Australians make hundreds of dollars every week by offering pet sitting services that are often cheaper than traditional pet kennel boarding.
Online marketplaces are full of advertisements from people who need someone to watch their pets when they go away.
Animal lover Violet Wang, 19, joined Airtasker for a year after doing pet care odd jobs on the side at other services.
‘I do all kinds of pets, dogs, cats, chickens, horses and animals. I’m studying a Bachelor in Animal Sciences, so I’m very interested in animals. It’s my passion,” she said.
‘I actually work in a stable and a call centre, so this is more of a side job that I enjoy and which earns me a bit more money.’
Aussies are starting to take up pet sitting as a side income through online marketplaces like Airtasker for extra money
Animal lover Violet Wang (pictured), 19, joined Airtasker this year after doing pet boarding through other services
‘I love it. I enjoy spending time with lots of different breeds and different animals.”
Ms Wang revealed that she was fully booked over the Christmas period as people went on holiday.
“A lot of families are going away and obviously they can’t take their pets with them, so it’s a high volume period, so I’m fully booked over Christmas,” she said.
“There’s such a high demand now among people who need animal care.”
‘Airtasker is so much cheaper, I used to work for a pet resort and it’s so expensive. I find that a lot of people go to Airtasker to find better deals.”
Sydneysider Nadiana Albistur is another pet sitter who took up the side job for extra money during the COVID pandemic.
“I had some free time during COVID, I had some extra time and wanted to make some extra money,” she said.
‘I enjoy pets and their care. I’ve had pets of my own, but I don’t currently have a dog of my own.’
Animal lover Nadiana Albistur (pictured) is one of many Aussies who has taken up pet sitting as a side hustle to make some extra money
Ms Albistur said she noticed more people needing a pet sitter at the start of the year as they returned to work or study after the holiday period.
“I love having them around, being able to play with them, taking them to the dog park.
“I enjoy sending updates to owners so they know their pets are doing well, and to see that the pet parents are grateful that their pets are in good hands.”
Ms Albistur said she noticed more people needing a pet sitter at the start of the year as they returned to work or study after the holiday period.
“They want their pet to have company while they’re away,” she said.
“It’s so prohibitively expensive to send pets to boarding houses. I think this is why people go to Airtasker.”
Fellow Sydneysider Amy Indrawan, who has a two-year-old French bulldog and a beagle, was given a whopping $3,000 for pet care for a three-week period.
But she managed to find someone through Airtasker who agreed to care for her dogs within her $700 budget.
“People offered to pet my dogs at their homes, while some were willing to pet them at my home or even just check in, take them for a walk and feed them,” she said.
Data shows the number of people using Airtasker for pet sitting increased by 52 percent in the past six months
‘I have used Airtasker three times and all three times I have found someone trustworthy and reliable to care for my fur babies. What I love most is being able to determine how much I am willing to pay for pet care.”
Ms Indrawan said she was surprised to find that some pet boarders were charging even more than what childcare centers charged to care for people’s children.
Pet daycare prices for dogs exceed $100 per day during the holiday season, while daycare costs average parents less than $100 per day after the government rebate.
According to data from the online marketplace, the number of people using Airtasker for pet sitting has increased by 52 percent in the past six months.
The busiest month for babysitting work at the campsite is January, during the holiday period.