Seeking a full-time, mature, reliable dog walker/pet care provider

Seattle WA

Description

New, but growing, pet care business is seeking a mature, reliable person who would be delighted to earn money to provide care for dogs, cats, and other companion animals as an ongoing profession. Retirees from other professions welcome. The ideal candidate: 1) Is fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and Influenza and can provide a report or card for verification. 2) Lives within our service area, which includes Ravenna, Roosevelt, Mapleleaf, Wedgwood, East Green Lake, Bryant, View Ridge, and the immediate vicinity. Ideally, you live near the center of the service area, in the 98115 zip code. An application email from someone who lives outside the service area will be considered, but keep in mind that the extra time required to travel from your home to a client residence could compromise your ability to provide timely service or cut into your potential earnings. 3) Has past job experience providing pet care services, such as dog walking, cleaning bird cages or other pet habitats, or providing vacation care to a multiple-pet household. 4) Has experience working with dogs and cats who have special needs (e.g., behavioral issues such as extreme shyness or reactivity to cyclists, or have medical issues, such as seizures). 5) Is able to walk up to 10 miles per day. 6) Is willing to start slow and grow with the business. 7) Is organized and able to efficiently perform required tasks. 8) Is personable, trustworthy, and customer service oriented. 9) Would never compromise client security by mentioning a client address, full name, or other service details that compromise confidentiality to anyone, even a significant other or spouse. 10) Is prepared to manage stressful or emergency situations involving a pet or a household emergency when providing vacation care. 11) Is flexible when it comes to scheduling. Dog walking or pet care visits may occur morning, midday, evening, or night during the week and on the weekends. For example, when providing vacation care a short early morning "first out" and late night "last out" might occur for more than a week at 6 AM and 10 PM. Although no one could be expected to cover every visit offered, this job requires someone whose lifestyle gives them a great deal of flexibility in how they use their time. 12) Has a reliable cell phone and can use the mobile Time to Pet application the business uses to schedule visits, convey visit instructions, and store and update client and pet details, convey visit schedules to staff, send late start reminders, track visit start and end times, take photos during visits, write visit report messages, manage emergency situations, and so on. 13) Has a reliable car and current driver’s license. -------------------- Responsibilities --------------------------- Initial responsibilities include: 1) Accompanying the owner on visits to clients, where you will be introduced as a back-up walker/caretaker; 2) "Shadowing" the owner on dog walking and pet care visits to get familiar with the routines, pet dispositions, and so on; 3) Handing out brochures at off-leash areas (Magnuson Park and Woodland Park). When the Roosevelt train station opens October 2, you might be asked to help pass out brochures and talk to potential clients during the morning and evening commutes; and 4) Covering visits for clients you have met and shadowed visits with the owner. These responsibilities could take up as little as three hours a week in Sept and Oct 2021. As the business grows, you'll be assigned as the primary service provider for selected clients and take on an increasing number of independent dog walking and pet care assignments. The upper limit is up to you, but when business is brisk, you would be expected to cover at least forty 30-minute visits per week (or the equivalent in longer or shorter visits). Eventually, you might independently take service consultations for new clients that would then be assigned to you. You would then schedule a follow up visit to introduce the owner, or other member of staff, as the back up service provider. ------------ Compensation Details ----------------------- This is a W-2 position. We make the required employer contribution to Social Security and Medicare and your earnings are reported on a W-2 Wage and Tax Statement at the end of the year. When accompanying the owner to client meetings, "shadowing" pet care visits, or handing out brochures, you'll be paid for your time at Seattle's minimum wage of $16.69 per hour. When covering pet care visits independently, you will be paid by the visit according to the following schedule: 15 min visit: $7.00 30 min visit: $11.50 45 min visit: $16.00 60 min visit: $20.50 Note: This fee schedule is based on the rates charged to clients. The fee structure will only change if we change what we charge clients. Also, you need to track your travel between visits so you can take advantage of the $0.56 per mile tax deduction. Tracking your mileage is your responsibility. ------------ Applying ------------------------------------------ Don't apply unless you are willing to make a fairly long-term commitment -- and understand that things will be slow as we build the business. If you want more information about the company before applying, respond to this post with your request for additional information. To apply, please respond to this post with the following: 1) A summary of the reasons you believe you are a good fit for this job. 2) A summary of relevant on-the-job or other experience caring for companion animals. 3) Contact information, including name, preferred pronoun, email, mobile phone number, and residence address. The above is a minimum. Feel free to include additional information, such as resume, work history, personal references, or other background, not necessarily relevant to the job but that you believe should be considered. If you have any other questions or comments, reply to this post.