Do you dream of working with dogs?
Working with dogs can be a dream come true for animal lovers
If you are thinking of working with dogs, it is a good idea to carefully consider the benefits and disadvantages of such a career. It’s easy to see why many dog lovers dream of turning their passion for pets into their day job. Spending time with dogs is associated with helping people to keep both physically and mentally healthy, as well as socially active. We outline the things you should consider below.
The benefits of working with dogs:
Making a difference
Making a really positive difference to the lives of dog lovers and their four-legged best friends can be hugely rewarding. Knowing that you’ve provided first rate dog holiday or medical care, or helped someone to overcome dog training problems, can provide great job satisfaction.
Demand
The UK’s dog population is estimated at 9 million, with approximately 25% of UK households owning at least one dog. This means that you are never going to struggle to find prospective customers or job opportunities.
Mintel reported in 2018 that, “51% of pet care buyers say they would rather cut back spending money on themselves than on their pets.”
Flexibility
Many roles working with dogs can offer a degree of flexibility, making them ideal for those with family and other commitments. You are also more likely to reap the benefits of being able to take your own dog to work with you. This is particularly true if you go down the self-employed route.
There are a diverse range of jobs to choose from
There are many different career options available when you work with dogs. Training and required qualifications vary hugely, depending on which kind of role you are interested in. Below we list some of the popular options:
- kennel assistant/dog home boarder
- working with assistance dogs
- dog trainer/behaviourist
- dog groomer
- working for the RSPCA
- veterinary nurse/surgeon
- dog walker
- dog photographer
Because dogs…
And just because dogs are well, dogs! Who wouldn’t want to work with adorable, loving and loyal bundles of fabulous fluff?
The disadvantages of working with dogs:
To take a balanced view, we also need to point out the disadvantages of working with dogs. Competition for jobs working with dogs can be very high, whilst the work is often low paid and the hours long. The obvious solution to this is to become self-employed and start your very own dog business. This can seem very daunting though if you have no previous business experience. There is a solution to this dilemma and that is to consider buying a franchise.
Franchisors, such as Barking Mad Dog Care, the UK and Ireland’s leading dog care franchise, receive many enquiries from prospective franchise owners looking to achieve their dream of working with dogs and dog lovers every day. Our self-employed dog sitting professionals love what they do and have become ‘Barking Mad’ to enjoy a profitable and flexible career, allowing them to have the perfect life-work balance.
Tracy Johnston enjoys working with dogs as a Barking Mad franchise owner
Could you be Barking Mad too?
We are always looking for more dog-loving, motivated individuals to bring the Barking Mad service to their local areas. If you would like to be your own boss and work with dogs, why not find out more about buying a Barking Mad dog sitting franchise? We can make the dream of owning your own dog business a reality! Barking Mad business owners work flexible hours with gorgeous, friendly dogs, bringing joy to the lives of dog lovers.
We provide full training in all areas of running a dog care business and ongoing support to enable you to succeed. Our award winning systems and processes are there to ensure you deliver the market leading service which our customers have come to know and love. Our 80 plus local dog business owners really are living the dog lover’s dream!
New franchise owners Barbara Frater and Caroline Bradshaw said:
“We fell in love with the concept of Barking Mad when we came across a business opportunity that cared about dogs as much as we do.”
