Become a Chester pet sitter for affluent Cheshire owners who travel often

Earnings depend on the mix of services and the hours you put in. Active Petme sitters in Chester typically earn £378–£860 per month. Sitters who lean into overnight boarding and house sitting reach the top of that range, while drop-in and dog-walking-only sitters sit in the lower half. You keep up to 90% of every booking: Petme's service fee is 10-15%.

A common pattern: 3–5 dog walks during weekday lunchtimes, 1–2 drop-in visits in the evenings, and one overnight stay across the weekend. That's roughly 12–15 hours of actual paid time per week and clears £98+ before factoring in repeat clients. Sitters who go full-time stack multiple boarding stays back-to-back.

Dog walking pays £11–£18 per walk on Petme. A 30-minute neighbourhood walk is typically priced near the lower end; longer walks, multi-dog walks, or walks in busy city centres command the upper end. You set your own rate when you build your profile.

Boarding at the sitter's home pays £25–£40 per night, and house sitting (you stay at the owner's home) pays £32–£50 per night. Boarding is where most full-time Petme sitters concentrate their income because the per-booking value is the highest.

Petme takes 10-15% from each completed booking and the sitter keeps up to 90%. The fee covers payment processing, customer support, and the Petme Protection Plan that covers every booking automatically.

Payouts are released automatically once a booking is marked complete in the Petme app. The money lands in your bank account within 2 business days. You don't need to invoice the owner or chase payment: the platform handles it end-to-end.

Every booking is covered by the Petme Protection Plan, which includes up to 20,000 in veterinary expenses if something happens to the pet in your care. It's automatic on every reservation: no separate purchase, no claim paperwork upfront. Petme also offers 24/7 customer support so you're never left handling an emergency alone.

No formal qualifications are required to apply as a Petme sitter. You need to be 18 or older, own a smartphone capable of running the app, complete ID verification, and demonstrate genuine experience around animals during your profile review. Some local rules apply for commercial-scale boarding: see the country-specific question below.

Your first booking typically lands within 1–2 weeks if your profile has at least 4 good photos, a written bio, clear service descriptions, and a competitive rate for your city. Sitters who add availability over a major holiday (Christmas, summer break) often book their first stay within days.

Yes: most Petme sitters in Chester start while working full-time elsewhere. Dog walking fits into lunchtime windows; drop-in visits work around evenings; weekend boarding stacks on top of a Monday-to-Friday office job. You set your own availability and accept only the bookings that fit your schedule.

Hoole, Handbridge and Boughton carry the steadiest demand, being close to the centre and home to commuters and professionals who travel often and want a sitter within easy reach.

If you plan to board dogs in your home regularly or as a business, you need a Home Boarding Licence under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) Regulations 2018, applied for through Cheshire West and Chester Council; dog walking, drop-in visits and occasional day care usually fall outside it. Allow several weeks for the council inspection before you take bookings.

Chester rates tend to sit a touch below Liverpool and Manchester, roughly 10 to 20% lower than the big-city norm, though demand around the tourist core and race days can pull them closer to city levels.

You can cover the walkable core and near-in areas like Handbridge, Hoole and Boughton on foot or by bus, but a car widens your reach into the spread-out suburbs such as Upton, Vicars Cross and Blacon.

Bookings peak over the summer holidays and Christmas, with smaller lifts at Easter, October half-term and on racecourse days.

Apply at petme.social/uk/become-a-pet-sitter and build a profile with clear photos and a short bio covering your area and the services you offer. In an active market like Chester, a well-completed profile in a popular area such as Hoole or Handbridge often sees its first booking within a few weeks.