Pet-Sitting Success Stories

Our members come to us from all walks of life—educators, business professionals, medical and veterinary industry support personnel—with a common desire to be their own boss and run their own business working with companion animals.

At Pet Sitters International we offer them the tools and resources to make this dream a reality.

Below are just a few of our members’ success stories--in their own words.

Meet Heather Uptegrove of Affectionate Pet Nanny & Taxi in Avondale, AZ

Before becoming a professional pet sitter I had fulfilled a life long dream of mine to become a Police Officer. In September of 2003 I was involved in a duty related vehicle collision in which I was injured to the point I was medically retired in 2004.
I went through a year of painful physical therapy and some days the only things that made me smile were my dogs and my husband. I kept thinking there has got to be something I can do with pets. They were never judgmental because I didn't walk right and never stared at me! They always met me with unconditional love and were happy to see me.
Then, Affectionate Pet Nanny and Taxi was born in August 2005.

Since starting my business I have met a lot of fantastic pet kids and their people. Their warmth and love has made each day a day to look forward to. I have been a bit overwhelmed at times of the success of the business. I never anticipated it would take off like it did. I can say I am much less stressed than before and my contacts were never so happy to see me as they are now! The advantage of being a pet sitter is that I can choose who my clients are, where and when I work! I have met some truly good friends through my business and ILOVE BEING A PET SITTER!

Meet Robert Nager of Decadent Dog in Needham, MA

After 14 years of corporate sales and business development the time had come for me to make a serious change. I had traveled nationally, working with senior executives from leading organizations like Disney and Target. At first the travel and expense accounts were fun, however, the glamour quickly vanished and left me with nightly feelings of stress and doom in anticipation of going to work the next day. In the last few years of my career I had been working for startup technology companies which was exciting but risky, I had endured layoffs and got news of yet another in April, 2002.

I made the decision to “take the summer off” so that I could walk dogs, a job that had always fascinated me. I made a list of potential names for this new enterprise, selected my favorite, printed out price sheets and business cards and soon my days were filled with dog hair, mud and more love and affection from my canine clients than I knew what to do with. By August there was no room in my schedule for new clients and I realized that it would be impossible to tell all of these families who trusted me that it was time for me to “go back to work”. A good friend quickly pointed out that what I was doing was, in fact, a real job. I decided to see where it led me.

That was almost 6 years ago and Decadent Dog has since assembled a staff of 15 that is one of the most respected and admired in the area. We do no advertising, our hard work and focus on client needs has brought us an enormous amount of referral business. Best of all is that we have a blast every single day! No organization is perfect and that’s where I really appreciate my prior corporate training; being able to respond quickly and completely when problems arise has helped us earn the trust and loyalty that every pet care company so desperately needs to survive.

Benefits? For me they are quite clear: In what other job would I work harder than I ever have while feeling like I haven’t worked for more than ten minutes in six years? I still cannot believe that people actually pay me to hang out with their dogs all day, shouldn’t it be the other way around? Each night I get excited thinking about going to work the next day which is all the proof I need that this is the right career for me.

Meet Lisa Cherry of Lisa J Cherry in Decatur, AL

I started the pet sitting field by taking care of a friend's dog and I also cared for the pets of two co-workers from my previous job as a professional recruiter. I enjoyed recruiting but I wasn't happy.

The opportunity presented itself for me to start my own business and my previous boss even somewhat encouraged me. There is a quote out of The WORLD of Professional Pet Sitting Nov./Dec. issue:[Confucius said, "Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life"] That statement is so true for me. There is not a day that goes by that I don't feel so blessed to be a professional pet sitter.

Work doesn't feel like work to me. I enjoy my flexible hours which give me more time at home. I'm enjoying life more than ever because I can spend more time with my pets, run errands when I want to and I love the times I can take a nap during the day or sleep in.

My business is growing, but I still take time for me. I am meeting so many wonderful pet owners and establishing lasting friendships. Owning my own business was a little overwhelming but I have taken it one step at a time.

The following statement will sum up my new career: You know how you used to feel in your previous job when you knew you had the day off the following day? Well that is how I feel pretty much everyday. I am so happy!