It’s June! That means it’s time for our annual blog on pet sitting and dog walking rates in the Capital District!
I researched 33 companies covering Columbia, Albany, Schenectady, Saratoga and Rensselaer counties, which had a website and were listed as being insured.
What is the average rate for pet sitting and dog walking in the Capital District?
For vacation care the average rate for a 20-30 minute visit is $20.00 (up from 2016’s $19.05).
For vacation care the average rate for a one hour visit is $32.43 (up from 2016’s $32.09).
For midday dog walking the average rate for a 20-30 minute visit is $19.00 (up from 2016’s $18.27).
Rates varied greatly between service providers (as I expected) with the least expensive pet sitter coming in at $15 per 20-30 minute visit and the highest coming in at $35 per visit for both vacation pet sitting and midday dog walking.
There are a lot of reasons for the variations; some are solo sitters and don’t have the overhead that a service with employees would have. Some just don’t charge what they’re worth.
So given the variation in rates how do you choose a pet sitter?
Ask your friends and neighbors for recommendations or speak to your veterinarian. Check out the pet sitters until you find someone that you are comfortable with.
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