How to Become a Pet Sitter

No professional certification stands between you and your first sit.

BLS says certification is not required for animal care and service workers, the federal occupation that includes pet sitters.

The education bar is modest too.

O*NET places animal caretakers in Job Zone 1-2, with on-the-job training from a few days to one year, and 64% of surveyed respondents said a new hire needs a high school diploma or equivalent.

Licensing follows the same pattern.

Rover says it does not require sitters to be licensed or bonded, and it points sitters to local licensing rules instead — rules that vary by location.

PSI (Pet Sitters International), a pet sitting trade association, describes pet sitting as a largely unregulated industry.

The paperwork that does come up is general, not sitter-specific: BLS notes self-employed animal care workers may need a general business license, depending on the state.

So the real gates are screening and trust: age minimums on the apps and for company jobs, background checks and safety quizzes on the apps, and references the platforms ask you to collect.

The rest of this page walks through each one, route by route.

If you want the wider picture of the job first — what sitters do, where the work is and the three ways into it — start with our pet sitter career guide.

Start with the apps, because they are the strictest.

Rover requires sitters and dog walkers to be at least 18.

Wag! requires caregivers to be at least 18 and US permanent residents, applying under the legal name on their ID.

Care.com's terms limit its services to people 18 or older.

Wag! adds one detail worth knowing before you apply: its application fee is non-refundable, and fees are not returned to under-18 applicants denied due to age.

Wait until you qualify, then apply.

Paid pet sitting jobs with a company follow federal child labor rules instead.

The general minimum age for non-farm work is 16 under 29 CFR 570.2, with 18 the minimum for occupations DOL declares hazardous.

Fourteen- and fifteen-year-olds may work only in the occupations the rules specifically permit, and work that is not specifically permitted is prohibited (29 CFR 570.32).

The permitted list in 29 CFR 570.34 covers work such as office and clerical tasks, cashiering and selling, and certain clean-up work — it names no animal care, kennel or dog daycare occupation.

Practically, that makes a pet sitting job with a company a 16-and-up job under federal rules, though the rules do carry narrow exemptions — for children employed by a parent, for example — and state child labor rules can add their own limits.

Whether a particular task fits one of the listed categories is a question for DOL's Wage and Hour Division or your state labor agency.

Experience is the qualification many employers ask about — BLS notes many employers prefer to hire candidates who already have experience working with animals.

You probably have more of it than your resume shows.

Care you have given your own pets, family pets and neighbor animals can still count — it is the experience the platforms' testimonials and endorsements vouch for later in this page.

Structured time multiplies that record.

Ask local shelters or rescues about volunteer shifts, or a boarding kennel or vet clinic about entry-level help — working with animals you do not own shows you can follow someone else's care instructions and keep a schedule you did not set.

Company work also starts small by design.

Fetch, a dog walking and pet sitting franchise, says new walkers may begin with few assignments and build a clientele, so the first few assignments are where a track record starts.

One habit pays off from day one: notice and report.

If a pet goes off its food, limps or seems distressed, tell the owner right away and defer to the owner's and the veterinarian's directions.

The default training is on the job.

O*NET's on-the-job training range for animal caretakers runs from a few days to one year, and Fetch, for one, says its hires get an orientation to perform services to its standards for safety and quality.

Optional training adds credentials, not permission.

Certification is voluntary: BLS is explicit that it is not required for animal care and service workers.

A quick add-on is pet first aid.

The American Red Cross publishes an online Cat & Dog First Aid course — 35 minutes, self-paced, with a Red Cross digital certificate on completion.

The Red Cross aims the course at pet owners, and it does not say whether employers accept it — treat it as baseline knowledge and ask a hiring employer what training it recognizes.

PSI (Pet Sitters International), a pet sitting trade association, offers its own credential: the CPPS, Certified Professional Pet Sitter.

PSI limits the exam to its members, requires no course beforehand, and keeps the credential current through continuing education and continued membership.

The exam's content maps the job itself: pet care; health, sanitation and safety, with basic pet first aid included; and business operations.

Keep the labels straight as you compare options: a certification is a voluntary credential from the body that issues it, not a license — the licensing rules that carry legal weight come from your city, county and state.

Companies hire through their own front doors, and the process is local.

Fetch hires through its local franchise owners: you choose a location, apply online and interview with the local owner.

Once hired, you receive the orientation to its standards, and the office books your appointments and provides insurance.

The company also handles screening you would otherwise do alone.

Fetch says its coordinators check each pet's background and temperament by phone, hold in-home consultations before service, and reassign a pet when a sitter raises safety concerns.

Platform applications follow the same shape.

Rover's application walks through choosing your services, setting rates and availability, building a profile with photos, requesting testimonials from past clients, passing a safety quiz, and completing a background check and identity verification.

Rover says to expect a response within 10 to 20 business days.

That background check is run by First Advantage and covers identity details such as citizenship and Social Security number, driving record and criminal history — but not credit history.

US applicants supply their full legal name and Social Security number.

Wag!'s application runs through six portal stages, including a background check through Vetty.

Its extras include a pet safety quiz of 10 questions with a 70% passing score, retake as many times as needed.

Wag! also asks applicants to share an endorsement link with at least 5 people who can vouch for their pet care experience.

There is also a one-time, non-refundable application fee — Wag! does not publish the amount, which varies by state and region.

On the platforms, standing out means a complete profile with photos and references from people who have actually seen you with animals; with a company, it is the interview.

BLS lists the qualities that matter for animal care and service workers: compassion, customer-service skills, detail orientation, patience, physical stamina, problem-solving and reliability.

If you sit on a platform, keep the work on the platform.

Rover's terms require payment and communication through Rover, and accepting off-platform payment can remove its coverage and lead to account suspension.

The platforms set the first clock.

Wag! says its Vetty background check typically takes 3 to 5 business days after the application fee is paid, and can take up to 14 business days.

Rover says to expect a response within 10 to 20 business days.

Training is the fast part.

The occupation's on-the-job range is a few days to one year, and an orientation like Fetch's is onboarding, not a course.

Getting paid starts quickly once bookings do.

Wag! says payment is released within 48 hours of a completed service.

Rover payments appear in your Rover account 2 days after a completed service, then transfer by direct deposit — up to 5 business days to land.

The slow part is the client base.

There is no separate pet-sitter occupation code in federal statistics, and our research found no federal figure that times how long the calendar takes to fill, either.

Fetch describes new walkers starting with few assignments and building a clientele; an independent sitter's calendar fills one referral at a time.

What you control is availability and responsiveness.

Animal care schedules can include evenings, weekends and holidays, BLS notes, so being reachable in those windows widens who can book you.

Career information, not legal, tax or insurance advice: age and child labor rules come from federal and state law, and licensing runs through your city, county and state. Confirm with DOL's Wage and Hour Division, your state labor agency and your local government before you take paid bookings.