want to have in your pet store, and what types of supplies. The best thing to do is to make a list of all of the things you would like and then make an estimate about the costs of these things. Read the rest of this entry »

There are over 6 million households in Canada who own a pet or two. Dogs and cats are the most popular pets, while dogs are the most favoured dogs among pet owners primarly because dogs are most affectionate.

It used to be that when pet owners go away on holiday, they would leave their pets with a neighbour, relative or friend, or with a kennel service. However, many families do not live close to each other and kennels can be quite expensive while not necessarily providing a happy atmosphere for pets. Thus, a new service business of pet sitting and pet walking is born.

Today, the pet sitting service has become a mature business. NAPPS, the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters provide publications, training videos, insurance information, and other business resources for its members. Canadian equivalent of such an association is the All Canadian Pet Service Network. Typical pet sitting fees are $15 for a one-to-one 15 minute pee break, $20 for a 20 minute pee break. Group walks are also available at lower rates. Clients are not limited to pet owners on vacations. Some stay-at-home pet owners book 2 to 3 services a week for extra relief from walking their pets. Typically, the owner would leave house keys to the pet sitting service, and the sitters would come to the house and take the pets out for a walk. Reputable pet sitting services run a criminal check on their pet sitter employees and provide insurance bonding. Some pet sitting service also offer dog obedience training and puppy potty training as well.

My husband and I had the unfortunate experience of having to care for a pet while her owners went away for a holiday. The first night, we both forgot that we had the dog, and left our front door open. It was not until four hours later than we remembered we were caring for the dog, and had to have a search party. Luckily, we found the dog. She had wandered away to the neighbour’s yard, and was crying. The dog felt so lonely while staying with us, and wouldn’t eat for the first two days. After our valiant efforts in entertaining her and giving her a lot of pats and talk, she finally warmed up and felt comfortable.

After this episode, I have learned not to take care of somebody’s dog and will gladly refer them to a pet sitting service. I am sure many non-pet owners felt the same way. In fact, many pet sitting services sell gift certificates which make ideal presents for all occasions.

Dogs are social animals, and love company. They also need daily walks and exercises at least once, and preferably twice a day. Without proper attention, dogs can be destructive and manifest behavioral problems. Older arthritic dogs who are not so agile, may not adjust well to new surroundings. If you are travelling and will be away from your pet, consider giving your pets quality care by using a pet sitting service.

If you love pets and want to start your own business, consider a pet sitting service. It can be run from home, and has low startup costs. Several add-on products such as dog accessories, and dog food can also bring in additional income. Here’s another plus! This type of jobs cannot be outsourced to a third world country.

Author: Trenna Young
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty rate

photo credit: akk_rus

As I discuss in my article “Pets Are Big Business,” Americans are more eager than ever before to lavish their beloved “furry children” with products and services that were unavailable just a few years ago.

Here’s another trend that spells opportunity: a growing percentage of pets in America are cats. Yes, cats now outnumber dogs. This trend is driven by a number of factors:

–Americans have busier lifestyles, with fewer children in the family, and pets fill the void (with cats increasingly being the pet of choice).

–More homes are empty of people during the day (and cats are better than dogs at being left alone). Read the rest of this entry »

There are many people who do not like the services they get from professionals they do not know and who do not know your pets. Pet sitting businesses tend to be expensive and predictably anonymous just by the way they are organized..to make money. If you are like me I am sure you would prefer to have friends who know your pets come over and pet sit or take your pets to their homes when your away.

The pet sitting exchange concept is new and very simple. If you love animals and can pet sit for others then you can find pet sitters who will sit for you and your pets in exchange. I am using the internet to create an online forum in a database that simply connects everyone who needs services and are also willing to provide those services in exchange. Its like a Yahoo group with the added ability to see who is in an area by searching users profiles. If you search by your area codes and find new people with pets like yours who are willing to pet sit for you while you are away, you just found a compatible set of people who can pet sit for each other. They can sit for you and your pets and you can do the same for them when they are away. There are thousand of people doing this so its catching on and becoming much easier to find that select group of people you need to help you when you have to leave your pets at home.

This new FREE community concept is not a business but it is saving people lots of money and lots of worry. One of the first examples of searchable databases is a pet community project developed and hosted by Petstouch.com. The goal of this service is to help people find pet sitters for their pets even in areas where there are no commercial services available. If you take a look you may be surprised who is already there. Talk to other members that are also looking for exchange services in your area. Your email is kept hidden when your messages are forwarded. It is Free Private and Secure ,and it REALLY works!

One of the problems encountered by pet lovers on the internet is also a problem with this kind of service. The problem is the fear of animal abuse that has lead to self appointed regulators who make it impossible to use places like Craigslist to find pets and pet services. Advertise on Craigslist for a bunny and experience the wrath of the pet police who even use their own website to immediately flag you ads and make sure you cant find what you want. The same happens with pet services. Service providers flag anything that looks like competition and this one really gets them going…..so we need another way to get the word out and that is through word of mouth and articles and anything you can do that make people aware. Our work in this area is not exclusive but we have one of the largest memberships as we started about a year ago.

If you like this concept let us know how to improve it and join our club.

Author: Mike Jane
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Netbook, Tablets and Mobile Computing

It is indeed hard to consider ‘Pet Sitting’ as a career option. But according to a recent survey, it is one of the only few industries that are growing despite an economic slowdown. In fact, it is helping pet-sitters to better their lives with a steady income while working on their own terms and yes, without any investments. Does this sound too good to be true? Have you been thinking of how to start pet sitting service or business? To be honest, starting a pet-sitting business is really easy. All you require is thorough knowledge about pets and pet-care coupled with a willingness to care for animals. So, what exactly is the pet-sitting industry?

