How much does a Pet Sitter cost?
Whether you are looking for overnight pet sitting rates, or house sitting rates for a week, Pet Owners should first get an understanding of how and why Pet Sitting costs can differ.
The average cost of a 30-minute home visit is $35, while overnight pet sitting costs $75 to $85 but it depends on the services offered, geographic location, popularity, training and accreditations, seasonal demand, years of experience, specialist skills, and whether the service you book through includes liability insurance.
Overnight Pet Sitting Rates for 1 pet:
| Low-end cost range | $45-$50 per night |
| National average overnight cost | $55-$65 per night |
| High-end cost range | $80-$95 per night |
The Average cost of Pet Services in Australia
Below are the prices that you can expect to pay for different services carried out by Professional Pet Sitters in Australia.
| Service Options | Average Cost Per Dog |
| Home Visits | $35-$40 (per 15-20 mins) |
| Pet Boarding at a Sitter’s Home | $38–65 |
| House Sitting Overnight (8pm -6am) | $35–90 |
| Kennels (per day) | $25–50 |
| Dog hotel (per day) | $46–90 |
| Luxury dog hotel (per day) | $80–120 |
| Doggy daycare (per day) | $20–65 |
Things to keep in mind
Pet Sitters who work through sharing economy platforms are self employed and they pay tax and contribute to their own super. Their rates need to factor in:
- 4 weeks off for a holiday break (Annual leave)
- Superannuation Contribution of 11.5%
- Budgeting for Personal / Sickness for 10 days per year
- Higher Weekend rates
- Public holiday rates
- Allowances for overtime, age, or special skills
- Fuel, car maintenance and car insurance costs
Things that impact on whether a Sitter is likely to give you a discount are: whether you are a loyal long term customer, whether you have multiple pets, or whether you are booking a long stay.
Pet Sitting services are available for domesticated companion animals such as dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, rabbits, fish and other household animals. Services generally occur at the client’s home, and pet sitters either provide ongoing pet care for busy pet owners or as a one-time or short-term service as needed.
PetCloud is free to inquire with a Pet Sitter through their listing. You only pay once you have confirmed to proceed with your chosen sitter.
Factors that affect the cost of a Pet Sitter
Geographic Location
Inner Metro areas in capital cities versus Regional Country areas affecting pricing. Inner-city metro areas where there is high density living in apartments, means more Pet Owners competing for a Sitter. Sitters conveniently located near airports, offices, or affluent suburbs, where Pet Owners might commute frequently to the office or travel for work or leisure. Coastal Holiday hot spots are also high demand areas.
Seasonality
Peak holiday season is much higher because demand is much higher due to more Pet Owners travelling away. So periods such as Easter break, June/July School Holidays, September Holidays, or Christmas / New Year
Experienced and In-Demand
Pet sitters who are just starting out or have less experience may set prices that are a bit lower than more experienced sitters who are in-demand. Over time as they get more bookings and gain experience that deserves some extra compensation, they may choose to slowly raise their prices.
Every pet sitter on PetCloud determines their own prices for each service. However, on PetCloud we use a minimum price floor to prevent Sitters undercharging and devaluing their time. We value our network of sitters and want them to get fairly compensated.
Popular sitters who receive a lot of booking requests may set higher rates because their time and space is limited. PetCloud sitters who provide home dog boarding or doggy daycare offer low volume personalised care. This means that they only take in a very limited number of pets at one time. Some sitters may also choose just to take in 1 guest pet at a time.
Unlike a big kennel or dog hotel, they can’t accommodate 10 or 20 dogs at the same time. So although the price of home dog boarding is not necessarily cheaper than in a kennel, it is much better value, less stressful, and more hygienic. Most kennels will charge for extras like photo updates, extra space, walks and playtime. However, this is all included with a PetCloud pet sitter and your pet will also get to be more comfortable in a home environment. Read more about how to find a good pet sitter.
Knowledge and Special Skills
While pet sitters all have some experience caring for pets, some of members have very special skills and extensive experience in caring for special needs pets.
The PetCloud platform has Veterinarians, Vet Nurses, Veterinary Assistants, Dog Behaviour Therapists, Animal Shelter Volunteers, Dog Groomers, Professional Breeders, Feline Therapists and more as part of the PetCloud pet sitting community. This gives you plenty of opportunity to find the perfect sitter for your pet.
Accredited Training from recognised Industry Institutions
Some Pet Sitters have RSPCA Qld Accredited Training which teaches the Sitter animal welfare standards. They also understand their obligations when it comes to Council bylaws, are also Police checked, and insured. This usually reflects in highly rated Reviews of Sitters.
Insurance
Booking an insured Pet Sitter means that you will be protected against the financial burden of large emergency Vet bills should your Pet become ill or accidentally injured due to negligence. Insurance Policies cost tens of thousands of dollars a year for booking platforms like PetCloud to purchase so that you can book your chosen Sitter with peace of mind knowing that in the event of a successful claim – money for Vet bills won’t come out of your pocket.
Care for Special Needs Pets
- Do you have an incontinent dog that wears nappies that need changing frequently?
- What about a puppy that needs time and patience (and a lot of cleaning) spent toilet training?
- What about a formerly abused rescue dog with high anxiety that needs coaxing and rewarding during walks to get their confidence to return?
- How about a diabetic dog that requires injections twice daily?
- What about if you have an energetic dog that needs training,
- or a cat that needs daily medication?
You’ll be able to find a sitter who has the experience to manage this. Special skills that demonstrate experience and knowledge may cost a little extra, but the peace of mind gained through a quality experience by far outweighs the cost.
Travel Expenses and Extra Services or Requirements
The prices on a pet sitter’s listing is all-inclusive: there are no hidden costs. However, while pet sitters take extra care in setting their prices for all scenarios, some extra circumstances may result in them providing you with a higher quote. Some examples include:
- If you are located outside of the travel distance they have catered for,
- Your pet needs very specialised intense care (for example, post operative care, wounds or injuries that have to be consistently monitored)
- Additional special requirements (for example, backyard poo patrol, daily dog walking, weekly washing, a stay and train package, 6 weekly grooming, or behaviour modification)
In these cases, the pet sitter should be transparent and explain this to you. You then have the option to proceed or to continue your search for another pet sitter. There are absolutely no obligations when you contact a PetCloud Pet Sitter.
How to Book a Pet Sitter
If you are ready to find your perfect pet sitter there are 2 ways to connect with them; You can Post a job OR Search by suburb. Once you have found a great pet sitter, you can book and pay via the PetCloud website or our free Android PetCloud App or iOS PetCloud App. When you do this, both you and the pet sitter gets access to our customer support team. Most importantly, your pet is covered by insurance which includes veterinary coverage and you can leave a public review for the pet sitter on their listing after the booking.
Click on the ‘Make Payment’ button in your message thread and pay online securely via Paypal or credit card. Once you’ve made the payment, PetCloud will hold the money safely, until the booking is complete. This is the most secure way to book a pet sitter. Never worry about when or how you pay your sitter: we will arrange it for you, right after your pet has been well looked after!
Please remember, you should only book a sitter after you have made contact with them. You can contact a sitter for free by using the ‘Make an inquiry’ button on their listing.
Have questions? Feel welcome to read our Knowledgebase or contact our customer support team.
