23/11/2025
🐾 I have copied this from a fellow petcare business owner - Happytails.Suffolk page and it’s an eye opener for those thinking of starting up in this profession .
I started my business (Paws pet services Felixstowe) over 10 years ago as a sole trader .
I have had 2 weeks annual leave in that time , worked through lockdown for frontline workers as well as every Christmas and Bank holiday up until a few years ago. I do have the odd weekend off here and there to attend family events ( birthdays, weddings as well as hospital trips and funerals) .
Dog walking alone (without the other services we provide) requires significant effort, expertise, and dedication, debunking the myth that it is simply "easy money".
While dog walking can appear straightforward on the surface, its challenges are often underestimated by those outside the profession. People may only see the enjoyable aspects, spending time with pets outdoors and overlook the physical demands, logistical complexities, and responsibilities involved in running a reliable business.
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[After seeing someone talk about how easy dog walkers have it and how much money we apparently make on the show “I’m a Celebrity… Get me out of here”, this is a little post highlighting how untrue this statement is.
Us dog walkers work extremely hard, all year round, outdoors in some of the worst weathers, often 7 days a week. We don’t have a team of people to run our business for us while we “play with dogs all day”.
Yes we walk your dogs but we’re also running a full time business. This involves endless hours of bookkeeping, social media management, accounting, client onboarding, contracts, educational courses, invoicing and everything and anything in between.
We pour so much time and money into our business; buying a constant supply of walking boots, coats & waterproofs, endless towels, spare coats for all dog sizes, poo bags, treats, paying for required courses and qualifications, upgrading and maintaining vehicles, spending a FORTUNE on fuel (other dog walkers will back me on this one 😅), that by the time you take all this into account, we’re often barely making minimum wage, or sometimes even less than.
So no, we do not just “play with dogs all day and make a fortune” - very far from it in fact. But despite all of this, we love our jobs with our whole hearts and souls, and wouldn’t change it for the world. 🐾
Thank you to every single one of my clients for supporting me and my business, as without you, Happytails.suffolk would be nothing more than an idea ❤️]
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