Leading pet-sitter association celebrates 30-year anniversary with promising new industry data
Sunday, March 17 marks the 30th business anniversary of Pet Sitters International (PSI).
KING, N.C. (March 13, 2024) — As Pet Sitters International (PSI) prepares to celebrate its 30th business anniversary, the association is releasing new survey data indicating higher-than-ever annual revenue for professional pet sitters and a bright outlook for the industry.
The world’s leading educational association for professional pet-sitting and dog-walking businesses, PSI was founded on March 17, 1994, by Patti J. Moran.
“The professional pet-sitting industry has experienced significant growth in the last three decades, and this latest survey data indicates the best is yet to come,” said Moran. “At PSI we feel our mission of ‘promoting pet-sitting excellence through education’ is more important than ever before.”
According to PSI’s initial 2024 State of the Industry Survey results, the average gross revenue for PSI member businesses in the U.S. was $100,537 in 2023, up from $94,563 in 2022. The average 2023 gross revenue for Canadian pet sitters was $100,764 CAN, up from $91,909 CAN in 2022.
Additionally, 70 percent of respondents indicated they expect their revenues to increase this year.
PSI surveyed its members last month to collect data about gross business revenues, types of services most offered, average charges for services and more. The association will share additional survey results, including average revenue and service fee data for U.S. and Canadian pet-sitting businesses, later this year.
“These new survey results underscore the promising future for professional pet sitters and dog walkers, who provide such wonderful care to pets and peace of mind to their clients,” said PSI President Beth Stultz-Hairston. “As we celebrate 30 years of PSI, we’re proud to continue providing professional pet sitters and dog walkers with the education and business resources they need to succeed.”
Moran pioneered pet sitting as a profession after starting her own pet-sitting business in North Carolina in 1983. After word of her business spread to other parts of the United States, Moran was prompted to put her how-to advice on paper. Her book, Pet Sitting for Profit, was published in 1987 and is often referred to as the “bible of professional pet sitting.” Requests for her pet-sitting forms led her to start Patti Moran’s Products for Professional Pet Sitters, and as others joined her in the profession, she went on to found PSI in 1994.
“When I first started my business more than four decades ago, there were no pet-sitting specific resources available to me,” said Moran. “I feel honored that I was able to share what I learned with others, and that for 30 years now PSI has been able to help thousands of pet lovers turn their passion for pets into successful careers.”
Since its creation, PSI has been a trailblazer in the professional pet-care industry, with contributions including:
- Partnering with Business Insurers of the Carolinas to provide the first-ever business insurance for professional pet sitters
- Publishing the first magazine for professional pet sitters, now called Pet Sitter’s World
- Hosting the industry’s first international conference, now called Pet Sitter World Educational Conference and hosted annually in the fall
- Offering the first-ever knowledge-assessed certification specifically for professional pet sitters, the CPPS-Certified Professional Pet Sitter® designation
To learn more about PSI and professional pet sitting as a career, or to locate a professional pet sitter in your area, visit www.petsit.com.
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About the State of the Industry Survey
PSI conducted its survey of active PSI members exclusively online from January 28, 2024, through March 6, 2024. 26 percent of the more than 3,500 pet sitters contacted completed the survey. PSI typically conducts its State of the Industry Survey—the most comprehensive survey of its kind—every two years (most recently in 2022 and early 2020) to collect data about gross business revenues, types of services most offered, averages charges for services and more. PSI also conducted a condensed version of the survey last year to provide members with the most up-to-date information about the industry after the global COVID-19 pandemic.
About Pet Sitters International
Founded in 1994 by Patti J. Moran, author of Pet Sitting for Profit, Pet Sitters International (PSI) is the world’s largest educational association for professional pet sitters, with member pet-sitting businesses in the United States, Canada and more than 15 other countries. PSI members have access to the widest array of business services and educational resources available in the professional pet-sitting industry. PSI’s Pet Sitter Locator is the largest online directory of professional pet sitters, and pet owners can visit petsit.com/locate to find local professional pet sitters.
