What is a Dog Walker ?
Dog walking is the act of a person walking with a dog, typically from the dogs residence and then returning. Both owners and pets receive many benefits, including exercise and companionship….
Source: Wikipedia (as of 04/25/2019). Read more from Wikipedia
Current pet walker rates for top cities*
| CITY | HOURLY PET WALKER RATE |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles, California | $17.00/hr |
| Seattle, Washington | $15.25/hr |
| Brooklyn, New York | $15.00/hr |
| San Diego, California | $15.00/hr |
| Phoenix, Arizona | $14.50/hr |
| Portland, Oregon | $13.75/hr |
| Denver, Colorado | $13.75/hr |
| Chicago, Illinois | $13.50/hr |
| Minneapolis, Minnesota | $13.25/hr |
| Orlando, Florida | $13.00/hr |
| San Antonio, Texas | $13.00/hr |
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | $12.50/hr |
| Tampa, Florida | $12.00/hr |
| Atlanta, Georgia | $12.00/hr |
| Charlotte, North Carolina | $11.25/hr |
“Owners are increasingly more demanding and crazier,” he says. “Theres more cameras and theres more dog trackers. Thats a challenge because you feel have people looking over your shoulder all the time. It just makes it more stressful.”Stewart says New York is a good market for dog-walkers because their owners work long hours, often far from their apartments, and their dogs need exercise.CNBC Make It
But the benefits of spending his days with dogs, he says, outweigh the cons. Heres how he channeled his connection with dogs into a fulfilling and lucrative day job:
Some of Stewarts methods might perplex dog owners, but he insists hes learned from trial and error. He explains to each owner that his methods ultimately keep the dogs safer, part of why hes built a strong reputation.
Stewart started his New York side hustle, Ryan for Dogs, in 2002 to earn money between sparse acting gigs. Now, its his full-time job: He makes roughly $60 per hour walking three to five pups at a time. Guaranteed work by a reputation built over multiple decades, Stewart makes up to $120,000 per year, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.
The most challenging parts of his job involve dealing with dog owners. he adds: Especially since the Covid-19 pandemic hit, his clients have upped their expectations. Many owners text Stewart to check in during walks, which is his pet peeve — a distraction, when he should be focused on the dogs.