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Pet Sitter

Animals: WOOF! Pet Sitting Services, San Rafael, CA
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Do wagging tails, happy barks, and gentle purrs make you smile? Do you genuinely love animals and understand the special bond between them and their owners? Would you like your work space to literally be as “big as all outdoors”? Then learning how to become a pet sitter and dog walker on a VocationVacations® dream job holiday with Kristin Morrison and her staff at WOOF! Pet Sitting Service may be the perfect first step in your career transition.

Kristin dreamed of being a veterinarian and in high school worked as a vet technician. That was when she realized her dream job was not to be. She nearly fainted the first time she observed a surgery. Discouraged, she felt she had no other options and would have to let go of her vision of working with animals.

But fate intervened. At 24, Kristin met a woman on a bike path walking a dog. The woman was wearing a t-shirt with a picture of a dog and a phone number. “I stopped to talk to her and found out she was a dog walker,” remembers Kristin. “She explained what she did and then asked me if I wanted to work for her. In five minutes I realized I had found my calling and my dream job.”

A year later in 1995, Kristin started her own dog walking business. Her business grew rapidly. In 1997, she expanded her services to include pet sitting and pet visits for both dogs and cats. Today, WOOF! Pet Sitting Service has 35 part-time staff members and a loyal and impressive client list. “In the beginning, we did not screen our clients,” explains Kristin. “However, we discovered it is important to interview prospective clients to see if WOOF is the right match for them and for us. We want to determine that upfront.”

Kristin is also very particular and professional about whom she hires. “My staff members need to have a genuine love of animals….be willing to roll around on the ground with them, enjoy an occasional lick and be comfortable with one-sided conversations,” laughs Kristin. They also need to be able to relate well to the owners and, as Kristin says, “ooze responsibility.” “Building a level of trust is extremely important. The owners need to feel comfortable leaving their pets and their homes in our care.”

Kristin found starting her business with just the dog walking service and using that as a foundation was the right strategy. “Dog walking is a stable source of revenue,” explains Kristin. “Pet sitting is dependent on peoples’ schedules and is also seasonal.” Kristin estimates that 40% of her revenue comes from dog walking and 60% from pet sitting/visiting services; 40% of her four-legged clients are cats and 60% dogs.

With 15 years of experience, Kristin has become a sought-after coach on the business of pet sitting. “I've coached hundreds of pet sitting business owners from across the
country - from those just starting out and confused about where to get a business license or pet sitting insurance, to 10-year veteran pet sitting business owners who are challenged with time management and quality of life issues,” says Kristin.

People are more into their animals then ever before, and Kristin believes, “The pet sitting and dog walking business is a hot business to get into, even in these times.” And what a business it is! Where else can you get a steady stream of unconditional love, exercise as you work and make money? Join Kristin and her experienced staff and find out why they love their jobs.

While on your Pet Sitter and Dog Walker VocationVacations® dream job holiday with Kristin Morrison and her staff at WOOF! Pet Sitting Service, activities will include some or all of the following:
  • Driving to client homes with staff members
  • Dog walking with staff members
  • Playing with dogs and cats (and possibly our other animal clients which include: horses, goats, pigs, chickens, iguanas, snakes, hamsters, rabbits parrots, rats).
  • Please note: if a vocationer ever feels uncomfortable around any type of animal there is no need for them to interact with that animal. Mentor takes special care to insure the staff is ultra safe so they do not take aggressive animals of any kind except the occasional dog who is unfriendly toward other dogs (not toward people).
  • Answering the WOOF! phone and interacting with clients while taking down necessary client/staff information (Mentor will provide brief training on this.)
  • Calling staff members to give them necessary information about pet sitting/dog walking
  • Entering client data into software system
  • Entering financial data into accounting program
  • Taking care of advertising details such as entering the WOOF! web site into pet sitting directories, emailing web designer with changes to the web site, choosing pet products online to take to local pet fairs which will be ‘give aways’ to potential clients
  • Dropping cards off at local vets, groomers and pet stores for marketing purposes
  • Feeding dogs and cats
  • Learning the art of removing dog waste in a hygienic manner
  • Scooping litter boxes
  • Watering plants
  • Bringing in the mail and newspaper
  • May also include: accompanying dog walker or pet sitter to meet client(s) – human and 4-legged – at client interview.
The Pet Sitter and Dog Walker VocationVacations® dream job holiday with Kristin Morrison and her staff at WOOF! Pet Sitting Service includes:
  • Two days of one-on-one mentorship in your dream job as a Pet Sitter and Dog Walker
  • The opportunity to participate in a total of one hour of pre- and post- VocationVacations career coaching from an accredited, affiliated VocationVacations career coach
  • A pocket-size VocationVacations journal so you can document your dream job coming to reality
  • Light lunches with your mentor

Available: All year, based on mentor's availability with exception of holidays

Price: $999 Per Person

Book This Career Mentorship


Suggested Accommodations

The Panama Hotel

Gerstle Park Inn
(Not included in the price of the VocationVacations® holiday)

Other activities and tourist destinations while on your VocationVacations® adventure:
Reservation, Cancellation and Rescheduling Rules and Conditions:
Each requested date for a VocationVacation is 100% dependent upon the mentor’s approval of dates. Each Vocationer is required to sign a liability release stating that they are 18 years or older, 21 years or older if the VocationVacation involves the production or serving of alcohol. Full payment of the VocationVacation is required to make a reservation. A $100 non-refundable fee is assessed if a VocationVacations experience is cancelled or rescheduled prior to 14-days of the scheduled VocationVacations holiday, based on the approved availability of the mentor to reschedule. A VocationVacation cannot be rescheduled and is non-refundable if cancelled within 14 days of the scheduled VocationVacations holiday. Written notification of cancellation or rescheduling is required in all cases. Grounded Nomads, LLC dba VocationVacations encourages all customers to acquire travel insurance to cover any unforeseen expenses due to cancellation or rescheduling.