Three things worth knowing before you read on. You work for yourself: you choose your services, set your own price and decide which requests to accept — Petlify is not your employer, you are an independent contractor. Taking part is free: Petlify is an early beta, no subscriptions are sold and there is no commission on your services. And we do not guarantee a volume of orders: Petlify is just getting started and is recruiting its first sitters in Kyiv, so the first weeks may be quiet.
What a walk is on Petlify
A walk is a separate visit for the sake of the walk itself. The owner agrees a time with you, you come, take the dog out, walk for the agreed time and bring it home to a bowl of water. Regular walks are booked as a series of visits — say, every day at eight in the morning for two weeks — and each visit takes its own slot in your calendar, so the rest of the day stays open for other bookings.
How you get into the flat is the owner's call: they either meet you in person or hand you a key. Agree the key's return before the first visit — the way our guide to handing over keys describes.
A realistic week and what it earns
One sitter usually manages two to four walks a day when they are in the same neighbourhood. Mornings and evenings are the busiest hours: owners leave for work and come back, and the dog is waiting. A week of ten to fifteen visits is a realistic pace for a side income alongside a job or studies; more than that is full-time work with a route that fills the day.
You set the price, and it depends on length: a half-hour walk costs less, an hour or an active route more. Look at what sitters near you list, and start with a rate you can raise later. Sitters on Petlify list separate rates for 30, 60 and 90 minutes, and the owner sees a quote at your rates before sending a request. Petlify does not process the payment and takes no commission: how and when you settle is agreed with the owner directly.
What you need to start
- A phone with internet: requests, messages and the calendar live in Petlify.
- A passport or ID card for the document check — in Ukraine a sitter profile is published only after it.
- A lead and a few poop bags. No car needed: the best routes are on foot from your own home.
- Experience with dogs — your own, a friend's or your family's. Say so in your profile: an owner picks a person, not a service.
Safety on a walk
An unfamiliar dog always starts with a meet-and-greet: a short meeting with the owner and the dog before the first visit, where you see how the animal reacts to you and learn its habits, fears and the commands it knows. If you have doubts after the meeting, say no. That is normal, and the owner learns it before the booking rather than after.
On a walk the dog is always on the lead, even if the owner says «she never runs off». In summer avoid hot asphalt in the heat, in winter road salt on the paws. Do not introduce someone else's dog to other dogs without the owner's permission. If the dog is hurt or unwell, call the owner first, then the vet the owner named; you should have both contacts before the first visit.
Common mistakes at the start
- Taking every request. Three walks at opposite ends of the city in one morning means an hour in transit between them and being late for all three. Keep your radius small until a regular schedule appears.
- Going quiet. An owner who gets no message after the walk worries; two sentences and a photo, one minute of your time, are what gets you recommended.
- Not settling the small things in advance: whether you may feed the dog, give treats, what to do if the owner is running late. All of that belongs to the meet-and-greet, not to a chat in the middle of a visit.
How to offer walks on Petlify
- Register and fill in your sitter profile: city, district, a short introduction and a photo.
- Add the «Dog walking» service and your rates — separately for 30, 60 and 90 minutes if you offer different lengths.
- Mark your availability in the calendar: which days and hours you walk.
- Submit your documents for the check — we review them by hand, usually within a day. Once approved, your profile is published automatically.
- Answer requests. From the moment you are live, owners see you in search and can write to you.
Ready to try? Start from the Become a sitter page — it explains what Petlify handles for you and what stays yours.