Set your own rates as a pet sitter in Birkenhead

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 Birkenhead. 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 Birkenhead 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 Birkenhead rates, eight dog walks a week at the lowest walk rate come to about £344 a month, and four nights of house sitting a week at the top rate to about £757. 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 Birkenhead rates that week comes to about £88. Taking more overnight stays is the quickest way to raise it, because they pay the most per booking.

Dog walking pays £10–£15 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 £22–£34 per night, and house sitting (you stay at the owner's home) pays £28–£44 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.

Start with Claughton, which sits next to Birkenhead Park about 3 km west of the town centre. Oxton borders it to the south, with Victorian houses in a conservation area. Tranmere adds Mersey Park and Victoria Park for dog walks close to home.

Yes if you board regularly. Most Birkenhead sitters need a Home Boarding Licence from Wirral Council once boarding becomes a recurring activity, under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018. Dog walking, drop-in visits and occasional day care below 5 days a year typically do not require a licence. Allow 6 to 10 weeks for the inspection and certificate.

Birkenhead mixes Georgian terraces around Hamilton Square with Victorian houses in Oxton and villa plots around Birkenhead Park. Green space sits inside the town: a Grade I listed park and 100 acres of heath and woodland on Bidston Hill.

You can sit in Birkenhead without a car. Merseyrail stations include Hamilton Square, Birkenhead Park, Green Lane and Rock Ferry, and trains from Hamilton Square reach Liverpool James Street in about 3 minutes. Drivers can use the M53, which runs along Prenton's western edge.

The school summer holidays and Christmas are the weeks when Birkenhead families go away. Set your availability for those weeks in the Petme app well ahead.

Apply at petme.social/uk/become-a-pet-sitter, complete ID verification and build your profile. How soon the first booking comes depends on the services you offer, your rates and the owners near you, so give them what they need to choose you: several clear photos, a written bio and rates in line with the Birkenhead bands on this page.

Either, and you choose which. Most Birkenhead sitters start part time around a job or their studies, taking a walk or a drop-in visit a day, then add overnight boarding once regular clients build up. There are no set shifts and no minimum hours, so you accept the requests that fit your week and decline the rest.