Pick up pet care work in Ottawa when it suits you
You choose which pets you take, which Ottawa areas you cover and how many bookings a week you want.
Petme is live in Ottawa. Get verified and start accepting requests in your neighborhood.
Not looking for work? Find a pet sitter in Ottawa
Local know-how pays off in Ottawa
Overnight work here sits at the owner's address, so you inherit their thermostat. Ottawa reaches 30 or higher on 13.4 days a year and July averages 21.3 around the clock, which decides whether a cat gets the fan on. Frost is back by October 6, and 184.5 cm of snow falls across the season, so the front walk gets cleared before the owner is home.
When demand peaks
Overnight cover follows the airport, and 2025 is the last year with every month counted. August was the busiest month at 455,912 passengers. December came third at 425,413, so the holiday weeks work as hard as the summer ones. November was the year's quietest month at 358,872.
Know your Ottawa areas
Rideau station on Line 1 sits at the edge of the ByWard Market, so an overnight job there needs no car. Hintonburg runs from Scott Street down to the Queensway. The streets south of Wellington are almost entirely residential, and the overnight work there is at those addresses.
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.
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
Ottawa areas that book the most
Pet sitting bookings in Ottawa are drop-in visits and overnight stays at the owner's own home, placed by ByWard Market and Hintonburg households who travel.
Boarding is a kennel use in Ottawa, and under 2026-50 a kennel is not something a home may be licensed for. 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.
Protected on every booking
CAD 32,000 in Protection Plan comes with every confirmed booking, so you are never on the hook alone if something goes wrong.
Part-time pet care jobs in Ottawa
What new sitters ask before signing up on Petme in Ottawa.
How much can I earn as a pet sitter in Ottawa?
On Petme in Ottawa, dog walking at CAD 22 to CAD 40 per 30 to 60 minute walk, drop-in visits at CAD 22 to CAD 38 per 20 to 30 minute visit, house sitting at CAD 50 to CAD 90 per night. You keep up to 90% of every booking.
Can I set my own rates and hours in Ottawa?
Yes. You set a rate for each service and your own available hours, and you accept or decline each request, whether the booking is in ByWard Market or The Glebe. No assigned shifts, no minimum hours.
What protection comes with each booking?
Every Petme booking includes CAD 32,000 in Protection Plan for the pet in your care, at no cost to you or the owner. The same cover applies whether you sit in ByWard Market or The Glebe.
Is this a part-time or full-time job in Ottawa?
Neither in the employment sense. You work in Ottawa as a self-employed sitter, so there are no assigned shifts and no minimum hours. Some people take a couple of bookings a week around another job, others fill a full week. You scale it up or down yourself.
What do I need to start pet care work in Ottawa?
You need to be 18 or over, have a smartphone with the Petme app, and pass ID verification. Owners choose on reviews, availability and a complete profile, so it is worth describing the pets you have looked after, including your own, on your profile.
How do I apply?
Apply through the Petme become a pet sitter page for Canada, then build your profile: the services you want to offer, your own rate for each, and the Ottawa areas you cover. Owners nearby send you booking requests, and you accept or decline each one.
How do I get paid for bookings in Ottawa?
Payment runs through the app rather than cash at the door. Each confirmed Ottawa booking is paid out to your bank account, and you keep up to 90% of what the owner pays. You set the rate for every service yourself.
Which services should I offer first in Ottawa?
Most new sitters start with dog walking and drop-in visits, then add house sitting once they have a few five-star reviews and know their schedule.
Where is demand strongest in Ottawa?
Pet sitting bookings in Ottawa are drop-in visits and overnight stays at the owner's own home, placed by ByWard Market and Hintonburg households who travel.
Can I do this part-time around another job in Ottawa?
Yes, and most people do. There is no rota and no minimum hours: you open the times you can actually cover and decline anything that does not fit. Walks and drop-in visits run 30 to 60 minutes, so they sit inside a lunch break or the gap before the school run, and your profile stays live in a week you take nothing.
How busy does pet sitting work near me get in Ottawa over the summer?
August is the heaviest stretch of the year. Ottawa's airport handled 479,091 passengers in August 2026, more than any other month, and pet sitting requests track those departures. The work is drop-in visits and overnight stays at the owner's own home, booked weeks ahead.
Start earning in Ottawa
Set your own rate. CAD 32,000 Protection Plan on every booking, cashback that keeps your clients rebooking, and fast payouts to your bank.