Become a dog walker in Swords: 19 questions answered

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.

It depends on the services you offer, your rates and how many owners near you are looking, so there is no fixed wait. What you control is the profile owners choose from: at least 4 clear photos, a written bio, clear service descriptions and rates in line with Swords. Opening your calendar over school holidays and Christmas, when owners travel, puts you in front of more requests.

Yes. You set your own availability and accept only the bookings that fit, so sitting in Swords can run alongside a full-time job: dog walks fit lunchtime windows, drop-in visits fit evenings, and weekend boarding fits around a Monday-to-Friday week.

Earnings depend on the services you offer and the hours you put in. As a worked example at Swords rates, eight dog walks a week at the lowest walk rate come to about €516 a month, and four nights of house sitting a week at the top rate to about €1170. Overnight boarding and house sitting pay the most per booking, drop-ins and walks the least. You keep up to 90% of every booking: Petme's service fee is 10-20%.

You set the week yourself. One example: 4 dog walks during weekday lunchtimes, 2 drop-in visits in the evenings and one overnight stay at the weekend. At the lowest Swords rates that week comes to about €132. Taking more overnight stays is the quickest way to raise it, because they pay the most per booking.

Dog walking pays €15–€24 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 €32–€52 per night, and house sitting (you stay at the owner's home) pays €42–€68 per night. Overnight care pays more per booking than any other Petme service, so a few stays a month move your income the most.

Petme takes 10-20% 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.

Applewood, Rathbeale and Brackenstown lead booking volume thanks to dense residential pet ownership and regular traveller profiles. Knocksedan is growing as more families move out from the city centre. Lighter competition in the outer parts of County Dublin means a new Swords sitter often books faster there than rates alone would suggest.

Ireland has no national home boarding licence. Walking, drop-in visits and occasional day care need no registration. Regular home boarding falls under your local-authority bye-laws and may require notification once it becomes a routine activity; contact County Dublin council before you start advertising boarding. The Animal Welfare Act 2013 and DAFM standards apply throughout.

Swords rates run close to Dublin city rates because of the airport. Boarding is the biggest income line; walking and drop-ins are smaller than in the city centre.

A car helps because Swords is car-suburban in layout, but airport pick-ups from owners on the way to the terminal mean many clients deliver the pet themselves.

Summer, Christmas and Easter peak; bank-holiday weekends produce surge bookings. Sitters with availability during the August window typically charge a 15 to 20% premium.

Apply at petme.social/ie/become-a-pet-sitter. How soon the first booking in Swords comes depends on your services, your rates and the owners near you. What you control is the profile: 4+ photos, a written bio and rates in line with Swords.

Yes. Pet minding is the common Irish term for the same work: dog walking, drop-in visits, day care and overnight boarding. On Petme you list whichever of these you want to offer around Swords, set your own rate for each, and manage every pet-minding booking in one app.

Yes. Many Swords sitters treat it as a sole-trader income: Petme brings the bookings, handles the payments and adds up to €20,000 through the Protection Plan per stay, and you keep up to 90% of each booking. You register with Revenue and file a Form 11 once your earnings pass the self-assessment threshold.

No pet-sitter certification exists in Ireland, and Petme does not require one to sit in Swords. You need to be 18 or older, pass ID verification, and show genuine experience with animals in your profile review. A dog-first-aid or animal-care course is never required, though it can help you win bookings.