The pet-sitting industry comprises of pet-owners and pet-sitters. According to the National Pet Owners Survey conducted by the American Pet Products Association 2007-2008, over 71 million homes in the United States have pets and spent up to $41.2 billion on pet-care during the last year alone. With the increase in the number of pet-owners, the demand for reliable and experienced professional pet-sitters too has increased.

Why professional pet sitters? Professionals are professionals. They work and get paid. Currently, pet-owners rely on the support of family and friends to care for their pets in their absence. But, with our lives getting busier and stressful, special favors like these become more of an obligation. Hence the need for a professional pet-sitter arises, who can care for their cats, dogs, parrots, hamsters or even their son’s turtles professionally and willingly in the familiar environment of their own house.

Researching all the possible ways about how to start your own pet-sitting service or business and what returns can you expect for your service helps a great deal in setting up your business easily and efficiently. And though learning how to start pet sitting service or business is never tough, especially as there are a number of websites that can help you transit from a novice to a ‘know-all’ pet-sitter and provide guidance every step of the way, but here you need the assistance of an expert. Proper guidance in the form of a course or book is what will ensure that you can start a pet-sitting business within days. A good course book or guide of this kind will help you in knowing about the pet-sitting business procedures, legalities and preparedness for possible disasters because as the competition toughens, the easiest way to get there is to start on the right foot.

A good self help book or an e-guide can prove to be one of the best sources of information and guidance and even if it comes for a price, it’d certainly be worth it! After all, a few dollars would be a small price to pay for invaluable information that can jet start your life with your dream career.

Author: Sofia Sandford
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Digital TV, HDTV, Satellite TV

photo credit: Jasmic

Hopefully you realize the utter importance of research prior to starting a tropical freshwater fish aquarium. No research means no success so it is mandatory, and while the internet and book research is the obvious place to start, don’t under estimate the pet shop assistants. They know quite a bit more than you might think.

When folks first get the idea that a fish aquarium may be just the sort of hobby they were looking for they usually haven’t thought about how exactly to make a start and what maintenance is involved throughout the life of the fish. The internet and books are indeed the first place most of us would carry out our research, myself included, but lots of folk have this idea that pet shop assistants don’t know that much at all. Read the rest of this entry »

Own Your Own Pet Sitting Business

More and more people have started to realize that starting a pet sitting business is a wonderful way to earn money and own your own business. It’s a perfect business for those who love animals. You’ll care for the pets, brush them, feed them and, of course, give them lots of love, hugs and companionship while their owners are away.

An added service you can offer is security for their home while they are gone: turning lights on and off, taking in mail and newspapers, and watering plants.

Even thought it’s a pet service, you must also be a people person. You may have wanted to try your hand at pet sitting because you love animals but having some basic business practices will help.

Your Time Commitment

If you are considering starting your own pet-sitting business, begin with a plan. Figure out exactly what time you have available to take care of pets. Add in driving time to and from their homes. Once you have determined this you will know how to market your services. Do not take on more than you can handle.

Calculate What Price To Charge

Next, find out if others in your area offer pet sitting services and find out how much they charge. You should also check kennels so that you can offer your clients competitive prices. Take into consideration how far you want to travel to pet sit. Too many miles away and the price of gas may be an issue.

Do you want to charge more on holidays? Many pet sitters charge extra fees for holidays, something to consider. And pet sitters are in such demand over the holidays they often find their time has been reserved months in advance. Consider hiring helpers during this busy time and add another profit boost. But be sure to introduce your assistants to the owners and pets well in advance of the scheduled pet sitting time. Get the owners go-ahead that your assistant is approved to take care of their pets.

As your business builds, YOU decide how many hours you want to work in a day, a week, a month. The Pet Sitting Business Start-Up Kit shows you how to calculate future income.

Which Pets Will You Sit?

The next thing to do is decide what kinds of pets you want to take care of in your pet sitting business. Some people find it best to work with just small dogs and cats since they require less work and time than larger animals. Some pet sitters take on all types of animals, and that can include everything from hamsters to horses including fish, birds, mice, rabbits and pigs. That’s the wonderful aspect to running your business: you have the freedom to choose exactly which pets you would like to care for.

Dog walking services are now very popular. You’ll exercise and feed the dogs while the owners are away for the day. Or you can start a doggy day care at your own home. Owners drop off their animals at your place so they can be watched over and excercised during the day. This is a great option if you have a big enough yard.

Forms Provide A Written Log of Your Visit

For the most part, those who use a pet sitting service think of their pets as their children, and small things matter a lot to them. You should provide the owners with a daily written report on exactly how you cared for the pets. The owner then sees evidence that you are putting in extra effort and truly caring for their loved family members.

Leave a Welcome Back form to remind the owners to give you a call to let you know they have arrived – make doubly sure not to leave an abandoned pet because the owner missed their flight home!

The Pet Business Is Booming

The pet sitting business is booming. It is a winning proposition for the business owner, the pet owner and the pet. The business owner gets to do what they love and the pet owner knows their pets will be well taken care of and they can go on a business trip or vacation without worry.

Announce Your Business

A professionally written press release can be a boon to your business. Submit it to your local newspapers and you may free advertising for your new pet business. Your area newspaper editor may receive your press release and decide to write a feature story about you and your pet business.

Author: Jane Ingraham
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Cellphone news