For context: I’m a dog trainer by trade but am having difficulty networking/selling myself to get enough clients to do dog training full time. To ensure a consistent income stream I started walking dogs with a local dog walking company. I was also thinking this would be a great way to meet new clients, however I quickly realized people are not happy when they hire a lowly dog walker who then turns around and suggests their dog is in need of training (even if their dog is so reactive it literally jumped through the window to get to the mail man). I also realized that my pool of potential clients is very small and finite because I walk the same dogs every week and do not add new dogs to the roster.
Moving on, the business model is as follows: the owner of the business charges $20 per walk up to two dogs and allows same day cancellations with no reimbursement to the walker, the walker gets $10 per stop for a 25 minute walk. The owner of the business started it himself years ago and has slowly expanded to the point where (from what I understand) he is no longer walking dogs unless someone needs coverage. I’m a 1099 employee so I have to take out my own taxes and I do not get a gas stipend. I also recently realized something very concerning, I never signed any paperwork and have not heard anything regarding insurance. So presumably if one of these client’s dogs bites me I’m pretty sure I’m on the hook for my own medical bills, which was not the case when I worked at an animal shelter. I typically get anywhere between 6 to 10 walks (10 is the max) assigned to me Monday through Friday starting from 1030 usually ending around 3 PM.
This is where I am running into some issues. Most of the dogs live close to each other (not walking distance but 5 to 7 minute drives from each other) so I’m usually able to make the equivalent of $18-$20 an hour depending on how fast I’m able to go that day. However, for example yesterday, I only had six dogs on my schedule so that means even though I made $20 an hour I only brought home $60 that day, is it just me or is this completely absurd? I don’t understand what the business owners expectation is, is this supposed to be a livable wage or are we supposed to block out our schedules 10 to 4 Monday through Friday and then find a second job outside of regular work hours to ensure a livable income?
I also asked him recently if I could take Fridays off since they’re my slowest walking day, that way I could do more dog training. He said no. This is what has made me reevaluate working for this walking company going forward. So now I can’t have a shorter work week to take on clients that actually make me a living wage, I’m not getting clients out of the dog walking, and I am too busy with this during the week day to work a third job that would help me pay my bills. Am I being ridiculous or do y’all agree this business model is not sustainable for keeping on full-time employees? When I was hired he knew I was trying to move to dog training full time so I was shocked he said no to me working 4 days a week instead of 5. Also, in the interview he made it clear he wanted walkers who will commit to 6+ months and it’s only been one.