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There’s great truth to the statement, “There’s strength in numbers.” Pet sitting can be lonely. And whether you are just starting your pet-sitting business or are a pet-care veteran, you have questions—and there’s no one better to help answer your questions and share in your daily challenges and joys than a fellow pet sitter. 

PSI members have a network of nearly 7,000 fellow PSI members and pet-sitting business owners, and PSI is always looking for ways to help our members connect with one another. From PSI’s annual conference to the private Facebook chat group, PSI is always seeking out new avenues to allow our members to find support, advice and new ideas from fellow pet sitters. 

PSI’s Pet Sitter Spotlight series has that same goal. Each month, we’ll feature a different PSI member and share his or her answers to our pet-sitting survey. The responses will help you get to “know” this pet sitter and provide you with some tips and advice for your own pet-sitting business. You can view past Pet Sitter Spotlights here.

PSI members, if you are interested in being considered for a PSI Pet Sitter Spotlight, complete this questionnaire.

Meet Shannon Pester, owner of Pet Parade Plus in Kingston, Ontario:

Your Name: Shannon Pester

Business Name: Pet Parade Plus

Location: Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Year you started your pet-sitting business: 2000

What was your previous job/profession? Cleaning service

Number of current clients: Approx. 450

How many visits do you typically do per day? 20-30

Is your service area urban, suburban or rural?  A mix of all three.

Is your pet-sitting business insured? Yes.

Is your pet-sitting business bonded? Yes.

How long did it take you to build up your clientele? It took about a year. 

Do you use staff sitters? Yes, independent contractors.

Do you offer any services besides basic in the client's home pet sitting and dog walking? (pet taxi, etc.) Pet Taxi, Hotel Sitting, Overnights, Pet Waste Removal

Which advertising methods worked best when you were a new business? Good ol' "pounding the pavement."

Do you still use the same advertising methods? Yes, also Facebook, networking with my local shelter, and free online advertising.

What's one mistake you've made as a professional pet sitter (when you were just starting out or at any time during your career)? What did you learn/what do you do differently now?

I didn't hire soon enough, and I didn't start using online software soon enough. I learned that by trying to do everything on my own, I only taught clients I would always be available all of the time. It was very hard after nine years to break that cycle. Also, adding 400+ clients into a data base was a nightmare!

What advice would you give to new pet sitters? 

Never give up. If something isn't working do it different. Pet sitting professionally is a path you choose and it's not an easy one. There are bumps, black holes and mountains but in between all of that there are fuzzy faces and wagging tails.

Are there any must-have business tools your business could not do without?

Pet-sitting software!