Looking for daycare work in Ottawa? Start here
Walk dogs and drop in on them across Ottawa, on your own schedule. Walking runs CAD 22 to CAD 40 per 30 to 60 minute walk, with up to 90% of each booking kept.
Petme is live in Ottawa. Get verified and start accepting requests in your neighborhood.
Prefer to apply from a laptop? Start your application on the web
Not looking for work? Find doggy daycare in Ottawa
Local know-how pays off in Ottawa
Ottawa holds 25 cm of average snow depth in February, and January lows average -14.0 (1991-2020 normals). The daytime cover an owner buys here is a midday walk and a drop-in visit at the dog's own address. Doggy daycare hours get filled that way, and the salt comes off the paws at the door. The last spring snowfall averages April 10.
When demand peaks
Executives in the federal public service returned to five on-site days on May 4, 2026, and other eligible employees to four days on July 6. Those are the hours an owner needs a dog covered at home. Boxing Day and New Year's Day are federal general holidays, so the weekday block pauses until offices reopen in January.
Know your Ottawa pickup areas
Centretown and Sandy Hill are apartment blocks where a drop-in visit means a fob code and a lift, so a sitter covers several buildings on foot. Kanata and Barrhaven are single-detached streets, the housing type that covers 41.7% of Ottawa's 407,255 occupied dwellings, and each midday call there means driving and parking.
Breeds you will meet in Ottawa
Owners here mostly keep Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever, German Shepherd, French Bulldog. Knowing how those breeds behave, and saying so on your profile, is what turns a first booking into a repeat client.
Bilingual owners book faster
Expect booking messages in French anywhere in the city: 36.4% of Ottawa residents can hold a conversation in both English and French (2021 Census). Answer in the language the owner opens with, and keep the thread there.
What a dog walking job in Ottawa actually involves
The work happens at the dog's own address, on a key or a fob code the owner hands over at the meet and greet: a midday walk, then a second drop-in for water and a bathroom break. Nothing is hosted at the sitter's place, so there is no group to size and no headcount to set. Between December and March, a towel stays by the door for the salt.
Before the first walk
You meet the owner and the dog, agree the pickup time and the route, and check the harness, the leash and whether the dog pulls or reacts to other dogs. In Ottawa that meet-and-greet is where most repeat clients are won.
During the walk
Leash on, waste bagged, water offered on longer loops, and a check of the pavement before you head out on a hot afternoon. Owners want to know the dog was walked, not driven around a parking lot for twenty minutes.
After the walk
Paws wiped, water topped up, the dog settled inside and the door locked as you found it. Then a photo and a line about how it went. That message is what turns one booking into a standing weekly slot.
Choose your services, set your own rates
Typical Petme rates in Ottawa. You set your own price for each service, and keep up to 90% of every booking.
Dog walking
CAD 22 to CAD 40 per 30 to 60 minute walk
Drop-in visits
CAD 22 to CAD 38 per 20 to 30 minute visit
House sitting
CAD 50 to CAD 90 per night
A realistic Ottawa week: three dogs, four walks each, CAD 31 per walk. 12 walks, CAD 372, and up to 90% of that stays with you. The number grows with a fourth regular, not with a higher rate.
Ottawa areas that book the most
Dog daycare hours in Ottawa are covered by midday walks and drop-in visits, booked by downtown condo owners and by Kanata and Barrhaven commuters.
Running day care for other people's dogs out of your own place is not allowed in Ottawa. Section 2026-50 keeps animal care off the list of home occupations. The lawful Ottawa services are walking, drop-in visits and house sitting, priced separately and booked directly. Ontario licenses no dog walkers or pet sitters. Ottawa's Animal Care and Control By-law 2003-77 requires annual dog registration (section 7) and a leash in public (section 11). Section 50 caps a dwelling at three dogs over 20 weeks. Zoning By-law 2008-250 section 127 governs home-based work. Pet-care income is self-employment income, reported on form T2125 with your T1 return. GST/HST registration is required once taxable revenue passes the CAD 30,000 small-supplier threshold in four consecutive quarters.
Built for sitters in Ottawa
Keep up to 90%
You set your rate. Petme keeps a low service fee, and you keep up to 90% of every booking.
Full schedule control
No assigned shifts and no minimum hours. Accept or decline each request and pause your profile whenever you need to.
Protection Plan for eligible vet costs
Owners booking through Petme have the Protection Plan, up to CAD 32,000 for eligible vet costs, subject to its terms.
What Ottawa owners look for in a walker
Owners read profiles the way they read reviews of a daycare. Four things get you the first booking.
Named neighborhoods
A profile that says which Ottawa neighborhoods you cover beats one that says "anywhere". Owners search for someone close, and a short travel time is what makes a recurring walk work.
A regular slot
Owners want the same walker at the same time each day. Say which weekday windows you can hold, and you will be chosen over a walker with a wider but vaguer calendar.
Dog experience, stated
Which breeds you have walked, whether you are fine with a strong puller or a reactive dog, and what you do when one dog will not walk. Specifics win. So does a photo of you with a dog.
How to start earning in Ottawa
1. Download Petme
Download the Petme app from the App Store or Google Play.
2. Build your profile
Add photos, a short bio, and the Ottawa neighborhoods you cover.
3. Verify your ID
Complete identity verification so owners can trust your profile before they book.
4. Set your rates and accept bookings
Set your own rates per service, choose your schedule, and accept the bookings you want.
Doggy daycare jobs in Ottawa
What new sitters ask before signing up on Petme in Ottawa.
Are there doggy daycare jobs near me in Ottawa?
Can I run a dog daycare from my home in Ottawa?
Do I pick my own hours and bookings in Ottawa?
What protection comes with Ottawa bookings?
Is this a part-time or full-time job in Ottawa?
What do I need to start pet care work in Ottawa?
How do I apply?
How do I get paid for bookings in Ottawa?
What daytime dog work pays in Ottawa?
Why is dog walking allowed in Ottawa when day care is not?
What happens to dog daycare work in Ottawa once February snow sets in?
Start earning in Ottawa
Set your own rate. Protection Plan up to CAD 32,000, cashback that keeps your clients rebooking, and fast payouts to your bank.
Prefer to apply from a laptop? Start your application on the web
