30/11/2025
🐘 Let’s Talk About the Elephant in the Room… Pricing 🐶💸
(Pause for the collective sigh from my fellow pet businesses)
Hands down one of my least favourite parts of running a business, yet ironically one of the most important. Because let’s be honest — if you’re not making money, you don’t really have a business (even if you do spend your days with adorable dogs and cats).
And I know I’m not the only pet professional who struggles with it. Finding that balance between keeping services affordable and earning a livable wage is a constant battle. And one that is particularly difficult at the moment due to the cost of living sky-rocketing.
As much as I love your pets… love doesn’t pay the bills.
💬 Something I’ve Noticed Since Starting My Business
Prices in the pet care world vary wildly. And honestly? I think our industry has been undervalued and underpriced for a really long time.
Yes, things are slowly shifting as more people price according to the real costs of running a professional service — but there are still far too many rock-bottom, below-minimum-wage prices being advertised.
And while every business owner can charge what they want, we all share a responsibility to keep pricing at least in line with market averages. Because the more ultra-low prices that are out there, the more everyone gets dragged down… and many of us simply can’t (and won’t) work for less than minimum or living wage.
💭 “That’s too expensive — I know someone who charges less!”
I hear this one a lot.
But I’d ask… would you work for less than minimum wage?
Because by the time pet professionals pay for petrol, insurance, equipment, admin, taxes, holiday/sick days and the general wear and tear of the job — a lot of us are lucky if we just break even with minimum wage.
And when you see prices that look “too good to be true”, it’s worth asking why they’re that low.
👀 A Note on Under-18 Dog Walkers
I’ve seen more and more teens advertising dog walking for tiny prices. And while I admire their work ethic, they’re almost certainly uninsured — because most insurers simply won’t cover them.
And despite what social media and certain reality TV shows might suggest… dog walking is not just skipping around with pooches all day. It can mean:
🔹️7-day weeks
🔹️ Every weather imaginable
🔹️ Mud, mud and… more mud
🔹️ Managing unpredictable behaviours
🔹️ Navigating potentially risky situations
Experience matters. Safety matters. Professionalism matters.
Personally, I wouldn’t want my child walking unfamiliar dogs unsupervised — and I definitely wouldn’t expect a child to manage the realities of this job.
🐾 So Next Time You Hear…
“Walking dogs all day must be so easy!”
or
“I’d never pay that much for a dog walker/sitter!”
…please remember: pet professionals have bills to pay, safety to prioritise, and a whole lot more responsibility than most people realise.
We do this job because we love animals, but we also deserve to earn a fair wage for the work, care, and experience we bring.
*pic of my best exasperation face 😅*
